Animal dung donations could boost conservation

New techniques trialled with living cells from poo

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ELEPHANT, okapi and giraffe dung from Chester Zoo is being used to harvest living animal cells for future scientific breakthroughs.

Oxford University researchers recently revealed they are trialling new techniques to isolate, wash and culture living cells to store them for conservation purposes.

Scientists say these methods could offer a lifeline to species on the brink.

Professor Suzannah Williams set up the Poo Zoo last year with funding from conservation non-profit Revive and Restore.

Her team includes Dr Rhiannon Bolton, who is carrying out research on dung donated by animals in the care of Chester Zoo.

Rhiannon, a researcher based at the 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."

Chester Zoo is contributing various samples to the project. These include dung from elephants, giraffes, okapis and lion scat. The collection process is quite low-tech and generally involves a dustpan and brush. Things get more complex once the samples reach the lab.