In China’s Chongqing, Police Squirrels Can Now Sniff out Drugs

Sniffer dogs in China now have competition. Police in the southwestern city of Chongqing have successfully trained a batch of drug-sniffing squirrels, which they claim may perform even better than their canine colleagues. According to domestic media reports, a police dog brigade in Chongqing has trained six squirrels that are now ready to take on even the most complicated of tasks, such as those in warehouses full of packages, tight corners, and even “places that are high up,” areas that drug sniffing dogs traditionally have trouble searching. “A squirrel’s sense of smell is quite acute. It’s just that we now have more sophisticated methods of training them,” Yin Jin, who trained the new batch of sniffer squirrels, told domestic media.