Tracing wildlife trophy origin using DNA

The University of  Washington Seattle has donated DNA vial  and reagents  for  forensic sample collection of recently  seized container full of ivory through the inter agency collaboration between the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Police and Kenya Revenue Authority at the Port of Mombas.

 

This DNA vial and reagents have been donated by Prof. Sam Wasser of the University of Washington Seattle who will help the KWS new Forensic and Genetics laboratory to analyze the samples and help identify their origin. Sam Wasser will be visiting KWS Forensic laboratory in November during which he will closely work in conjunction with KWS new laboratory and make recommendations on procedures, expansion and priorities.

 

Sam has also agreed on an exchange program project in which KWS laboratory personnel will visit the University of Washington and learn on techniques for extracting DNA from elephant ivory and how to determine the origin of a sample. This will be useful for the KWS technicians to have exposure to a stat

e-of-the-art laboratory. KWS international Liaison Bill Clark will also arrange for those technicians to receive some instruction from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service forensics lab in Ashland. 

The techniques learnt in these institutions will ensure the new KWS forensic and genetic laboratory is elevated to standards of conducting these procedures and become the focal point in Africa for elephant DNA analysis.

The idea of being able to distinguish species and identify specimens including incomplete, damaged or immature specimens using a very short gene sequence is one of the many initiatives dedicated to developing it as a global tool for species identification.

In picture: Above- DNA vial reagents been received by KWS-BOT member Patricia Awori, and Moses Yongo Otiende, KWS Molecular Biologist. Below- Moses Yongo Otiende receives other set of DNA vial reagents from Capt. Ibrahim Ogle, Assistant Director Special Projects KWS.