Retrospective Study of Expert Examination Performed by the Brazilian Federal Police in Investigations of Wildlife Crimes , 2013-2014

One of the main demands for veterinary medical experts is the forensic investigation of crimes against wildlife. In Brazil, most of these crimes are related to the trafficking of wild animals, whose conducts involve the capture, transport and illegal trade of specimens. All these activities also involve various forms of animal mistreatment. This article aims to present the main types of expert examinations used in investigations of wildlife crimes through a retrospective study of records kept by the Criminalistic System of the Brazilian Federal Police in the years 2013 and 2014. The increase in the number of examinations performed in 2014, compared to the year 2013 (86.15%), was mainly focused on identification, mistreatment and investigation of bird ring forgery, reaffirming the importance of these tests in the casuistry of the Federal Police.


Introduction
Examinations in wildlife crimes are one of the main demands for veterinarians and biologists working as forensic experts in Brazil. These crimes are often associated with animal trafficking; such expression is routinely used to describe all activities involving the capture, transport and illegal trade of wild specimens.
Among the consequences of this practice, we see the decay of many populations and the extinction of many specimens, submission to animal mistreatment, and risks to the public health and the balance of ecosystems. The reduction of biodiversity is a serious threat to several processes that sustain life on the planet. Taking into account the consequences of deforestation, global warming, overhunting, roadkill, animal trafficking and the introduction of exotic and domestic specimens, many scientists believe the planet is on the verge of a new mass extinction from anthropogenic origin.
As a result of increasing anthropic pressure on the environment, police and forensic agencies are increasingly demanded to act in response to crimes against wildlife. In this context, the medical-veterinary expert can contribute decisively in the classification and punishment of these crime perpetrators, as well as in the reparation of the damage caused, with technical and scientific expertise for forensic examination of evidences.
The Legal Veterinary Medicine is the specialty that deals with the forensic use of medical-veterinary knowledge. It avails itself on own techniques such as forensic pathology and the Animal Welfare Science, among others, for the characterization of injuries, traumas and abuses committed against animals, thus providing important tools for the investigation of wildlife crimes.
Therefore, the aim of this paper is to present the main types of expert examinations used in the investigations of crimes against wildlife, through a retrospective study of data in the Criminalistic System of the Federal Police, which stores data of the expert examinations conducted by Federal Forensic Experts throughout the Brazilian territory.

Literature review
The cultural background of our relationship with wild animals dates back to earlier times of Brazil's discovery by Portugal. The wildlife has always been an important cultural element of the various Brazilian indigenous groups who used different species for food, company or production of decorations and ornaments such as necklaces, leather hands and headdresses. However, these uses did not represent a threat to species survival 1 . After Brazil's discovery, the pioneers were particularly enchanted with the beauty and exotic aspect of the fauna. Soon, these animals were included among the main exports of the colony, along with Brazil's wood. At that time, the parrots were used as pets because of their docile behavior in captivity and because of its ability to mimic human speech, as well as in exhibitions, because of the beauty of their feathers. In addition, they were served as food during long sea journeys. Due to the popularity of these birds in Europe of the sixteenth century, before being called Brazil, the country was called Land of  In addition, the law 9.605/98 is very important, since, according to the most conservative estimates, Brazil is home keeps 13.2% of the world biota 9 . This legal instrument aims to curb the illegal trade, poaching and abuse, among other crimes that affect national biodiversity. The traffic structure also presents common characteristics to the information society, requiring equipment to enable updating of information on routes, the most quoted animals on the black market, new forms of fraud and the ways of corruption. New technologies are more and more being used to increase the chances of success of criminal operations, either through mobile phones, computers to defraud documents or internet sales, among others 13 .

Forensic examinations in crimes against fauna
According to Mirabet (2011), the examination is not a simple means of proof. The expert is a technical enthusiast, advisor to the judge, with the function of providing instructive technical data besides auditing and forming of the corpus delict.
Forensic expertise is the set of inquiries and medical know-how procedures, necessary to clarify a fact of interest for justice. The examinations can be performed on living or dead bodies, skeletons, animals and objects 14 .
Veterinary examinations can aim to species identification, injury diagnosis, cause of death, among others, and it may even assist in the investigation of cases with human victims 15,16 .
The strengthening of forensic science focused on the preservation of fauna is a global trend. The Kenyan government, for example, has just opened an advanced genetics laboratory that applies forensic analysis on protecting species at risk, such as rhinos and elephants . In addition, there is the largest forensic laboratory of wildlife, the US Fish & Wildlife Services Lab, in the United States, with several services dedicated to fauna 17 .
Considering the casuistry of the Federal Police, the main expert examinations related to animals are presented below.

Identification of species
According to França 15 , identity is the character set which indicates a person or thing, making it distinct from the others. Identification is the process of establishing the identity of something. It constitutes one of the main forensic examinations in cases of crimes against wildlife. In this case, the objective is to identify the species involved, classifying them in taxonomic categories. Its result has many legal implications, since some species have different levels of protection according to their risk of extinction.

