ZSI study to help curb mongoose poaching, trafficking

Kolkata, Nov 19 (PTI) Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) scientists have published a comprehensive hair-based identification system for all Indian mongoose species, which will curb and fight the trafficking of mongoose and their poaching.

Scientist at the ZSI M Kamalakannan, who conceptualised and co-led the study, said on Wednesday that this research fills a critical forensic gap by providing species-level identification tools based entirely on hair morphology and will greatly assist wildlife enforcement agencies in identifying mongoose hair in seized items and curbing illegal trade.

"The study will also serve as a useful and cost-effective reference for identifying mongoose species in India," he said.

India is home to six species of mongooses - Small Indian Mongoose, Indian Grey Mongoose, Indian Brown Mongoose, Ruddy Mongoose, Crab-eating Mongoose, and Stripe-necked Mongoose.

These small carnivorous mammals play a crucial ecological role by regulating populations of rodents, snakes, birds, and various invertebrates. Despite their ecological importance, they face severe pressure from illegal wildlife trade, primarily driven by the demand for mongoose hair used in high-quality paint brushes, the research team said.

To strengthen legal protection, all six mongoose species were progressively elevated under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, ultimately being placed in Schedule I, the highest protection category.

Despite these measures, enforcement agencies often face challenges in identifying mongoose hair in confiscated items. Modern paintbrush processing removes the follicle and basal region of the hair, leaving no nuclear DNA. Mitochondrial DNA recovery is also frequently unsuccessful due to chemical processing and degradation. In such cases, tricho-taxonomy the study of hair structure provides a practical, rapid, and non-destructive method for species identification," ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee said.

"As an authorised organisation of the Government of India, the Zoological Survey of India, functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), regularly receives confiscated materials from enforcement agencies across the country, including paintbrushes suspected to contain mongoose hair, for species identification.

ZSI provides the scientific analysis required to support investigations and curb illegal trade," she explained.

"This study further strengthens our wildlife forensic capabilities and will assist frontline agencies in protecting India's native biodiversity," she said.

Foreign collaborator from Pukyong National University, Republic of Korea, Dr Shantanu Kundu said, "Our combination of microscopic analysis and statistical modelling provides a scientifically solid baseline. These findings can also complement future molecular or DNA-based approaches to further enhance accuracy in species identification." Every year, an estimated 100,000 mongooses are killed, with nearly 50 animals required to produce just one kilogramme of usable hair, a ZSI spokesperson said, quoting the government figures.

These brushes are sold within India and smuggled internationally to markets in the Middle East, the United States, and Europe often without consumer awareness of their illegal origin.

Major trafficking routes pass through Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu, while international smuggling commonly occurs via Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and across the India-Nepal and India-Bangladesh borders.

The study, undertaken using museum specimens at ZSI, was published in Discover Conservation which presents the first complete tricho-taxonomic identification system for all six Indian mongoose species. PTI SUS RG