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.