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International Journal of Legal Medicine
Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine 1/2019

01-01-2019 | Case Report

Online selling of wildlife part with spurious name: a serious challenge for wildlife crime enforcement

Authors: Chandra Prakash Sharma, Ajit Kumar, Vipin, Vinita Sharma, Bhim Singh, Gandla Chethan Kumar, Sandeep Kumar Gupta

Published in: International Journal of Legal Medicine | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

We examined an online sold product “Hatha Jodi” synonym of “paired arm” for the confirmation of its biological source. It was declared as a plant root. The morphological features of these samples were matched with the “intromittent organs” or “hemi penis” of the monitor lizard. For further confirmation, we used sequencing of a partial fragment of mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b gene. Sequence comparison indicated that these claimed plant products were actually biological samples of a common monitor lizard, Varanus bengalensis. Hence, it exhibited the ongoing illegal trade of the intromittent organ of a prohibited species with a misleading name using low risk and widely adopted modern trading method that imposes a severe challenge for combating against the wildlife crime.
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Metadata
Title
Online selling of wildlife part with spurious name: a serious challenge for wildlife crime enforcement
Authors
Chandra Prakash Sharma
Ajit Kumar
Vipin
Vinita Sharma
Bhim Singh
Gandla Chethan Kumar
Sandeep Kumar Gupta
Publication date
01-01-2019
Publisher
Springer Berlin Heidelberg
Published in
International Journal of Legal Medicine / Issue 1/2019
Print ISSN: 0937-9827
Electronic ISSN: 1437-1596
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s00414-018-1795-7

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