Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2014 | Page 28

FORENSICS JOURNAL

The first task a wildlife investigator is faced with is to determine the
species of the victim. The evidence may be in the form of a dead
body, and therefore obvious because of the animal’s appearance, size,
and shape. Conversely, it may be obscure and in the form of jewelry,
where appearance, size, and shape are of little help to investigators. In
the case of the latter, the wildlife investigator would send the evidence
to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory’s Morphology Unit.
Some legally protected species have similar characteristics to that of
an unprotected species. For example, different bird species may have
similar looking feathers; elephant tusks at first glance appear similar to
a mammoth’s tusks; and a bear’s inner organs may be indistinguishable
from other unprotected species (Neme). Approximately 75% of the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Forensic Laboratory’s work is species identification. Without the forensic science techniques to confirm the species,
investigators would have no way to determine what species the part
came from and therefore the legality of the trade.

Wildlife foren