Using fingermark powders and lifters on pangolin scales for anti-poaching measures

Wildlife forensics is a relatively underexplored field of science. It provides forensic evidence to support legal investigations involving wildlife crime, such as the trafficking and poaching of animals and/or their goods. The consequences of poaching are not just limited to a decline in animal welfare and include the spread of zoonotic disease, species, cultural and habitat loss, and injury of anti-poaching rangers. Fingermark analysis for the identification of perpetrators of wildlife crimes has not been explored to a great extent despite being a cost-effective, simple-to-use forensic method that is easy to deploy in-field. Pangolins are small, scaly mammals that reside in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa and are the most heavily trafficked wild mammal in the world. Pangolin scales are consumed, as they are believed to have healing or magical properties. This study aimed to find an effective method of visualising latent fingermarks on pangolin scales. Six standard fingermark powders were tested: two types of black and white powders (regular granular and SupraNano powders) and two metallic powders (aluminium and magneta flake). In addition, three fluorescent powders (fpNatural® 1 and 2 and red fluorescent powder) were investigated. Black gelatine was primarily tested as a lifting apparatus. The study compared the efficacy of black gelatine, two types of tape, and silicone putty lifters in lifting fingermarks on pangolin scales. Lifted fingermarks were then imaged with the Digital Capture Suite DCS®4 (standard) and DCS®5 (fluorescent powders) imaging systems. A further study was conducted evaluating the ability of the three best powders to visualise marks aged for three and seven days. Aluminium and magneta flake powders were significantly more effective than other standard powders, yielding more fingermarks suitable for comparison and search on fingermark databases. Red fluorescent powder was the most effective of the fluorescent powders. The black gelatine lifter was not noticeably more effective than the two tape lifters tested. It is estimated that tape would be the optimal alternative lifting tool to use if black gelatine melts on hot wildlife crime scenes. The impact of this study is that these techniques can be deployed in remote areas where they are urgently needed to fight crime, providing additional forensic tools to anti-poaching agents on the front line tackling pangolin poaching. This will lead to an increase in convictions of pangolin poachers, which could lead to dismantling pangolin supply chains, prosecuting organised crime syndicates, and preventing further pangolin poaching.