Focus
Protecting Wildlife
PHOTO COURTESY—NATIONAL FISH & WILDLIFE FORENSICS LABORATORY
DIGITAL IMAGERY© COPYRIGHT 1999 PHOTODISC, INC
The world's only forensic laboratory solely devoted to wildlife protection is developing new analytical methods and transferring that knowledge worldwide. DIGITAL IMAGERY© COPYRIGHT 1999 PHOTODISC, INC
Consider this: Wildlife trafficking around the globe is estimated to net more than $10 billion per year, with approximately $3-4 billion of that derived from illegal transactions. While it's difficult to pinpoint exact numbers, authorities suspect that the total revenues from these illegal operations exceed those from unlawful arms sales and rank second only to drug smuggling. The key international law that protects wildlife is the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which has been signed by 145 countries (see sidebar, p 752 A). Unfortunately, enforcement of the law has been inconsistent. And even when it is enforced, there is only one forensic laboratory worldwide, the National Fish & Wildlife Lab located in Ashland, OR, which is solely devoted to producing court evidence to catch the perpetrators of wildlife crimes. For the past 10 the laboratory has been developing analytical methods for identifying pro-
Crispin Littlehales
tected species and "transferring" that information to forensic scientists worldwide. Can one laboratory make a difference? Catch as catch can "It isn't clear how some of these countries [that have signed CITES] will be able to deal with their wildlife forensics problems," says Ken Goddard, director of the Ashland forensic laboratory. Goddard, a former police crime lab director, was assigned to the office of Chief, Branch of Forensic Science, Division of Law Enforcement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1979, and from there he spearheaded the creation of the laboratory, assuming the role of director when the lab opened in 1989. "A lot of countries want to send scientists to work with us." Typically, the lab trains four to six individuals during a two-week intensive course. "Since we can't compromise our own wildlife criminal investigation work, we made the decision to hold one training session a year with participants paying their own expenses," says Goddard. Despite the costs, scientists from Taiwan, The Republic of
DIGITAL IMAGERY© COPYRIGHT 1999 PHOTODISC. INC
PHOTO COURTESY—NATIONAL FISH & WILDLIFE FORENSICS LABORATORY
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, November 1, 1999
749 A
Focus China, Singapore, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Germany, South Africa, die Czech Republic, and Canada have come for training. In most countries, wildlife forensics is handled in the same labs that handle human forensics. And, for the foreseeable future, the Ashland lab will remain unique, because, says Goddard, "only one to three other countries will create anything similar to what we have here." What the lab has is an annual operating budget of $2.8 million. With that money, the lab provides services to the 50 U.S. state fish and game agencies, any federal government agency, and CITES Treaty signatories. The lab also conducts work on behalf of the wildlife subgroup of INTERPOL, the international police organization. Currently, the lab investigates approximately 900
has the capabilities of working cases like a homicide," explains Goddard. "We do operate in a fashion that is common to all crime labs in that we attempt to link the suspect, the victim, and the crime scene together." In fact, says Goddard, the courts expect the laboratory's work to be the equivalent of an FBI-level accredited lab. "What differentiates our work from the 'traditional' human forensics lab are the categories of evidence that we receive," he says. "We get pieces and parts of animals that we have to identify and link to the suspect and the kill site." From those "pieces and parts", the laboratory has to prove that the "victim" was a protected species. In some ways, this chal-
with roughly 60% coming from federal cies another 35% generated authorities and the CUSPS a VP3T"
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5% coming from international sources However, to accommodate what the lab expects to be a growing caseload, particularly from the international sector, and to continue training wildlife forensic scientists, plans are currently under way for a $9-million expansion beginning in 2001. In addition to doubling the lab staff to 60, the proposal calls for additional containment facilities expanded DNA capabilities, and a sealed for handling samples with potential biological contaminants such as hoof and mouth disease anthrax or brucellosis. "You must have the proper equipment the right safety gear and established protocols in place all of which are expensive" says Goddard "That's why countries with limresources turn to u s " Pieces and parts "I think it comes as a tremendous surprise to some people that this laboratory 750 A
