Later this month, a replica of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory will open for business in the Windy City in a novel effort by the John G. Shedd Aquarium to give some of its two million visitors an inside look into the seamy underbelly of the illegal wildlife trade.
The new exhibit, "Silent Witness: How Scientists Solve Crimes Against Wildlife," opening March 15 at the worlds largest indoor aquarium, will take amateur wildlife sleuths through a re-creation of the Ashland, Oregon, forensics lab. There, they will follow "The Case of the Missing Elk," based upon an actual U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service investigation, and discover how forensics scientists piece together evidence like fur, bone, and skin to crack wildlife crimes.
Drawing from the tools at 10 "crime study" stations in the exhibit, visitors will test their detective skills by applying some of the forensics techniques used every day at the real wildlife lab. For example, would-be criminologists will apply ultraviolet light to distinguish genuine ivory from plastic imitations, and will identify illegal elephant products from look-alike cowhide by analyzing textures of skin samples.
The cooperative project of the Fish and Wildlife Service and Chicagos Shedd Aquarium to acquaint big-city residents with the inner workings of the worlds only crime lab for wildlife has a larger purpose: to bear witness to an illicit trade whose victims tell no tales and where the weapons used in combating wildlife crime are just now being invented in the test tube and under the microscope.
Law enforcement has traditionally relied upon scientists at museums and aquaria for assistance on identification of species, according to Forensics Laboratory director Kenneth Goddard. The Shedd Aquarium exhibit will expand that assistance by familiarizing the public with the nature of wildlife law enforcements problems and their evolving solutions.
Stephen D. Busack, chief of the laboratorys morphology section, worked with the Shedd Aquarium to ensure the accuracy and appropriateness of the new exhibit. "The aquariums staff worked long and hard to create exhibits that actually represent a day in the life of our lab. This exhibit actually captures the essence of our work," Busack says.
In addition to the re-created Forensics Lab, visitors to "Silent Witness"Will examine illegal wildlife products drawn from Ashlands backroom treasure-trove of contraband bear teeth, sea turtle boots, and reptile handbags, and learn how museums, zoos, and aquaria work with scientists and government agencies like the Fish and Wildlife Service on wildlife conservation projects.
The $3.5 million National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory, nestled in the heart of Oregons Rogue Valley, was opened by the Fish and Wildlife Service in 1989 to meet the needs of wildlife law enforcement agencies in the United States and around the world. It was immediately dubbed the "Scotland Yard of Wildlife Crime" for its breakthroughs in wildlife crime detection, which have included new techniques for elephant ivory and bear gall bladder identification and pioneering research into DNA analysis as an investigative tool.
The John G. Shedd Aquarium, housing nearly 600 species of aquatic animals from throughout the world, opened in 1930 at a cost of $3.25 million and was augmented in 1991 with a $45 million "Oceanarium." The nearly 400,000-square-foot institution sits on the shore of Lake Michigan and is known as "The Ocean by the Lake."
"Silent Witness: How Scientists Solve Crimes Against Wildlife"Will premiere in Chicago on March 15 at the Shedd Aquariums MacArthur Special Exhibit Gallery and will run through September 15. Admission to the aquarium/"Oceanarium" is $7 for adults and $5 for children ages 3 to 11 and for seniors.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 530 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies. For further information about the programs and activities of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Lakes-Big Rivers Region, please visit our home page at: http://midwest.fws.gov
