Not quite Jurassic Park - but 'poo zoo' may save species from extinction

Turning animal dung into offspring sounds like a zoo keeper's conjuring trick but it might become a reality under a project to help save endangered species from extinction.

- Nicola Davis

From snow leopards to sea turtles, animals the world over are under threat, with some scientists warning of "biological annihilation".

Now researchers are exploring whether they can use dung to capture - and harness - the genetic diversity of the natural world.

The "poo zoo" project is based on a simple premise: that dung contains a creature's cells and these cells may still be alive - at least when the deposit is fresh.

"It's very, very early stages," said Prof Suzannah Williams of Oxford University, who is leading the project. "But so far it's feeling very positive."

She said the team had already isolated live cells from mouse droppings and elephant dung. The hope is that such cells could be used to help boost genetic diversity within a species and increase its chance of survival.