Genetic Profiling of Captive Elephants

Context

The genetic profiling of around 400 captive elephants in Kerala is set to commence soon. 

Genetic Profiling of Captive Elephants of Kerala to Begin Soon

• Purpose of Profiling: The Genetic Profiling is carried out to keep track of the transfer of captive elephants within and between the States.
• Supply of Forensic Kits: The Wildlife Institute of India (WII), responsible for conducting the profiling to integrate the elephants’ details into a national database, has supplied forensic kits to the Kerala Forest Department.
• Profiling Database: The photograph of individual animals and their physical details, including height, will be entered into the database along with their genetic features.
• Accessing Data: The officials of all the State Forest departments in the country can access the data through a mobile application, Gaja Suchana, developed by the institute. 
• Decline in Kerala’s Captive Elephant Population: With approximately 25 elephant deaths occurring annually in Kerala, the state’s captive elephant population has reduced to a record low of 407. 
  • Kerala was previously renowned for having the largest population of captive elephants.
• Status of Genetic Profiling of Elephants in India: The profiling of the captive elephants has been completed in a few States. It is estimated that there are around 3,000 captive elephants in the country.
• Significance: The database will help identify the animals without a valid ownership certificate. 
  • The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change intends to curb the illegal practice of transferring animals. The profiling will also help in ensuring the welfare of the animals.
• The Environment Ministry had earlier released the Captive Elephant (Transfer or Transport) Rules, 2024.

About Genetic Profiling

• Unique DNA Segments and Profiling: It is the process where a specific DNA pattern, called a profile, is obtained from a person or sample of bodily tissue.
  • Within the human genome, there exists a distinct portion of DNA that is exclusive to each individual. 
• Fragmentation of DNA Sample: Through the process of fragmenting a DNA sample and separating these fragments based on size, it becomes feasible to generate a distinctive profile characterized by DNA bands for each person.
• Technique for DNA profiling: One of the current techniques for DNA profiling uses polymorphisms called short tandem repeats (STR). 
  • STRs are regions of non-coding DNA that contain repeats of the same nucleotide sequence.

Uses of Genetic Profiling

• The technique serves as a valuable tool in determining paternity or help solve crimes where the suspect may have left a sample of body tissue at the crime scene.
• It can also be used in other organisms to compare different species for classification purposes.

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