Ivory Genetics: Whose tusks belong to who?
The illegal ivory trade has spelled trouble for elephant populations for decades. In recent years however, the $4 billion market has resulted in even greater declines, with approximately 30,000 elephants poached each year for their tusks¹,². Until 2018, upon its removal from the international ivory trade watchlist, Thailand was home to the largest black market for illegal ivory trafficking and laundering³. Although the Thai government has taken great steps to limit illegal trade, confronting such illegal activities remains a challenge. Under the international CITES agreement, it is illegal to trade or possess African ivory, but in Thailand, Asian ivory can still be domestically traded⁴. Consequently, ivory is relatively easy to obtain in Thailand but nearly impossible to distinguish as legal or illegal based solely on its appearance and without knowing its source. It was not until recently that a new genetic forensic tool was developed to combat this issue and aid in law enforcement.
In 2017, Thitika Kitpipit and his team of researchers developed the first mini-SNaPshot multiplex assay for verifying elephant ivory and identifying the species origin of ivory through genetic analysis⁴. This tool uses elephant specific genetic markers called SNPs (pronounced ‘snips’) to identify the species from which confiscated ivory materials came. The examination of these specific SNPs requires only a small amount of DNA for testing making them effective candidates for forensic identification of degraded, processed materials with low genetic content for successful analysis⁴. The SNaPshot assay is a proven technology that has wide use for medical science, microbiology and human and wildlife forensic genetics.
Why is this method of ivory identification so pivotal? In black market hotspots for illegal ivory trade such as Thailand, law enforcement is left unaware of where elephant tusks came from and who is at the head of the complex network of individuals profiting from illegal ivory trade practices. With this lack of knowledge, law enforcement cannot take preventative measures against poaching in specific locations and the African elephant population will continue to suffer. This gap in knowledge is one that genetic testing with the mini-SNaPshot multiplex assay can fill with informative data that reveals the species of origin of tusks collected from killed elephants, traded across the globe, and managed by larger cartels. Such information can then be compiled and collated with shipment information to tie cartels to multiple shipments, determine shipping hotspots, and catch traffickers in the act².
Although many molecular techniques are widely available for the detection of SNPs in wildlife species, the mini-SNaPshot multiplex assay offers fully certified, successful, and accurate analysis of elephant specific genetic variations and identification of species from blood samples, ivory product, such as bracelets, earrings, and necklaces, confiscated raw ivory samples, and damaged ivory samples. All samples in Kitpipit’s study were acquired from the three elephant species (Asian elephant, African bush elephant, African forest elephant), and one sample was confiscated raw ivory of a mammoth. All but one of the 140 total samples were successfully analyzed and 100% identification accuracy of the species origin of these samples was obtained⁴. Such specificity, sensitivity, and reproducibility in an assay will be critical for accurate forensic investigations of elephant related crimes in Thailand and elsewhere. The success of such investigations may also encourage legislation supporting more extensive anti-trafficking policies and harsher punishment for poachers and individuals involved in ivory and wildlife product trafficking.
References:
¹“Ivory and the Unheard Trumpets.” WWF (2020). Retrieved from http://www.wwf.or.th/en/wildlifetradecampaignth/
²Foley, Katherine. “Scientists Identified Three Massive Ivory Poaching Cartels in Africa Using Genetics.” Quartz (2018). Retrieved from https://qz.com/1395715/in-africa-genetics-helped-identify-three-major-ivory-cartels/
³“Thailand Taken Off Ivory Trade Watchlist.” The Nation|Thailand (2018). Retrieved from https://www.nationthailand.com/national/30355896
⁴Kitpipit, Thitika. “Mini-SNaPshot Multiplex Assays Authenticate Elephant Ivory and Simultaneously Identify the Species Origin” ScienceDirect (2017). Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187249731630240X
