Endangered species could be saved by faeces, say scientists
Animal dung could be used to save endangered species, scientists believe.
A new trial by the University of Oxford and Chester Zoo is aiming to harvest living cells from faeces in the hope they could be transformed into stem cells and eventually sperm and eggs.
If successful, it could allow conservationists to collect genetic samples of rare and endangered animals from their waste without having to bother, or even see, the creature itself.
The cells could be used to inseminate or clone animals and bring them back from the brink of extinction.
Dr Rhiannon Bolton, carrying out research on dung from lions, elephants, giraffes and okapi at Chester Zoo, said: 'If this works, it could be a total game-changer. Right now, UK veterinary guidelines mean you can only collect genetic samples in very specific circumstances or following death, which limits the samples you can collect.
'It's early days yet, but this would allow us to collect cells from a far broader range of animals than we currently can, both individuals within a species and in terms of different species.
'It would make collecting and storing living animal cells non-invasive, cost-effective and efficient.'
Oxford is currently trialling new techniques to isolate, wash and culture living cells to store them for conservation purposes.
The faecal matter is processed to strip away anything left by the animal's diet or bacteria, allowing scientists to separate out living cells from the donor animal, which can then be extracted and cultured.
These living cells have the potential to be used to create stem cells further down the line.
Stem cells in turn could become sperm and egg cells, which would be used in conservation breeding or even cloning. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that more than 41,000 species are currently under threat of extinction.
Dr Bolton said: 'The keepers and scientists at the zoo pick up samples left in animal habitats. Because these are new techniques, we're trying to collect the freshest samples possible, so I'll get a delivery to the zoo lab, which is processed here.
'The clean cells are then posted to Oxford on the same day. We're looking at a range of animals as the cells from some species might be harder to culture than others. It's likely that the techniques will have to be tweaked for different species.'
Currently, the samples must be collected quickly to ensure their freshness, so zoo animals are the perfect donors, but this technique could one day be used in the field, preserving cells from rare animals in the wild. The goal is to bank as much material as possible to prevent extinctions.'
Chester Zoo already monitors the dung of its animals to track their health and breeding potential. By testing hormones in animal scat, scientists at the zoo can tell whether animals are ready to mate.
Dr Sue Walker, the head of science at Chester Zoo, said: 'Faecal testing is integrated into the daily care of our animal species. We use it to monitor the reproductive and overall health of the animals.
'For instance, we track progesterone in the females which allows us to predict their cycles and lets us know when they are likely to be receptive to a breeding partner, and hormonal analysis also gives us a picture of how they respond to their environment. It helps us offer them optimal care.
'As a conservation zoo, many of the animals we look after are critically endangered. This means their genetics are extremely valuable to the survival of a species as a whole. As science advances, these methods could offer a lifeline to species on the brink.'
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