Zeitschrift für forensische Forschung

Different Animal Species Hairs as Biological Tool for the Forensic Assessment of Individual Identification Characteristics from Animals of Zoological Park, Pragti Maidan, New Delhi, India

Abstract

Kapil Verma and Bhawana Joshi

Ongoing research shows that how hair varies-between species and even on the same animals-and how he developed a database of mammal hair that can be used by wild life forensic scientist to identify hair in cases of illegal trafficking of the world’s most endangered animals. Hair samples from some domestic and wild animals were evaluated in this study. The main hair structures (cuticle, cortex and medulla) were investigated. The guard hair diameter, colour, shaft, cuticle pattern, the medulla, the scale patterns and, root were examined using a light microscope. The current research on morphologic characteristics of animal hair can be performed to provide more information for wild life forensics and allowing for the identification of illegal transport of animals, poaching or wildlife crime, fraud in textile and fur industry, and dentification of their victims, etc. In the present study, different animal hairs collected from National Zoological Park, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India were microscopically examined. Wild life animal species like Baby sheep hair, baby goat hair, bear hair, buffalo hair, cattle hair, deer hair, Doberman dog hair, dog hair, emu hair, flamingo feather, goat hair, Labrador dog hair, sheep hair, tiger hair identification /characterization using microscopic hair characteristics is discussed here. As part of a research project, this paper provides data that allow rapid and low cost animal species identification based on the hair microscopic features because hair is strongly resistant from decomposition and this property makes hair a nearly ideal type of physical evidence.