Conservation scientists have demonstrated a new technique to non-invasively survey tigers using their scent sprays, which are detected much more frequently in the wild than scat—the "breadcrumb" that researchers have traditionally used to track the endangered animals. The findings, published this week in the journal Conservation Genetics Resources, show that DNA taken from tiger spray is just as good or even better than scat DNA in identifying individual tigers and their gender, and have the potential to increase the power of conservation surveys and management. It is the first time a technique has been developed specifically for the use of sprays in genetic analysis.
↧