Poaching | Science that tracks criminals

An illegal act is suspected. But now, you have to prove it. Are these the remains of the victim that we discovered in the suspect’s freezer?

The BioLegal Expertise Laboratory will analyze everything by using the most recent techniques, and in particular genetic tools.

“Our role is to take parts in conviction, to give agents a scientific relationship to help them set up the most solid file as possible,” says biologist Cécilia Hernandez. If necessary, we will be called as expert witnesses to the Court. »»

Some small details. The victim is a deer. The suspect is suspected of poaching. We are talking about wildlife protection agents. And the laboratory of biolégal expertise is linked to the Ministry of the Environment, the fight against climate change, wildlife and parks.

“We offer a scientific advice and analysis service, especially to wildlife agents, to help them in their investigations on hunting, fishing and animal welfare,” says Cécilia Hernandez.

This year, the Biolegal Expertise Laboratory celebrates its 60th anniversary.

“We asked a veterinarian to create this laboratory in 1965,” notes M^me Hernandez. It was then called the laboratory for the analysis of meats because at the start, it was more a question of identifying the species from the meat. We also made first expertise from animal hair. »»

Technologies have evolved, but basic work remains the same. It is a question of helping the agents of fauna to clarify the circumstances of an illegal act – of poaching, for example -, to find the author, and to establish scientific evidence to allow them to advance their surveys.

Hunting and fishing

In the fall, requests are mainly linked to hunting.

“Do these hairs belong to a male or a female?” Can we make a link between the hair found on a slaughter scene and the meat entered in a freezer? What animal species is this animal species? », Lists Cécilia Hernandez.

Summer, requests affect fishing more.

“We can ask us to identify species from nets that have no skin. To count the number of fish among all these nets. We can also ask us, but less often, if the fish has been captured thanks to a hook or a net. »»

The laboratory veterinarian may be called upon to determine the cause of the death of an animal. It can analyze the carcass, look for projectiles.

“She also makes captive childcare files, in zoos or animal shelters,” says M^me Hernandez. Is the enclosure safe for the public? For the animal? Are the animal’s food needs met? »»

Who bit?

And then, sometimes, another kind of file bounces back to the laboratory of biolegal expertise: a person is bitten by a coyote or a bear. How to make sure to get your hands on the real culprit?

It has notably arrived in 2019 in a park in Bas-Saint-Laurent. During a campsite activity, a child was bitten by a coyote. Wildlife agents captured a nearby coyote and laboratory scientists were able to confirm that it was the same animal by comparing its DNA to that they had recovered on the child’s garment. The agents were able to reassure the other vacationers: the culprit was out of harm.

“We did this kind of analysis for the first time in 2014,” says Cécilia Hernandez. Since 2018, we have had about ten cases, which mainly involved coyotes and bears. »»

Most of the time, these events occur in campsites, or with joggers.

The laboratory of biolégal expertise includes only a very small team: two biologists, a laboratory technician and a part -time veterinarian. They are practically all from the laboratory of the late Louis Bernatchez, at Laval University, which used genetics to study the ecology of fish.

“It was after taking its course at the bac that I had the bite,” says Cécilia Hernandez. Using genetic tools to answer questions is a bit like that. »»

And then there is the love of nature, fauna.

“The idea is to keep the resource for all, for the next generations. For fishermen and hunters, but also for outdoor lovers. We all like to walk in the forest and see a deer or a moose. »»