Blackpool Zoo is using coloured edible glitter to identify the sparkly poo of its female Asian elephants and monitor their reproductive cycles.
Under a recommendation from the European Endangered Species Programme, the edible glitter was introduced as zoo workers needed a way to successfully identify and test individual dung samples.
Tara, Noorjahan and Esha – all female Asian elephants – have taken part in the research. This is part of ‘Project Elephant’, which aims to preserve the Asian elephant species.
Each of the female elephants are given food containing a different colour of edible glitter, which then appears in their poo.
Sparkly dung samples sent to Chester Zoo
The faeces samples are collected twice a week and sent to a cutting-edge research laboratory at Chester Zoo for analysis. The results allow Blackpool Zoo’s keeper team to track the animals’ reproductive cycles and check if they are pregnant.
Adam Kenyon, section head at Blackpool Zoo, said: “We have used edible glitter to track hormone levels of many of our animals, so it is a tried and tested method for these types of investigations.
“The team at Chester Zoo have been working hard to analyse the samples through a science called faecal endocrinology and we are hoping to get the findings soon.”
The Asian elephant species is classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Its population has declined by at least 50 percent over the last three generations, Blackpool Zoo said in a press release.
“This highly intelligent and complex species is endangered in the wild and by collaborating, sharing research, and exchanging ideas, zoos play a crucial role in the global effort to protect and conserve these majestic animals,” Kenyon added.
Owned by Parques Reunidos, Blackpool Zoo is also working alongside Chester Zoo’s conservationists to transform Blackpool into a sustainable palm oil community.
Images courtesy of Parques Reunidos
