【明報專訊】Under a trial started by the Endangered Wildlife Trust, a South African environmental organisation, an elite group of ten to fifteen African giant pouched rats (非洲巨頰囊鼠) will be trained to sniff out trafficked pangolin (穿山甲) parts and smuggled hardwood timber in shipments heading from Africa to Asia.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service (美國魚類及野生動物管理局) has shown its support to the programme by providing US ＄100,000 (around HK ＄775,000) and noted that it could be "an innovative tool in combating illegal wildlife trade".

The rats are agile and have a sensitive sense of smell. Due to their small size compared to sniffer dogs, they can reach the parts of shipping containers that the dogs cannot reach. Small cameras can also be attached to their backs. Apart from pangolins, they are planned to be used to find hidden ivory and rhino horns in the future.

(sources: Ming Pao, The Guardian, Endangered Wildlife Trust website)

“ Dr Panda: Look at the rats! There are probably something suspicious in those containers. ”

“ Pat: Let's give them a check! ”

■ Photo Story

African giant pouched rats have already been trained to find mines and other explosive materials on old battlefields in Mozambique (莫桑比克) and Cambodia (柬埔寨).

■ English highway﹕giant

As an adjective, "giant" describes something or someone extremely large. It must be used before a noun.

e.g. Look at that giant spider!

■ Quiz

Answer the following questions.

(Answers on next text)

1. What does "the programme" in paragraph two refer to?

____________________________________

2. Is the following sentence true or false?

African giant pouched rats can go to areas in a shipping container where sniffer dogs cannot reach. (True/False)

3. What attributes do the African giant pouched rats have?

____________________________________

4. Which of the following is not what a group of African giant pouched rats are being trained by the Endangered Wildlife Trust to do?

a. To find mines on old battlefields

b. To find meat of pangolin

c. To find hardwood timber

d. To find rhino horn

■ Glossary

traffic (v) 非法交易

combat (v) 打擊

sniffer dog (n phr) 偵緝犬

explosive (adj) 易爆炸的