Rhodis® (the rhinoceros DNA index system): The application of simple forensic and genetic tools help conserve African rhinoceros

Abstract

All rhinoceros populations are under severe threat due to habitat encroachment and illegal hunting for their horns. Rhinoceros horn has been used for centuries in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and more recently to produce high-value items such as jewelry. Rhinoceros are killed for their horns which are trafficked through the various levels of crime syndicates to their final destination in primarily the Asian consumer countries. The demand for rhinoceros horn has made poaching of rhinoceros a highly profitable and nearly risk-free criminal activity due to difficulties in connecting confiscated horns to a specific crime scene. Rhinoceros poaching has increased in all African rhinoceros range states including South Africa, which saw a rise in poaching from 2008, reaching a peak in 2014. Rhinoceros poaching has become an increasingly sophisticated activity involving organized crime syndicates that operate across international borders. The development of an extraction method to obtain nuclear DNA from rhinoceros horn was a first step in producing the DNA evidence that links the horn to a specific crime scene. RhODIS® (The Rhinoceros DNA Index System) was launched in 2010 and the system includes an STR (Short Tandem Repeat)-based reference database for African rhinoceros, representing multiple populations across almost all the range of African black and white rhinoceros. Using data from the RhODIS® database in rhinoceros poaching and rhinoceros horn seizure cases has affirmed the value of the RhODIS® approach in criminal prosecutions, through the successful prosecution, conviction, and sentencing of suspects in South Africa and other countries. The same DNA data may additionally be used to support the management of rhinoceros populations, by evaluating the genetic viability and selection of individuals to ensure that genetic diversity of the remaining, increasingly isolated and fragmented populations, is maintained. Genetic information captured within a comprehensive database, therefore, directly supports the conservation of the species by enhancing both law enforcement and reproductive efficiency to offset losses due to poaching.