National Forensic Canine DNA Database To Help Combat Dogfighting

Thursday, June 17, 2010 - 10:10 in Health & Medicine

DNA Database To Help Prevent Dogfighting This is Cash, a pit bull from Salt Lake County, Utah, in need of a home. Pit bulls bred for fighting have a new ally in the form of a DNA database, which will help law enforcement and animal rights groups track dogs and dog fighting rings. via Flickr/ maplegirlie DNA is already used to protect crime victims by helping authorities hunt down and prosecute criminals. Now it will be used to protect another kind of victim -- dogs used for fighting. A new dog DNA database will help law enforcement and animal-rights groups investigate dogfighting cases, using DNA evidence to establish links among owners, breeders and dog fighting sites. "We can tie blood spatter on pit walls and clothing, or blood trails found outside of the pit, to a specific dog and tell his story for him," says Beth Wictum, director of the forensics...

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