Thompson Hall Seminar: Mary Kuhner

Poached ivory is consolidated, packaged, and shipped from Africa to Asia by large transnational criminal organizations (TCOs). When such a shipment is intercepted, we want to know (a) where did the ivory come from, and (b) which shipments likely came from the same TCO? Microsatellite typing can localize many elephants, though some individuals are frustratingly difficult. Adding the assumption that individuals in a single seizure are clustered relative to the whole continent improves assignment, though with some risk of over-clustering. The presence of ivory from the same elephant or from close relatives in separate seizures allows seizures themselves to be clustered, and shows that the number of large TCOs involved in the ivory trade is likely very small (2-3). This supports the view of TCOs as critical linchpins in the ivory trade. Future directions for this work include adding SNP data and using strontium isotope measurements to refine origin estimates.

Drinks and snacks will be served at this event.