Integrative method improves the reliability of wildlife crime investigations, strengthening the ability to prosecute offenders
As wildlife crimes grow increasingly sophisticated, the tools are advancing to fight them. A new study published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution unveils a new multi-pronged forensic method developed by a team of international researchers that combines multiple layers of genetic analysis to provide stronger, court-admissible evidence in cases involving illegal poaching, poisoning and wildlife trafficking. Unlike traditional methods that often focus on species identification, this technique goes further. Through the integration of molecular genetic tools and the use of local genetic databases, the method can determine fine-scale information such as which individual was poached, if it came from a protected population, and if there are other items from the same individual that were confiscated. The study presented three case studies involving the poisoning of the critically endangered Eurasian griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and the poaching of the Nubian ibex (Capra nubiana) and the endangered mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella). The case studies demonstrated that this integrative method could reliably match biological evidence across multiple sample types, including fur, bone, scat and tissue. The use of this tool can strengthen the ability to prosecute in areas where human-wildlife conflict is high and enforcement resources are limited.
