This is one of those lovely science stories that is sure to catch even the tabloid media’s attention as well as give people the opportunity once again to complain about “what scientists do”.
According to CSIRO Livestock Industries scientist Andre-Denis Wright, droppings from rhinos and elephants at Perth Zoo are being put under the microscope to help scientists determine whether or not various strains of protozoa, which help break food down in the guts of “exotic” animals can be introduced into the guts of sheep and cattle to help them thrive in the harsh conditions of the Australian outback.
As part of the Zoo-Poo project scientists have so far sequenced the DNA of protozoa found in a range of faecal samples from rhinos, elephants, orangutans, and red pandas. The study will reveal the origins of various protozoa and identify common protozoal species found in animals from different parts of the world.
Wright is collaborating with rumen microbiologist Burk Dehority of Ohio State University. Dehority has previously found some of the same protozoa in different grazing animals from South America, Africa and Alaska. However, the protozoa from the guts of marsupials in Australia appear to be quite distinct. He has now received poo samples from the zoo animals including a “grab sample of faeces” from a rhino, collected by a zoo handler before it hit the ground. [Nice]
“Very large mammals like the rhino and the elephant eat voluminous amounts of roughage and they are able to take the soluble nutrients out and ferment them in the cecum and then they just pass the roughage out,” explains Dehority, “hey exist on the fact that they just eat volumes.”
He said little was known about how the guts of large animals worked and the research would assist in developing better nutrition for zoo animals as well as livestock.