SINGAPORE - Sniffer dogs are being used at border checkpoints to detect the smuggling of endangered animals, and items such as elephant ivory and pangolin scales, to further clamp down on wildlife smuggling. This new K9 unit under the National Parks Board (NParks) is specially trained to sniff out threatened and contraband fauna and timber that may be hidden in cargo or luggage. This comes as Singapore gears up for its ban on all trade in ivory, which will go into effect next week. The dogs' heightened sense of smell will allow them to detect items that may not be spotted by other methods, such as using radiographic scanners and visual inspections. There have been many seizures of pangolin scales and ivory at Singapore's borders over the years. In April and July of 2019, a total of 37.4 tonnes of pangolin scales were seized. The K9 unit was announced on Friday (Aug 27) at the official opening of Singapore's first Centre for Wildlife Forensics. Scientists at the centre, which has been operational for about a year now, have been closely studying animal and timber samples from illegal imports to identify the species and trace their source. This would help authorities here and elsewher...