- Title: Saving species with faeces: Rhino poo aids conservation study
- Date: 31st August 2018
- Summary: OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY, NANYUKI, KENYA (FILE - APRIL 5, 2017) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE LAST MALE NORTHERN WHITE RHINO, WHO HAS NOW DIED / "SUDAN" IN PEN VARIOUS OF SUDAN WITH LAST REMAINING TWO FEMALE NORTHAN WHITE RHINO
- Embargoed: 14th September 2018 11:43
- Keywords: Rhinoceros droppings Chester Zoo University of Manchester saving the species with faeces mega-herbivores black rhinos white rhinos
- Location: CHESTER AND MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UK/UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION AND OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY, NANYUKI, KENYA
- City: CHESTER AND MANCHESTER, ENGLAND, UK/UNIDENTIFIED LOCATION AND OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY, NANYUKI, KENYA
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Environment,Nature/Wildlife
- Reuters ID: LVA0058VIQEZB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:Rhinoceros droppings are being collected by scientists for a new conservation initiative to help prevent global extinction of threatened species.
The team from Chester Zoo and the University of Manchester has dubbed the collaboration: "saving species with faeces".
They want to identify causes of poor population growth of Africa's "mega-herbivores", including Grevy's zebras, Cape mountain zebras and black rhinos.
A major focus for the initiative is the endangered black rhinos. Their excrement is a source of useful data, the team says, to help understand the health of the animal.
"Most of the research that we're doing to assess health and stress involves collecting a lot of poo," said Professor Susanne Shultz from the University of Manchester.
The team uses hormonal bio-markers present in animal dung to understand stress and reproductive health in wild animals - and it can be collected without disturbing the animal.
In the laboratory at Chester Zoo, Dr. Danielle Gilroy is part of the team analysing the rhino poo: "We're using physiological bio-markers in poo samples; so a non-invasive method, no disturbance to the animal. Through the poo we can see how stressed the animals are, what condition they are, their individual health, are they reproducing - all these different factors basically indicate their fitness."
Classed as critically endangered, some wild eastern black rhino populations in Kenya have nevertheless fared better than others. At Chester Zoo they've also seen successful captive breeding of the animals in recent years.
"We want take these models that have been developed on captive animals and apply it to these wild populations. And say, can we go into a population and assess its relative health and well-being," added Shultz.
The new £1.1 million pound (1.4 million UDS) joint initiative hopes to develop a strategy to promote natural reproduction.
"We could not just think about zoos but think of populations in zoos and populations that exist inside their natural range like in Kenya, for example. We think of them as one metapopulation and we can apply the same toolkit to understand why the animals in Kenya might not be breeding as well and what might be impacting reproduction," said Dr. Sue Walker, Head of Applied Science at Chester Zoo.
"The most important thing we can do it maximise reproduction in these animals," she added.
Kenya had a rhino population of 1,258 in 2017 of which 745 are black rhinos, 510 are southern white rhinos and three were northern white rhinos. However, in March the world's last male northern white rhino - named Sudan - died in Kenya, leaving only two females of its subspecies alive in the world. While scientists still hope to save it from extinction by in vitro fertilization, the threat from poaching has risen in recent years across sub-Saharan Africa where armed criminal gangs have killed elephants for tusks and rhinos for horns. Often the animal parts are shipped to Asia for use in ornaments and medicines. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2018. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None