School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH) an independent unit of Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University (NDVSU) was established in the year 2010. SWFH has three divisions

• Division of Wildlife Health
• Division of Wildlife Forensic
• Division of Wildlife Investigation and Diagnostics

Besides fulfilling the basic objectives of teaching, research and extension activities, the school also provides veterinary assistance for conservation of critically endangered and threatened native wild animal species in and around central India. The School has been recognized by the Government of Madhya Pradesh as “Wildlife Forensic Laboratory” to provide scientific evidences to put before the Honourable Courts for prosecution and conviction of the poachers.

Vision:

Systematic and scientific wildlife health management and forensic research to conserve wildlife wealth of India.

Objective:

• Health monitoring and disease diagnosis by conventional and molecular based technologies.
• Forensic investigation of seized biological samples (meat, bone, antler, nails and blood stained materials etc.) by morphological and DNA based techniques received from various law enforcement agencies.
• To provide consultancy and technical assistance for scientific wildlife health management in central zone.
• To develop trained human recourses for wildlife forensic and health.

Mandates Of Divisions:

Division Of Wildlife Health

• Health monitoring of wild animals in protected areas and zoological parks
• Providing veterinary support to forest department under wildlife health extension activities for treatments, periodic health monitoring, operations for radio collaring and translocation of wild animals in different protected areas
• Wild Animal Outdoor Patient Department
• Wild Animal Indoor Patient Ward
• Necropsy of scheduled species for detailed investigation

Division Of Wildlife Forensic

• DNA bank and in-house database for native wild species of Madhya Pradesh
• Molecular analysis of biological samples seized by Forest department and other law enforcement agencies
• Species identification and individual identification from meat samples, hair samples, skin samples, blood stained materials, teeth, nails, antlers, horns, hooves etc.
• Toxicological investigation

Division Of Wildlife Investigation And Diagnostics

• Disease diagnosis in wild species using molecular and immunological techniques
• Investigation of disease outbreak in protected areas and zoological parks
• Histopathological investigations
• Haemato-biochemical and coprological investigations
• Designing and validation of molecular diagnostic markers for tuberculosis, canine distemper, leptospirosis, infectious canine hepatitis, canine parvo viral infection and Elephant endotheliotropic herpesvirus (EEHV) infection in wild animals.

Teaching:

The School is running Masters degree programme (M.V.Sc) and Ph.D. in Wildlife Health Management as well as PG Diploma in Wildlife Health Management. Till date, 25 M.V.Sc. and 01 Ph.D. degrees have been awarded. Two M.V.Sc. thesis have been submitted and one M.V.Sc. as well as three Ph.D. research are going on. Additionally, PG diploma in Wildlife Health Management is also being offered.
 

Trainings Organized:

Three training programmes and one Brain Storming Session have been organized during the last three years for field wildlife veterinarians and wildlife officers.

स्कूल ऑफ वाइल्डलाइफ फॉरेन्सिक एण्ड हेल्थ में परीक्षण हेतु नमुना भेजने की विधि

Teaching:

The School is running Masters degree programme (M.V.Sc) and Ph.D. in Wildlife Health Management as well as PG Diploma in Wildlife Health Management. Till date, 26 M.V.Sc., 01 PG Diploma and 04 Ph.D. degrees have been awarded.

Postgraduate

Ph.D.

PG Diploma

Infrastructure:

An independent building of “School of Wildlife Forensic and Health” covering 1842 Square meter (6042 square feet) with the following laboratories and administrative blocks:

• Division of Wildlife health
• Division of Wildlife Investigation and Diagnostics
• Division of Wildlife Forensic
• Wildlife Outdoor Patient Division.
• Indoor Patient Ward for big cats
• Necropsy Hall
• Wildlife Museum
• Class room
• Library
• Conference hall
• Administrative block
• Director’s and Professor’s chambers
• Laboratories: 05 (Molecular, toxicology, histopathology, clinical pathology & wildlife osteology labs/Museum)

Equipments available

• Proflex thermal cycler
• Real-time PCR machine
• ELISA machine
• Biosafety cabinet
• Inverted microscope
• Milipore distilled water assembly
• DNA concentrator
• Deep freeze (-80°C)
• Autoclave machine
• Portable Colour Doppler (USG)
• Portable X-ray machine or DR system
• Hydraulic operation table
• Anaesthesia machine
• Dental station
• Blood Cell Counter
• Serum biochemistry auto analyzer
• Dan-inject projectile syringes
• Patient monitor
• Blood gas analyser
• Incubator for Intensive care for Cubs
• Central Oxygen unit
• Range Finders
• Net gun
• Camera traps
• Pulse oxymeter
• Snake catching instruments

Divisions

• Division of Wildlife Health
• Division of Wildlife Forensic
• Division of Wildlife Investigation and Diagnostics

Faculty

• International Tiger Day was celebrated on 29th July 2022. Hon’ble Vice Chancellor of Nanaji Deshmukh Veterinary Science University - Prof (Dr) Sita Prasad Tiwari sir attended the event and planted sapling in the campus of School of Wildlife Forensic and Health. International Tiger Day is celebrated every year on 29th July. This is also known as Global Tiger Day which was first proposed at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia in 2010. Many Nations became signatories of an agreement to protect the tigers. These nations included thirteen tiger range countries including India.
• One day National webinar on “Wildlife Forensics: Updates and Challenges” was organized on 29th June 2021 which had lectures from Dr Ajay Gaur (Sr. Principal Scientist & In-charge – Wildlife Forensics, LaCONES-CCMB, Hyderabad) and Shri Ritesh Sarothiya (DCF & OIC – Special Task Force (Wildlife) & State Tiger Strike Force (Government of Madhya Pradesh). Students and Professionals from various veterinary colleges joined the webinar and interacted with the speakers.
• One day workshop on the topic - "जैविक पदार्थों का संकलन, परिरक्षण एवं प्रयोगशाला प्रेषण" was organized for the frontline workers of Madhya Pradesh forest department on 29.10.2021. The participants were given hands-on training on collection and preservation of various biological samples of wild animals for further dispatch to the forensic laboratory.

Research

The School has completed 12 research projects in collaboration with State Forest Department and running 4 projects on Wildlife Forensic and Health funded by Government of Madhya Pradesh. One project under Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Government of India is also running as a twinning project in collaboration with College of Veterinary Science (Assam Agriculture University), Guwahati, to establish the DNA database of native wild species of North-East region.

Research Projects Completed:

Ongoing Research Projects

Extension activities:

• The School of Wildlife Forensic and Health (SWFH) regularly extend its services to the tiger reserves, National parks and zoological parks as and when needed. The institute has been involved in various veterinary interventions related to wildlife health.
• SWFH faculty actively participates in the rescue operations of distressed wild animals in and around Jabalpur territorial forest division and also get involved in rescue operations in other protected areas (PAs).
• SWFH periodically conducts the health monitoring of captive carnivores at zoological parks as well as park elephants at different tiger reserves. During these occasions, biological samples of these species are collected on field and transported to the laboratory at SWFH. These samples are screened for clinical parameters as well as for the presence of various infectious diseases including canine distemper, leptospirosis, EEHV and tuberculosis.