Classical taxonomy
This biological classification should take place from the division to which they belong, passing neatly by Philo, Class, Order, Family and Gender, to get to the species or even Subspecies. The taxonomy aims to identify species, not specimens 19 .
The species is a group of individuals (specimen) that show a greater or lesser degree of a constantly present intra-population variability. Knowledge of polymorphism is critical to the circumscription of the species. Incidentally, this is the chief task of the taxonomist: To know the variability and to separate it into intra and inter population 19. For the correct use of classical taxonomy, it is needed constant study and consultation of the literature containing the most current ratings and classifications. Information can also be searched in zoology museum collections or pattern banks produced by forensic services themselves 19 .

Forensic genetics
Forensic analysis of Animal DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and identity tests are quickly becoming common, solving civil or criminal cases, kinship analysis, determination of paternity, lineage reconstruction, estimated inbreeding, stud book 20 identification, species determination, among others. Almost all animal species can be genetically characterized to a high degree of certainty 21  This theme has been developed in parallel with human forensic genetics and benefited from the horizontal transfer of molecular and statistical techniques; however, it remains a highly specialized area with its own challenges 22 . One of the fundamental steps of forensic genetics is the collection of samples that can consist of any fragments of tissue, such as blood, hair, horns, feathers, meat, bones, feces, carcasses, etc 19 . Products resulting from the processing of animal parts can also be object of analysis, as well as issues related to the identification of the species, origin of the specimen, among others. According to Ogden (2009)  Forensic toxicology exams still help by investigating intentional or accidental poisoning, and identifying and quantifying toxic agents 30 .

Animal welfare
The concept of animal welfare refers to a good or satisfactory quality of life regarding certain aspects related to health, happiness, longevity and natural behavior 31 . It should propose a link with other concepts such as needs, freedom, adaptation, feelings, suffering, pain, anxiety, fear, boredom and stress 32 .

Crime scene examination
The proposal of a crime scene investigation (CSI) is to apply scientific methodology to conduct a systematic evaluation of the site to collect physical evidence, to reconstruct events, to identify and relate (or exclude) a suspect with the victim or the place, in order to solve a crime. The subsequent forensic work conducted in a laboratory depends on the quality of the work performed by the CSI team 35 .
According to Espinoza (2013), crime sites in open areas, as in most cases involving wild animals, present challenges due to many natural factors, such as weather conditions and the presence of other animals.

Document examination
The document examination consists of determining the authenticity / falsehood of documents and signatures and authorship of manuscripts releases 37 . This task is very important when checking legality of wildlife breeding, through qualified revision of licenses, invoices and delivery notes 37 .
In Brazil, it is also considered document examination the inspection conducted in rings for passerines, since these identification instruments constitute official public documents. In this sense, when performing examinations in wildlife breeding, the expert must have specific knowledge of technical aspects of the documents related to such activity 19 .

General objective
This research aims to retrospectively study the types of expert examinations of the

Results
As a result, 94 expert reports have been found, which were prepared by the  The tests related to mistreatment of animals accounted for the second highest casuistry in the studied period, with more than 20% of the cases. This confirms the great importance of this criminal modality in relation to other crimes against wildlife.
The number of reports that deal with the authenticity of ID rings is also quite significant (15.51%). IBAMA rings are federal government documents that aim the identification of passerines and their falsification is a crime with a penalty more severe than the very illegal wildlife trade. The falsification of rings implies greater specialization and organization, which adds greater value to the activity.
It was also possible to observe a significant increase in the number of expert examinations in the considered period. In 2013, 65 tests were carried out, while the year 2014 recorded 121 expert examinations, representing an increase of 86.15%, reflecting a growing concern of the society and authorities with crimes involving animals, which makes the veterinary expertise an activity in expansion.

Conclusions
The present research is not exhaustive, and there is a need for additional studies and improvement of official databases on the subject. The presented results do not represent all the crimes investigations against fauna in the period, but only those cases where the performance of federal forensic exams was actually requested. However, the analyzes presented here allow important conclusions about the actual need for training and research in Forensic Veterinary Medicine.
The growing organization of criminal groups that see the fauna as an attractive source of illegal profits requires better preparation and planning of governmental policies. The Brazilian Federal Police, in its constitutional assignment of the Union Judiciary Police, which operates throughout the national territory, is the competent department for the investigation of organized crime in interstate and international level, including wildlife trafficking. More effective results in combating these crimes necessarily involve an increase on the number and training of forensic experts, as well as providing adequate facilities for the processing of physical evidence.
Besides the identification and appropriate offenders punishment, another important aspect of wildlife protection refers to formal and informal education. Brügger (2004) draws attention to the fact that, while the laws refer to a coercive universe, education moves predominantly in a sphere of freedom as awareness of the need. The need here is located beyond the conservationist universe. It concerns the paradigm shifts that involve, among other things, the vision of animals as sentient beings and therefore worthy of moral consideration.