From poisoned vultures to poached gazelles, wildlife crime scenes rarely look like those on TV. But thanks to work by Dr. Gila Kahila Bar-Gal at Hebrew University’s Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, the odds of catching environmental criminals just got better.

 

In a new study, Dr. Kahila Bar-Gal presents an innovative, integrative approach to wildlife forensics. Her work demonstrates how combining advanced genetic tools with local databases can assist conservation authorities in solving even the most complex environmental crimes involving multiple species, both wild and domestic.

 

Wildlife crime is not a fringe issue. Ranked among the top five illicit global trades, it contributes directly to biodiversity loss and the decline of already endangered species. In Israel, that includes the critically endangered Eurasian griffon vulture and the mountain gazelles, all of which were central to the forensic cases examined in the study.

 

Science That Supports Enforcement and Conservation

“When a vulture is found poisoned or a gazelle is killed out of season, you’re not just looking for a suspect—you’re often dealing with mixed evidence that may include multiple species, some protected, some not,” explains Kahila Bar-Gal. “The only way to untangle it is through precise, multi-layered analysis.”
 

“When a vulture is found poisoned or a gazelle is killed out of season, you’re not just looking for a suspect—you’re often dealing with mixed evidence that may include multiple species, some protected, some not. The only way to untangle it is through precise, multi-layered analysis.” -  Dr. Kahila Bar-Gal

 

Her research showcases three real-life cases involving illegal poisoning and poaching. Each required molecular genetic analysis, including species identification, population assignment, and matching individual samples against both global and local DNA databases. The goal: not just to identify the species, but to prove—beyond reasonable doubt—that a crime against wildlife was committed.
 

The power of this method lies in its adaptability. It can differentiate between wild and domestic animals in a seized sample, track the geographic origin of a species, and even confirm whether multiple remains came from the same individual.
 

“Enforcement agencies need fast, cost-effective tools they can trust,” Kahila Bar-Gal adds. “Our protocols are designed to be accurate and practical—because saving a species often comes down to solving forensic cases.”

 

“Enforcement agencies need fast, cost-effective tools they can trust. Our protocols are designed to be accurate and practical—because saving a species often comes down to solving forensic cases.”  -  Dr. Kahila Bar-Gal

 

This study strengthens the growing field of wildlife forensic science and offers enforcement authorities—from park rangers to customs agents—a new toolkit in the fight against environmental crime.
 

The research paper titled “Beyond species identification: integrative methodologies for solving complex wildlife forensic cases” is now available in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution and can be accessed at https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2025.1525957/full

DOI 10.3389/fevo.2025.1525957

 

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