Strengthening the wildlife forensic toolkit through the adoption of human specific approaches to identification

Thomas, A ORCID: 0000-0001-7013-5144 (2025) Strengthening the wildlife forensic toolkit through the adoption of human specific approaches to identification. Doctoral thesis, Liverpool John Moores University.

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Abstract

Wildlife crimes, including poaching and illegal trade, pose serious threats to both wildlife and human populations. A history of apathy and ineffective enforcement has allowed offenders to view these crimes as “low-risk, high-reward.” As a result, they persist, target a growing range of species, and there is a pressing need to rethink investigative approaches. This thesis identifies a major gap in wildlife crime investigations: the underuse of traditional human forensic techniques, including DNA profiling and fingerprinting. Whilst wildlife preservation is the driver, this research centres people, both perpetrators and practitioners. It explores the largely untested potential of wildlife derivatives (including elephant ivory, tiger claw, sawfish rostrum, tortoise shell, deer antler, and gorilla skull) as surfaces for recovering fingerprints and human touch DNA and assesses law enforcement capacity to carry out this work.
Recognising the novelty of wildlife derivatives, and constraints on handwashing and face-touching (grooming) behaviour during COVID-19, I first examined how handling technique and grooming affect fingermark and touch DNA deposition. Results demonstrated grooming significantly impacted deposition, while handling technique did not. These findings informed the methodology for comparative tests of four fingerprint enhancement techniques (including monochromatic, and fluorescent fingerprint powders, and gelatin lifters) and four touch DNA recovery techniques (cotton, flocked, and foam swabs, and mini-tapes) on multiple wildlife derivatives. Reduced-scale red fluorescent magnetic powder excited using a 365nm light source proved most effective for fingerprint enhancement across derivatives, providing high contrast on their patterned surfaces. Foam swabs, rarely used for touch DNA, yielded the highest average DNA recovery, significantly outperforming mini-tapes on several derivatives, likely due to their surface area, malleability, and retention properties. PCR inhibitors were suspected of affecting DNA sample analysis from multiple derivatives, particularly from the surface of ivory.
Surveys of UK wildlife crime officers (WCO) and crime scene examiners (CSE) confirmed a limited use of human forensics, inconsistent evidence recovery by WCO’s, and minimal training for CSEs in wildlife crime investigations. In-person training improved both capacity and likelihood of future CSE engagement.
This thesis calls for greater forensic parity in wildlife crime and recommends integrating CSEs and adopting effective tools, such as reduced scale red fluorescent magnetic powders and foam swabs, to improve investigative outcomes and enforcement efforts.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	wildlife crime; fingerprint; touch DNA; forensic; illegal wildlife trade
Subjects:	R Medicine > RS Pharmacy and materia medica
Divisions:	Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences
Date of acceptance:	19 June 2025
Date of first compliant Open Access:	9 September 2025
Date Deposited:	09 Sep 2025 11:17
Last Modified:	09 Sep 2025 11:18
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00026650
Supervisors:	Dawnay, N, Rae, R, Gibson, L and Ogden, R
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/26650

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