Abstract
In this study, we report the findings of a recent case in which the officials of an Indian zoo claimed that an animal, possibly a carnivore, is periodically visiting the zoo from a nearby vast forest area and causing panic in zoo and nearby villages. They collected some elusive faecal material from the vicinity of an herbivore enclosure. Looking to the pugmarks found in that area and faecal matter ceased, the officials could not decide whether it was a lioness, a tiger or a panther. We resolved this mystery by DNA-based analysis of the faecal material, using our recently developed novel universal primers to amplify and sequence a specific fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The findings of the DNA-based analyses were confirmed after few days when the zoo officials trapped the animal of same species as suggested in our report. The potential of our procedure to investigate the cases related to wildlife offence is discussed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 16-20 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Forensic Science International |
| Volume | 137 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 14 2003 |
| Externally published | Yes |
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Keywords
- Faecal material
- Forensics
- Universal primers
- Wildlife identification
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Genetics
- Analytical Chemistry
- Pathology and Forensic Medicine
- Psychiatry and Mental health
Cite this
Was elusive carnivore a panther? DNA typing of faeces reveals the mystery. / Verma, Sunil Kumar; Prasad, Kasturi; Nagesh, Narayan; Sultana, Mehar; Singh, Lalji.
In: Forensic Science International, Vol. 137, No. 1, 14.10.2003, p. 16-20.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Was elusive carnivore a panther? DNA typing of faeces reveals the mystery
AU - Verma, Sunil Kumar
AU - Prasad, Kasturi
AU - Nagesh, Narayan
AU - Sultana, Mehar
AU - Singh, Lalji
PY - 2003/10/14
Y1 - 2003/10/14
N2 - In this study, we report the findings of a recent case in which the officials of an Indian zoo claimed that an animal, possibly a carnivore, is periodically visiting the zoo from a nearby vast forest area and causing panic in zoo and nearby villages. They collected some elusive faecal material from the vicinity of an herbivore enclosure. Looking to the pugmarks found in that area and faecal matter ceased, the officials could not decide whether it was a lioness, a tiger or a panther. We resolved this mystery by DNA-based analysis of the faecal material, using our recently developed novel universal primers to amplify and sequence a specific fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The findings of the DNA-based analyses were confirmed after few days when the zoo officials trapped the animal of same species as suggested in our report. The potential of our procedure to investigate the cases related to wildlife offence is discussed.
AB - In this study, we report the findings of a recent case in which the officials of an Indian zoo claimed that an animal, possibly a carnivore, is periodically visiting the zoo from a nearby vast forest area and causing panic in zoo and nearby villages. They collected some elusive faecal material from the vicinity of an herbivore enclosure. Looking to the pugmarks found in that area and faecal matter ceased, the officials could not decide whether it was a lioness, a tiger or a panther. We resolved this mystery by DNA-based analysis of the faecal material, using our recently developed novel universal primers to amplify and sequence a specific fragment of mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. The findings of the DNA-based analyses were confirmed after few days when the zoo officials trapped the animal of same species as suggested in our report. The potential of our procedure to investigate the cases related to wildlife offence is discussed.
KW - Faecal material
KW - Forensics
KW - Universal primers
KW - Wildlife identification
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0141756342&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0141756342&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0379-0738(03)00277-9
DO - 10.1016/S0379-0738(03)00277-9
M3 - Article
VL - 137
SP - 16
EP - 20
JO - Forensic Science International
JF - Forensic Science International
SN - 0379-0738
IS - 1
ER -