Feb

26

2007
 
 

Dung map exposes poachers



Illegally poached ivoryGenetic technique reveals heartland of elephant carnage

A genetic “map” of Africa’s elephants Loxodonta africana, based on samples of dung, is proving to be a powerful tool in the fight against illegal ivory poaching, according to a report published this week. An international team, led by Sam Wasser at the Center for Conservation Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, compared DNA samples from confiscated tusks to the map to locate the epicenter of the elephant trade. On the basis of a 6.5-ton haul of contraband ivory, intercepted en route to Singapore, it’s Zambia. Despite the official claim that only 135 Zambian elephants were illegally culled in the last ten years, Wasser’s study suggests that between 3000 and 6500 died in the region just to supply that single shipment. The soaring price of ivory has driven poaching to pre-1989 CITES trade ban levels. The ability to pinpoint poaching hotspots provides a vital way to focus policing efforts.

Source: Wasser SK, Mailand C, Booth R, Mutayoba B, Kisamo E, Clark B & Stephens M (2007) Using DNA to track the origin of the largest ivory seizure since the 1989 trade ban. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0609714104

Related story: click here

Filed Under Endangered species, Restoration, Monitoring, Socio-political issues, Tools and technology | 

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