DNA forensic helps to determine species of animal from cooked meat

Kolkata: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) through DNA forensic has been able to ascertain the species of origin from fully-cooked meat that was confiscated from a restaurant at Murshidabad district of Bengal and was suspected to be of a Greater Short-toed Lark.

The molecular diagnostic technique using genetic markers to decipher the morphologically altered materials in wildlife forensic cases, which is a rarity in India, indicated that the confiscated material was a Common Quail and not the Short-toed Lark.

The study assumes significance as in many countries migratory birds are often illegally poached for their meat. Although, large birds, such as geese are the main target, sometimes small birds in flocks are also killed for local consumption of meat. The Greater Short-toed Lark or Short-toed Lark, a winter migrant to peninsular India has reportedly undergone massive illegal trapping by the local residents who also in turn supply meat for consumption in eateries.

To control such illegal poaching, law enforcement agencies depute their volunteers to collate information on illegal wildlife trade and trafficking and often raid in local markets and restaurants which are involved in serving dishes containing wildlife products.

However, species identification often becomes challenging and sometimes impossible using morphological traits, especially when specimens received for identification are too old and or degraded or altered into pieces.

In this case, there was no intact morphological identity, and the owner of the restaurant was booked under the charges of Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 towards killing and selling the meat of a protected species. The present study assisted the law enforcement agencies in nullifying the charges of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972, wrongly placed on the accused.

The case has been successful in the exoneration of the restaurant owner from the Wildlife (Protection) Act of India, 1972. It may be mentioned that Short Toed Lark is being killed by poachers in huge numbers as they migrate in large flocks and concern are raised of their capture for local consumption and supplying meat to the hotels/ restaurants.

"The study built a new hope by identifying the species of origin of a seized cooked meat sample through wildlife forensics, otherwise, it was not possible to identify the species by traditional methods," said Mukesh Thakur, ZSI scientist who was involved in the study along with scientists Avijit Ghosh, Shambadeb Basu, Gul Jabin , Hiren Khatri, Sujeet K. Singh and Gopinathan Maheshwaran under the leadership of ZSI director Kailash Chandra.