ABSTRACT
Animal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) can be collected as evidence directly from an animal itself or from the biological material of an animal recovered at a crime scene. Once the animal has started to decompose, the tissue is no longer ideal for DNA analysis. The potential for contamination of a sample with DNA from an outside source exists at every stage of the investigation from evidence collection through laboratory analysis. Two distinct types of DNA are found in nearly every cell of an animal's body—nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA. DNA analysis of biological materials can be used to include or exclude an animal from having been present at the scene of the crime. For all collections, appropriate commercially prepared forensic DNA collection kits should be used when available. The use of a commercial kit can significantly reduce the risk of evidence being challenged due to improper collection and/or handling. Alternatively, collection can be done by modifying other collection materials.
