NCBS researchers find that tiger and leopard scents can help scientists monitor them in the wild
Researchers at the National Centre for Biological Sciences have developed a non-invasive method to monitor tigers and leopards using chemical signatures in their urine and scat. This technique allows scientists to identify the age, sex, and reproductive status of big cats in the wild.
Why it matters
This breakthrough provides a simpler, more effective tool for conservationists to track endangered species without the need for invasive or complex genetic testing.
Researchers at the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) have developed a non-invasive method for identifying the age, sex, and reproductive status of tigers and leopards from the chemical signatures left behind in their urine and scat. This offers conservationists a tool for tracking two most elusive big cats in the wild.
Supported by a grant from the National Geographic Society, the study was recently published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology , in collaboration with Ahmedabad University. The samples were collected from zoos in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Vadodara, and Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
Tigers and leopards are elusive, solitary, and endangered, making them difficult to monitor in the wild. Big cats, however, leave a scent when they roam the forests. They mark territory with urine and scat, both laced with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that carry information to other animals.
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