By March, Karnataka will have its first wildlife forensic sciences lab.

Investigating crimes requires a critical use of wildlife forensics.

CHANGED: JANUARY 5TH, 2023, 05:22 IST

Bengaluru will soon be home to Karnataka's first wildlife forensic sciences laboratory. According to sources, the project has received approval from the state government for Rs 2.7 crore, and the centre will start operations in March.

Despite the fact that the project has been under discussion for ten years, the state government's official permission didn't come until lately. According to authorities from the forest department, wildlife forensics is vital in the investigation of crimes and a specialised lab in Karnataka would assist increase the conviction rate. "FSL reports will serve as solid proof, particularly in situations when there are a lot of unfinished business. Better inquiry would be made possible by determining the moment of death, genetic sequencing, and other analyses "said Rajiv Ranjan, main chief forest conservator in charge (wildlife).

According to wildlife environmentalist Sharath Babu R, samples are currently being transferred to either Dehradun or Hyderabad, which has delayed down research in many cases.

According to him, the Chennammanakere Achkat police recovered about 365 tiger nails in 2020, but due to the delay, no action has been taken since.

In many other instances, he said, people say that objects that have been taken are animal meat or bones, and authorities are left with little choice except to wait for the FSL report to corroborate the crime.

He predicted that the centre will open shortly and estimated that the state may be reporting at least 10 wildlife offences per month. "For years, officials have been putting off making the idea. We are hoping that things will start occurring on the ground at least now because there have just been conversations since 2004 "added he.

According to Dharmendra Kumar Meena, director of the State Forensic Sciences Laboratory (SFSL), the facility will offer crucial analyses and reports to support investigations. It will be outfitted with modern equipment. "The two main focus areas of the centre will be morphological analysis and DNA analysis. While morphological analysis aids in the identification of the animals by assessing the texture and physical characteristics, DNA analysis offers information on the origin of the corpses and the species by analysing the samples (nail, hair, teeth, and other materials) seized "says he.