Untangling rhino horn mystery
MALAYSIA: COUNTRIES WORK TOGETHER TO IDENTIFY RHINOS THROUGH DNA
South Africa and Malaysia collaborate to establish the source of 18 rhino horns recovered in Kuala Lumpur.
Haul includes 18 horns recently recovered from Kuala Lumpur airport.
South Africa and Malaysia will be collaborating to establish the source of 18 rhino horns, weighing up to 51kg, recently recovered in Kuala Lumpur. According to wildlife trade monitoring network Traffic, the horn was found at the airport on April 7, on a flight from Mozambique. No arrests were made.
“Malaysia’s haul marks the sixth reported rhino horn bust in the region since March, with 103 horns, weighing at least 235kg, confiscated,” Traffic reported.
“The five other seizures took place in Hong Kong, Thailand and Vietnam. Two of Hong Kong’s three seizures originated from Mozambique and in both cases, two men were arrested.”
Department of environmental affairs spokesperson Albi Modise said although SA would not be sending an official to Malaysia, the department had asked for samples to be tested against SA’s rhino DNA database, RhODIS.
“Collecting DNA samples includes drilling into the horn to obtain sufficient quantity and quality for DNA extraction and analysis,” Modise said.
“Each horn must be identifiable, with either a unique number or a microchip, to link it to a DNA profile. Each horn needs to be weighed and measured, following a prescribed procedure, and must be handled and packed to ensure that the chain of custody remains intact.”
There are more than 30 000 profiles on the RhODIS database, including individual live and dead rhino, as well as individual rhino horns sourced from kits given to private rhino owners, as well as those in the national herd, Kenya and Namibia.
“If the horn is from a poached rhino, particularly from South Africa or Namibia, the chances of finding a match are extremely good, considering that the majority of carcasses are sampled and these samples submitted to the [Onderstepoort Veterinary Genetics Laboratory] for profiling and adding to the RhODIS database. All forensic cases are DNA profiled – the majority within a week to 10 days of receipt,” said Modise.
The DNA profile will also indicate whether the horn is from a male or female and whether it comes from a white or black rhinoceros and which subspecies of black rhinoceros.
If a matching DNA profile is found on the database, the specific individual from which the horns were derived is identified.
“This information can provide investigative support regarding the origin, route of export and potential links between various poaching incidents, particularly if multiple horns can be linked to poaching incidents in different areas,” Modise said.
According to Traffic, Malaysia doesn’t have a domestic market for rhino horn, but has previously been implicated in the trafficking of rhino horns from Africa to Asia.
“Traffic’s analysis of ivory seizures from 2003-2014 showed that at least 23 rhino horns were mixed in three of the 66 shipments of elephant ivory that implicated Malaysia as part of their trade chain. The three shipments that contained rhino horns were seized in Uganda (15 horns), Kenya (five horns), and Thailand (three horns),” the organisation reported. –
Malaysia does not have a domestic market for rhino horn, but has previously been implicated in trafficking from Africa to Asia.