Cases of animal DNA tests increasing at National Forensic Lab

Lalitpur – The National Forensic Laboratory (NFL) here has been receiving more and more applications requesting for conducting animal DNA tests after it started providing this service. NFL started this service only from this year. 
Chief Scientific Officer at the Lab, Dinesh Kumar Jha said that they have received 50 cases requiring animal DNA tests since the service was started. 

According to him, they have carried out DNA tests of 15 out of these cases, including 11 cases related to wildlife poaching and trafficking of wildlife parts and four related to cow slaughter. 

The NFL has been carrying out investigation into crimes using various methods and uses the DNA tests only in cases which are not resolved by other methods. 

Jha said the number of cases coming to the NFL for investigation has increased of late. The District Forestry Office, the Department of Forest and Wildlife Conservation, and National Parks are some among the bodies that bring cases related to wildlife to the NFL for investigation. 
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