title: DNA forensics and the poaching of wildlife in Italy: a case study.
abstract: DNA molecular techniques were used in a forensic investigation involving the poaching of wildlife in a national park of Italy. A poacher, after having snared a wild boar (Sus scrofa) sow, knifed it to death. The animal was retrieved by conservation officers at the scene before the poacher could remove the carcass. Subsequently, the suspect denied the charges. During a search of his home, a bloodstained knife was confiscated. A method to identify the species from the DNA extracted from the stains revealed the blood to be that of the non-domestic form of Sus scrofa. Further DNA typing for individual identity using species-specific single tandem repeats or microsatellites (STRs) showed that the DNA on the knife matched that of the poached boar. Based upon the forensic evidence obtained, the suspect was convicted of poaching and of cruelty to animals.
authors.affiliation: Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del Molise "G. Caporale", Campo Boario, I-64100 Teramo, Italy. r.lorenzini@izs.it
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lorenzini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001801:Blood Stains; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial / Q000032:analysis*; D005787:Gene Frequency; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013045:Species Specificity; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics*; D020080:Tandem Repeat Sequences
chemical_list: D017931:DNA Primers; D004272:DNA, Mitochondrial