Protocol to classify the stages of carcass decomposition and estimate the time of death in small-size raptors
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Protocol to classify the stages of carcass decomposition and estimate the time of death in small-size raptors Irene Valverde 1
&
Silvia Espín 1
&
Pedro María-Mojica 1,2
&
Antonio J. García-Fernández 1
Received: 21 January 2020 / Revised: 14 August 2020 / Accepted: 13 October 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract One of the most common wildlife crimes involving birds worldwide is malicious poisoning. Post-mortem examination and toxicological analysis are essential for a proper diagnosis of the cause of the poisoning. However, investigators often require an estimate of the time of death, which is best determined by identifying the stage of carcass decomposition. The aim of this article is to propose a scoring method to classify the stages of carcass decomposition and thus provide an estimate of the time of death in small-size raptors. This protocol can be used by practitioners, forensic veterinarians, researchers, authorities and personnel collecting carcasses in order to standardize methods and minimize subjectivity. For this purpose, 12 carcasses of Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) were exposed to external weather conditions (in the period 4–19 July 2019) in Murcia, Southeastern Spain. The ambient temperature and relative humidity, body core temperatures and carcass weights were measured at intervals over the study period. Necropsies were performed (2 birds at each interval) at 1–2 h, 24 h, 72 h, 96 h, 7 days and 15 days after death. The necropsy of a previously frozen bird was performed to act as a comparison with non-frozen fresh individuals. Six stages of the post-mortem autolytic process were selected: fresh carcass, moderate decomposition, advanced decomposition, very advanced decomposition, initial skeletal reduction and complete skeletal reduction. To classify the carcasses according to these categories, a scoring method is proposed considering 5 parameters: state of the eyeballs, tongue/oral cavity, pectoral muscle, internal organs and other features. Several parameters affecting the process of the decomposition are discussed. Keywords Autolysis . Carcass . Decomposition . Falco tinnunculus . Necropsy . Time of death . Forensic
Introduction One of the most common wildlife crimes worldwide is poisoning, being a challenge not only for wildlife managers, enforcement authorities and veterinarians but also for toxicology and forensic science laboratories. In Spain alone, between 1992 and Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1007/s10344-02001429-3. * Silvia Espín [email protected] * Antonio J. García-Fernández [email protected] 1
Service of Toxicology and Forensic Veterinary, Faculty of Veterinary, Campus Espinardo, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain
2
Santa-Faz Wildlife Recovery Center, Consellería de Agricultura, Medio Ambiente, Cambio Climático y Desarrollo Rural, Alicante, Generalitat Valenciana, Spain
2013, 18,503 animals were identified as having been poisoned, including k
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