Species-specific ‘fingerprints’ of deer in China
State governments in China have laid down laws for protecting rare and endangered species, but the effective protection depends on accurate species identification. Although DNA fingerprinting has appeared in court as legal evidence for many years, it is unsuitable for species identification as previous multilocus probes produce individual-specific ‘fingerprints’. This study outlines the development of a new species-specific probe – the pta2 probe. Using this oligonucleotide probe, the identification of all deer species in China is made possible by species-specific ‘fingerprints’. Material evidence can then be provided to any judicial organization, which will have a profound effect on the criminal activities of poachers, thereby helping to protect wild animals and conserve biodiversity. Interestingly, the pta2 probe can also reveal the gender of detected deer species.