同在任何一个法医鉴定实验室一样，娴熟的工作人员需要努力找出杀戮的线索，确定死者的身份、死因以及地点、时间和凶手；但不同的是，这里侦破工作所针对的是动物的毛皮、羽毛、牙齿和脚爪，其中有些已列为艺术品。

野生动物交易是世界上最古老的通货形式之一；然而今天，偷猎和贩运野生动物已经发展成更带有目的性的生意，成为最有利可图的跨国犯罪活动之一。据估计，这种生意的年收入达80亿到100亿美元。从乌龟到老虎，已有无数种动物被杀到几乎绝种。由非法砍伐和开发所迫而造成的栖息地减少和生态环境的破坏，对动物的生存构成进一步威胁。

除了实验室以外，一系列创新技术也被用于打击野生物走私贩运，并在帮助保护合法的与野生物种有关的就业机会。在马里兰州（Maryland）工作的计算机学科学家汤姆·斯尼奇（Tom Snitch）说，“非洲南部游猎旅游业的直接雇员有1300万，非直接雇员人数大概比这多一倍”。他说：“如果没有了动物，这些工作也就不复存在。”斯尼奇通过使用一系列关联规则——根据他的运算编写的无人机程序——发动自然保护区管理员阻止偷猎活动。有关偷猎模式的历史资料、野生动物形迹、植被和气象都被纳入到这个数学公式中。

再回到俄勒冈的实验室。负责人戈达德和他的团队已经在这里接待过来自巴西、澳大利亚和英国的科学家。菲律宾渔业和水产资源局（Bureau for Fisheries and Aquatic Resources）局长阿西斯·佩雷斯（Asis Perez）于2014年5月访问了实验室，打开了与菲律宾野生物调查人员合作的大门。戈达德向佩雷斯出示了三个象牙，其中一个染上蓝色，用以显示如何提取指纹。科学家通过研究发现，这些象牙来自非洲南部。中弹部位说明这批大象遭到来自空中的射击，很可能是从直升机上。另有三吨象牙被送往丹佛（Denver）销毁。

These lab sleuths track murders of a different sort

At a laboratory in rainy Ashland, Oregon, carved chalices, dagger handles and ornate jewelry await inspection. They arrive in packages sealed with tamper-proof red tape, instead of the molten wax of days gone by. They are dispersed down a long white corridor to 14 scientists.

As in any forensic laboratory, the skilled teams try to uncover the narrative of killings, determining who the victims were, how they died, where, when and at whose hands — only they do it with fur, feathers, tusks and claws, some of which have become objets d’art.

The wildlife trade is one of the world’s oldest forms of currency, but today’s wildlife poaching and trafficking has become serious business. One of the most lucrative of transnational crimes, it generates revenues estimated at $8 billion to $10 billion a year. Countless species have been hunted to the brink of extinction, from turtles to tigers. Populations are further imperiled by habitat loss and ecosystem damage stemming from illegal logging and development pressures.

Beyond the lab, an arsenal of innovative technology is targeting illegal wildlife trafficking — and helping to protect legitimate wildlife-related jobs. “There are 13 million people in southern Africa directly employed in the safari business and probably twice as many in indirect roles,” said Maryland-based computer scientist Tom Snitch. “If there are no animals, all these jobs will be lost.” Snitch mobilizes rangers to stop poachers with algorithms — that is, drones programmed with his calculations. Historical data on poaching patterns, wildlife movement, vegetation and weather are all a part of the math.

Back at the lab, Goddard and his team have hosted scientists from Brazil, Australia and England. A visit in May 2014 by Asis Perez, director of the Philippines’ Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, opened the door to collaboration with that country’s wildlife investigators. Goddard showed Perez three ivory tusks, one dyed blue to demonstrate how fingerprints are pulled up. The scientists found that the tusks were from elephants in southern Africa. The bullet impact suggested the herds had been shot from above, probably from a helicopter. The other three tons of ivory were sent to Denver to be crushed.