China created a squirrel squad to detect drugs

2023-02-09T16:14:42.256Z

The six anti-drug squirrels, of the Eurasian red variety, can get into hard-to-reach areas and high places.

A Chinese city has trained a group of

squirrels

so that they are capable of

detecting drugs

in spaces that are difficult to access, such as storage warehouses or very high places, the local press reports today.

The

six anti-narcotics squirrels

, of the Eurasian red variety, will join their new function in the city of Chongqing (southwest), after their new "police" capacity has been endorsed by various scientific institutions, indicates the official newspaper Global Times.

The six anti-drug squirrels, of the Eurasian red variety, will join their new role after being trained.

"Squirrels have a

very good sense of smell

," said Yin Jin, one of the handlers with the dog brigade of the Hechuan Public Security Bureau in Hechuan.

The expert assured that the training method they have developed is also useful for other animal species and added that the results obtained so far are positive and that the squirrel unit is capable of quickly identifying the presence of drugs.

The difference with dogs

According to Yin, unlike dogs, squirrels' small size and agility allow them to get into hard-to-reach areas as well as high-altitude places.

Animals have been trained to

scratch

on the surface as a way of indicating to their handlers that they have smelled the presence of drugs.

Squirrels are useful for this task because they reach places that are difficult to access or places that are very high.

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security said a few months ago that the Asian country is the nation with the "strictest drug control system in the world" and with the largest number of prohibited substances.

Large-scale drug trafficking is a crime punishable by death in China.

EFE Agency.

look also