Unraveling the mystery of confiscated "jackal horns" in India using wildlife forensic tools

Internationally, illegal wildlife trade involves highly prized and charismatic species and their derivatives. At the same time, common or less known species and their parts are also encountered but receive less attention than charismatic species. Given the increasing demand for wildlife products in many parts of the world, profit, and short supply, many fake articles derived from domestic or wild animals are frequently encountered in the wildlife trade. Jackal horn (locally known as "Siyar or Gidar singhi") is one such fake item widely used in sorcery and other occult practices available through offline and online trading platforms within India. We used a combination of morphological, microscopic hair, and molecular approaches (Cyt b and 16 s rRNA genes) to reveal the true identity of confiscated "jackal horns" (n = 342). Detailed morphological study of the jackal horns showed that it varied in size, shape, color of hair, attachment material, and filling material. The microscopic hair and molecular approaches revealed that all the items sold as jackal horns were fake and made up of protected wild species and domestic animals. Our results confirm the use of the biological samples from few wild species protected under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, of India. Therefore, the law enforcement agencies are cautioned to get forensic opinions while dealing with such counterfeit items.