It's a case of CSI: Animal Kingdom.

UF and the ASPCA (The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) are forming the first veterinary forensic sciences program.

It is dedicated to the teaching, research and application of forensic science in the investigation and prosecution of crimes against animals.

Veterinarians, researchers, forensic specialists and students got a hands-on exercise at the Austin Carey Memorial Forest in Gainesville. It is part of a new program to help increase the number of professionals trained in forensic investigation of animal cruelty cases.

The partnership between UF and the ASPCA started a year ago. That's when the two institutions organized a conference on the use of forensic science to investigate animal cruelty.

Courses will include undergraduate and postgraduate courses and continuing education for veterinarians, animal control and law enforcement officers.

A three-day workshop set up by the ASPCA teaches participants the proper crime scene processing techniques, how to recover physical evidence and how to examine animal remains.

But it's not just a labor intensive course.

These crime fighters also attend lectures on what to expect each day before digging into their experiments.

The new program will be housed at the Maples Center on UF campus. UF said it is being established with an initial gift of $150,000 and committed ASPCA support for the next three years.