Abstract:
The African elephant (Loxodonta africana)
population in Kenya is declining at an alarming rate due to
habitat destruction, human-elephant conflicts and the current
escalation of poaching for ivory. This study established
a standard protocol for forensic analysis of L.
africana and their products such as ivory. Three multiplex
PCR panels consisting of 17 Short Tandem Repeat markers
were selected from 40 markers using bioinformatics tools,
amplification and polymorphism. Genotyping was successful
and reproducible. This method is efficient, accurate
and cost effective and has potential for application in
conservation of L. africana.
