Paintbrush scrutiny: New Zoological Survey of India tool targets illegal mongoose trade
Telegraph | 20 November 2025
Every year, more than 50,000 mongooses are killed in India to meet the demand for paintbrushes made from their hair, despite the species enjoying Schedule 1 protection under the Wildlife Protection Act, the same level as tigers and elephants.
Now, researchers at the Calcutta-headquartered Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have developed a breakthrough method to identify mongoose hair from brushes, offering a critical tool in the fight against the illegal trade.
Frontline wildlife officials often struggle to identify contraband, as chemical processing of paintbrushes removes visible markers. But the ZSI team has created the first comprehensive hair-based identification system for all six Indian mongoose species.
Published in Discover Conservation, the study presents a tricho-taxonomic framework: a scientific method for identifying animals based on hair characteristics.
“The diagnostic features documented in this work provide a rapid, non-invasive method for identifying confiscated mongoose hair, supporting law enforcement in tackling wildlife trafficking,” said a ZSI spokesperson. The research relied on museum specimens preserved at the organisation, India’s oldest taxonomic research institution.
According to foresters and wildlife NGOs, between 50,000 and 100,000 mongooses are killed annually in India for paintbrush production. Brushes made from mongoose hair are prized for their smooth, high-quality strokes, which are considered superior to synthetic alternatives.
“Some 50 animals are needed to produce just 1kg of usable hair,” said a forest official. “While domestic demand has declined over the last decade, there is still a steady market in West Asia, Europe, and the US.”
Crime network
Major trafficking routes pass through Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, while Delhi, Mumbai and Calcutta are transits for international trade.
In August 2017, over 30,000 paintbrushes made from mongoose hair were seized in a single raid at Calcutta’s Old China Bazar. Earlier, several seizures were made from a village in South 24-Parganas off Diamond Harbour Road, around 50km from Calcutta.
In 2019, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau launched a nationwide crackdown on mongoose hair paintbrushes, in collaboration with the Wildlife Trust of India. The trade has declined in recent years, particularly since 2022, when mongooses were accorded Schedule 1 status under the Wildlife Protection Act.
Despite legal safeguards, enforcement agencies still face challenges. Modern paintbrush processing removes hair follicles, leaving no nuclear DNA for standard testing. ZSI’s new system, however, offers a reliable forensic method: identification based on the number of black-and-white bands on a hair strand.
The organisation, which operates under the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, regularly receives items confiscated by wildlife agencies. Reports issued by ZSI are admissible as evidence in court.
Band technique
According to M. Kamalakannan, a ZSI scientist who co-led the study, the technique can even be applied in the field with a portable microscope. “The identification is based on the number of bands in a hair strand,” he explained. For instance, the Indian grey mongoose has up to 12 bands — six black and six white — while the stripe-necked mongoose has up to eight.
Debobroto Sircar of the Wildlife Trust of India welcomed the development but stressed the need for field-ready application. If officers can test samples at the seizure site itself, it will reduce turnaround time and make enforcement much more efficient, he said.
ZSI director Dhriti Banerjee said: “This study strengthens our wildlife forensic capabilities and will assist frontline agencies in protecting India’s native biodiversity.”