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Can DNA forensics help stop the escalating slaughter of African elephants for their tusks?

Tanzania and an area stretching between Gabon and the DRC are the main killing grounds of elephants in Africa. This is the latest finding of DNA wildlife forensic work from the lab of Sam Wasser at the University of Washington Seattle. The work has compared DNA samples taken from large ivory seizures around the world with a database of DNA sequences of elephant dung from different parts of Africa. Prof Wasser tells Jack Stewart about the areas where the poaching of elephants is most intense and how his DNA technique can help fight this fast escalating wildlife crime.

CAPTION: Wildlife rangers in Kenya confiscate tusks from a freshly killed elephant
Copyright: Andrew Luck-Baker

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Duration:

3 minutes