that gap of knowledge. It's been an invaluable contribution to the successful implementation of CITES, not only in the United States, but in other countries as well." For example, Grimm cites the lab's work on identifying the sturgeon species from which caviar is taken. Today, 90% of the world's caviar comes from the Caspian Sea's beluga (Huso huso), Russian (Acipensergueldenstaedti), ana stellate sturgeon (A. stellatus). Recently, proof of habitat degradation and massive overfishing has prompted the United States and Germany to cosponsor a proposal for listing beluga, Russian, stellate, Siberian 04. baeril), and dpiny (A. nudiventris) sturgeon in CITES Appendix II (see sidebar, p752 A). Because all caviar looks similar CITES parties voted to list all other sturgeon and paddlefish species worldwide as pro-
lenge is the antithesis of how biology has traditionally approached species identification. 'While we have clear definitions for most species, based on the whole animal and where it came from, we often get items that are smuggled across borders, so we don't necessarily know the country of origin," says Goddard. "There is no underlying historical science that tells us what a tiger claw is, so we have to come up with new species-defining characteristics." "In many such cases, the normal characteristic features used by taxonomists are not adequate to identify [endangered] species, particularly when the exact origin is unknown," notes zoologist Ute Grimm, who works with the German Scientific Authority to CITES. "The research of the Ashland lab has enabled us to fill
Analytical Chemistry News & Features, November 1, 1999
chan in legislation has had a significant impact on the Ash land lab A rdirnr *to Goddard, r j j A "TiThe caviar situation went from being a nomssue about two years ago to suddenly taking over .... our DNA program, , . . . , . °. to the point where four of our five DNA specialists are actively involved in the exanimation of caviar. "There are several ways of characterizing the species," explains Edgard Espinoza, deputy lab director and forensic science branch chief. "One is to use immunodiffusion and antigen antibody tests to distinguish family, and to use protein electrophoresis to identify proteins in the blood that would make the species specific. We also make use of DNA sequencers to help us not only in species identification, but also in linking the victim to the suspect and the crime scene." For example using DNA sequencing the lab's experts can match spots of blood found in the back of a pickup truck with meat tucked away in a suspect's freezer
Forensics worldwide
"We are very interested in DNA and serology techniques because they are applicable in our lab," says Yanchun Xu, a forensic chemist from the Ministry of Forestry Detecting Center of Wild Fauna and Flora (People's Republic of China), which handles problems associated with the international trade of endangered species. "Experts at the Ashland lab have created many new mtDNA (mitochondrial) and PCR (polymerase chain reaction) methods. They have also created several primers of PCR for species identification." Using standards for comparison the lab is now able to cope with many species including all North American species of deer bear wolf wild sheep and mountain goats "We are now using the techniques we learned [at the Ashland lab]," says Xu. "We plan to make clear the pedigree files of Siberian tiger and golden-monkey captured populations with the DNA techniques we have learned. As a result, we wiil be able to identify tiger and golden monkey parts in the illegal trade. The experience we now have will also allow us to create methods for identifying other species." Another example of how the Ashland lab is spreading technology comes from eastern Europe. At the time that the Czech Republic emerged from communism in 1989, it was not a CITES member. Although there were laws protecting a number of endangered species on paper, the communist regime simply accepted the poaching of brown bears, wolves, lynx, eagles, falcons, hawks, and owls as a way of life. In 1992, the Czech Republic signed the CITES treaty, but enforcement efforts were slow to materialize. In fact wealthier citi7PT1s started purchasing exotic pets such
from Prague," says Miko. .The individual who had smuggled them from Australia claimed they were pigeon and duck eggs." Using its DNA sequencing capabilities, the Ashland lab identified the true identity of the eggs. "Without the use of DNA we would not have been able to provide conclusive evidence." In South Africa, where Superintendent Commander of the Endangered Species Pr tection Unit Pieter Lategan has the respons bility of protecting the much-valued large mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, and plants that are fast disappearing into the hands of poachers and smugglers, even the Colophon whytii beetle male and female pairs fetch $6 000-$7 000. "As a police officer" says Lategan "I had
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