Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2014 | Page 27

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

How Forensic Science Has Influenced Wildlife
Investigations
Megan Ansberry
The legality of wildlife killings depends not only on the species, but
also the circumstance of the killing as killing animals is not always
illegal. In order to determine the legality of a case, wildlife investigators first have to answer three questions: What species is the victim?
Was the killing legal or illegal? And if illegal, who committed the
crime? Wildlife forensic scientists often find that the first question
is the hardest one to answer. The potential victims of wildlife crimes
include tens of thousands of species. Although wildlife forensic
investigators may use traditional forensic techniques to answer the
question of who committed the crime; they must constantly develop
new methods and techniques in order to determine the species and
legality of the killing.

Arising from this international conference was a global treaty to
protect wildlife, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, (CITES) (“What is CITES”).
CITES made it unlawful to internationally trade any wildlife that may
be threatened or exploited by illicit trade (“What is CITES”). CITES
was initially signed in 1973 by 80 nations and today 178 nations
voluntarily enforce CITES (“What is CITES”). The Endangered
Species Preservation Act was further amended in 1973 and renamed
the Endangered Species Act so as to include implementation of
CITES (“Endangered Species Act”). CITES outlines different levels
of protection depending on the threat levels to each species in various
Appendices. Species in CITES Appendix I are the most endangered,
and thus have the most protection