A necklace made of ten wolf teeth was found in the suspect's possession. The man—a livestock breeder— previously mentioned in the presence of police and other witnesses that he would kill a wolf and make it leave without its teeth, according to Caniglia, who is a scientist at the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research in Italy (ISPRA). He provided the below images.
(A few of the many poached wolves in Italy. Up to 20% of the entire wolf population there is either intentionally or accidentally killed by humans. Most of the killers are livestock breeders, like the suspect, or hunters. Both groups feel wolves pose a threat to their livelihood.)
The necklace made out of wolf teeth that belonged to the suspect and was confiscated by police.
Caniglia and his team prepare to analyze the teeth. The researchers were able to extract DNA from the necklace that identified the teeth as belonging to six wolves. One matched with the genotype of a wolf previously found poached near the suspect's home.
The research team from ISPRA that worked on the project. From left to right: Federica Mattucci, Claudia Greco, Romolo Caniglia, Ettore Randi, Elena Fabbri, Marco Galaverni.
Tags: Animals, Human Behavior, Mammals, Wildlife Conservation
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