01
The Original Project
The people, fieldwork and expedition that gave the Elephant Ivory Project its name.
Explore the history →The original Elephant Ivory Project
From expedition storytelling to elephant DNA forensics
A field expedition in the Congo became part of a much larger forensic effort: building the DNA reference map used to trace seized ivory back toward source populations.
01
The field mission
Trip Jennings and Andy Maser set out to collect fresh dung from elephant populations that were poorly represented in the existing DNA reference map.
02
The scientific link
Dr Samuel Wasser's team could compare DNA from seized ivory against geographically known reference samples to estimate where poached elephants had come from.
03
The Congo connection
With John and Terese Hart and local field teams, the expedition moved through the TL2 and Lomami landscapes before finally finding viable samples.
2010
The project takes shape
Conservation storytelling, ivory trafficking and forensic DNA mapping begin to converge.
March 2011
Into the DRC
The expedition heads into central Congo with collection vials and GPS equipment.
April 2011
Viable samples
Fresh dung samples are finally collected from elephant trails near the Lomami River.
Today
The record survives
The project's history is preserved here alongside the science that followed.
