Forensic analyses of crimes against wildlife

It has not yet fallen victim to Donald Trump's efforts to cut what he considers unnecessary costs for environmental and animal protection: the forensic laboratory of the US «Fish and Wildlife Service», the nature conservation agency subordinate to the US Department of the Interior, is the world's only full-service forensic laboratory dedicated to solving crimes committed against wildlife .

35’000 items of evidence in the collection

Ken Goddard, a former crime scene investigator and ex-director of a forensic laboratory in Southern California, was commissioned in 1979 to establish this forensic laboratory. Thousands of animals are examined every year, X-rayed, dissected, their bones cleaned, and ultimately incorporated into a collection already comprising more than 35’000 items of evidence of all kinds.

Crimes committed against wildlife represent a billion-dollar industry worldwide, one that experts fear will continue to grow. A small team of scientists conducts DNA tests, identifies bullets and poisons, and investigates all manner of causes of death.

Official laboratory for CITES

The 34 staff members in total handle not only domestic criminal cases and cases of suspicion, but also operate the official laboratory for CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, which has been signed by 178 nations for the protection of endangered animal and plant species.

At least they know that perpetrators are often enough caught and convicted, and pesticide offenders, for example, are sometimes handed severe penalties. A farmer in Montana, for instance, had to pay 1’000 dollars because he had poisoned a sheep — in doing so, he killed not only three coyotes but also a falcon and a bald eagle. And in Wisconsin, two men were sentenced in 2014 to a fine of 100’000 dollars because their actions caused the deaths of more than 70 wild animals. More on Crime and Hobby Hunting.