Successful fingerprint residue collection from trafficked specimens using gelatine lifters

Using a specialised scanner specifically designed to work with gelatine lifters we have been able to show that fingerprint residue has been deposited and then successfully collected off all of our trafficked animal specimens. The quality of the scans and amount of residue apparently remaining, even after 2 months in cold storage, suggests that going forward with our extractions will be worthwhile. At this point we are unable to say whether the fingerprints are of a good enough quality to have sufficient identifiable markers to match against existing prints but going forward we will be looking at the scans in more detail to ascertain this.

The white areas around the edges of the gels were marked borders where the gels were handled using gloved hands. These areas will NOT be targeted for extractions to avoid any contamination of the samples. It is evident the use of designated borders for handling has provided more clarity going forward with extractions, allowing just the targeted area holding the fingerprint to be easily identified.

 

Scan of gelatine lifter showing clear outlines of collected fingerprint residue. Top to Bottom: Crocodile skin lift, feather lift, ivory lift