RHINO DUNG
Why is poo so important?
How dung samples are playing a key role in preventing the extinction of the eastern black rhino
Our science team have been putting their rhino dung expertise to good use in an exciting new project alongside Kenyan scientists to help prevent the extinction of the critically endangered eastern black rhino (diceros bicornis michaeli).
Katie Edwards, our Lead Conservation Scientist, recently travelled to Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters in Nairobi alongside Rebecca Mogey, our Laboratory Coordinator, to help a team of scientists who are using dung to monitor wild rhino populations. Cedric Khayale, PhD candidate and Senior Research Scientist at the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, is working with the team from Chester on the testing of hundreds of faecal samples collected from critically endangered eastern black rhinos across Kenya, with only around 1,000 still living in the wild.
A collaboration of knowledge
Since 2007, we have been putting our dung testing expertise to good use in our Chester Zoo conservation physiology lab, which has so far supported the breeding of 12 black rhino calves at the zoo. It’s now possible for the scientists behind this success to lend their technology and expertise to help to improve breeding rates and rhino relocations with Cedric and his team in Kenya.
“We’ve learned a lot about eastern black rhinoceros physiology at Chester Zoo, and we have been working to put that into practice with wild populations. Now we’re at the stage where we can start to analyse the faecal samples that have been collected by Cedric and his team over the last few years.”
Katie Edwards, Lead Conservation Scientist, Chester Zoo
A Conservation Physiology Lab in Kenya
A Conservation Physiology Lab in Kenya
Katie and Becky’s trip to Kenya involved helping to transport and set up specialised laboratory equipment, including a plate reader provided by local company, Aspect Scientific, which will allow scientists to carry out multiple assays (investigative procedures) on prepared specimens of rhino faeces.
Transporting the reagents (chemical mixtures designed to change colour when exposed to the tested hormones) was perhaps the most delicate aspect of this stage of the project, as they must be kept at strictly controlled temperatures.
The team has now processed over 390 samples collected by Cedric from several reserves, including Loisaba, a 58,000-acre wildlife conservancy located in Laikipia, Northern Kenya.
amet ut
Irure mollit veniam commodo consectetur. Anim pariatur in culpa pariatur veniam excepteur. Et proident anim eu in adipisicing in adipisicing.
magna non
Eu mollit Lorem. Aute mollit aute Lorem ipsum do.
deserunt aute
Dolore tempor laborum eu nostrud. Culpa duis laboris fugiat tempor minim nostrud. Officia consequat laboris dolore ut.
enim quis
Cupidatat aliqua aliquip esse officia laboris laboris reprehenderit. Excepteur dolor irure magna sit culpa sit. Dolor commodo cillum magna aliqua ut.
magna non
Eu mollit Lorem. Aute mollit aute Lorem ipsum do.
magna non
Eu mollit Lorem. Aute mollit aute Lorem ipsum do.
Our eventual goal is to build capacity so scientists like Cedric can do this work in the long term. We want conservation physiology as a scientific field to be accessible for Kenyan conservation scientists working on different projects. The techniques we are using with the Loisaba rhinos in Kenya have been applied to over 100 different species at Chester Zoo, so these methods are certainly applicable to other endangered species too.
The idea is to have a pop-up lab, so the equipment and skills can be deployed where they are needed. We also want to train up people to use the lab. The most important thing to the future of this work is relationship building.
Katie Edwards, Lead Conservation Scientist, Chester Zoo
What’s involved in testing dung?
- One of the greatest advantages of testing is that the material is plentiful. Getting hold of the samples can be smelly work, but it's much less invasive and stressful for animals than blood tests.
- Once the dung is back in the lab, scientists can process the samples to pull out the hormones.
- The team can test for the presence and concentrations of certain hormones - which can give a great snapshot of rhinos’ reproductive status, stress levels and metabolic health.
Measuring rhino responses
As part of Cedric’s current work, the team is learning more about how rhinos respond to being moved to a new location which involves being anaesthetised beforehand. A rhino’s response to the process can vary greatly; some rhinos enter a deeply sedated state, while others do not. By measuring the hormone levels in the dung of the rhinos before, during, and after this process, the scientists and conservationists can monitor how a rhino has responded to both the anaesthetic and the journey, and how well they have adapted to their new environment.
Measuring rhino responses
As part of Cedric’s current work, the team is learning more about how rhinos respond to being moved to a new location which involves being anaesthetised beforehand. A rhino’s response to the process can vary greatly; some rhinos enter a deeply sedated state, while others do not. By measuring the hormone levels in the dung of the rhinos before, during, and after this process, the scientists and conservationists can monitor how a rhino has responded to both the anaesthetic and the journey, and how well they have adapted to their new environment.
Rhino populations in certain areas are breeding well, but those rates will naturally drop as an area reaches capacity. It is crucial for their conservation that rhinos are introduced to new suitable habitats so their numbers can expand, and this endocrinology project will give us a clearer idea of how to do that safely and successfully. A new population has been established in Loisaba, and I have taken faecal samples before, during, and after their translocation.
Cedric Khayale, PhD candidate and Senior Research Scientist, Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya
Cedric, Katie and Becky hope this data can also be used to predict outcomes for rhinos involved in future translocations and making sure they are comfortable in their new homes.
Alongside the breakthroughs in dung testing, we have also been working alongside our partners to monitor and protect black rhino populations in a number of ways, including supporting The Big Life Foundation and Kenya Wildlife Service to set up camera traps and train rangers to prevent poaching in Chyulu Hills in southeast Kenya.
Cedric’s project is supported by Chester Zoo, Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenya Wildlife Service, Manchester Metropolitan University, WWF-Kenya/UK and the Zoological Society of London.
Explore more of our incredible science work at Chester Zoo
