Forensic Animal DNA Analysis

With the advent of DNA identity testing technologies in humans, it became possible for crime scene samples such as hair, blood, semen, saliva, and tissue to implicate or exonerate suspects in crimes with a high degree of certainty. Shortly on the heels of the application of identity testing in humans, it was recognized that this same technology could be applied to animal samples for applications in forensics and elsewhere. There are numerous examples of forensic applications of animal DNA testing. Animals can be the victims of crimes such as abuse, the perpetrators of violent acts against people or other animals, and implicate their owner in a crime through transfer of trace evidence such as fur. Animal forensics requires the development of species-specific genetic markers, and to be accepted in court it will be required to meet the same rigorous standards as for human identity testing including, for sample collection, maintenance of chain of custody, marker validation, database development for match probability calculations, and laboratory proficiency testing. This chapter describes the development of DNA identity testing systems in cats, dogs, cattle, and wildlife testing with the inclusion of groundbreaking case studies.