Rapid chemical odor profiling for frontline identification of illegal wildlife products

Funding or Partner Organisation: United States Agency for International Development

Start year: 2016

Summary: A major issue in the enforcement of wildlife trafficking is the lack of a rapid and accurate method to distinguish legal from illegal wildlife parts. While detector dogs are trained to alert to threatened wildlife parts they cannot provide a species-level identification. Our solution will develop a portable electronic nose that can be used by frontline personnel to rapidly identify the species part and confirm whether it is illegal on-site without the need for laboratory analysis. Rapid identification can greatly assist law enforcement to prosecute offenders, thus preventing future wildlife crimes. Determination of the species¿ geographic origin based on their odor `fingerprint¿ will also assist customs to track current trafficking routes.

Keywords: wildlife forensics, odour profiling, wildlife parts, electronic nose

FOR Codes: Forensic Chemistry, Conservation and Biodiversity, Trade Assistance and Protection, Law Enforcement, Conservation and biodiversity

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.