Genetic kit to nab rhino poachers

The National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India developed a kit that contains a genetic probe that can detect rhino horn even if it is crushed into powder or mixed with anything else. The probe is so powerful that it can not only find out whether the specimen contained rhino horn, but also tell whether it came from rhino in Assam or West Bengal, according to Sher Ali. While analyzing genetic material of Rhinoceros unicornis, they discovered a repetitive DNA sequence unique to this species. It was not present in other species including Diceros bicornis. Six wild rhinos from Jaldapara, West Bengal and one captive rhino in Delhi Zoo from Assam were used in the analysis.