No more hair-raising tales for felines

Parth Shastri | TNN | Sep 3, 2018, 23:23 IST

AHMEDABAD: Can the leopard skin found from Hyderabad be identified as having origin in the jungles of Gujarat? Can a single hair of lion hide tell whether the lion was Asiatic or African?
A doctoral research at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University (GFSU) has found the answer to these questions with the development of a new method in which mitochondrial DNA is isolated from hair lysis and studied under an electron microscope. Like the distinct patterns lions, tigers, and leopards have on their bodies, their hair too bear distinct patterns when observed under a microscope — helping identify the species.

The researcher, Satendra Kumar Yadav, and his guide Dr M S Dahiya, a former director of Institute of Forensic Sciences (IFS), also developed a new algorithm — Dahiya and Yadav Fast Pattern Matching Algorithm (DnY-FPMA).

“The research findings can be useful in solving wildlife crimes,” said Yadav, who received his PhD at the recent GFSU convocation and is currently based in Dubai. “Gujarat is the last abode of Asiatic lions and also has the presence of other big cats. A major lion poaching case was solved with the help of forensics in the state.” Yadav went on to say: “We thus decided to focus on the methods that can not only identify the animal in question on the basis of hair, but also its genealogy that can help ascertain the geographic location where felines of similar species can be found.” It is a non-invasive method of hair analysis, Yadav said.

Yadav explained that each feline hair has different scale layer. “The method we developed will reduce the dependence on tissue analysis to identify the place of origin of the animal,” he said. “ That is an extremely important aspect in crimes such as poaching and the sale of wildlife animal produce.”

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