Advancing animal biomarker detection and analysis
Developing novel biomarker approaches to support animal health and wellbeing, both ex situ and in situ
Hundreds of species reside at Chester Zoo and thousands more are in human care in the wider zoo community. In the case of many of these species, far less is known about their physiology compared to domesticated animals (e.g., livestock) and humans, which makes it more challenging to track their responses to environmental change, provide specialised healthcare and make informed reproductive decisions.
Practitioners of conservation physiology use a range of biomarkers to help understand the conditions that individuals and species need to thrive, and how they respond and adapt to changes in their environment.
To maintain and improve animal wellbeing holistically, conservation scientists make use of indicators that reflect multiple physiological systems and behavioural indicators, to understand how individuals respond to their environment.
Physiological biomarkers can also be used to understand health and disease, providing information for clinical decision making and enabling a proactive approach to animal health and wellbeing.
Case study: the eastern black rhino project
The Problem:
Just 1,000 or so eastern black rhinos (Diceros bicornis michaeli) live in Kenya. Under the protection of rangers in the field, some rhino populations are expanding, but this may slow when their protected areas reach capacity.
Conservationists are transplanting rhinos to different territories to help the species grow, but it is difficult to know how this affects individuals. It is important to ensure the translocated population remains healthy and comfortable, and that conservation actions do not jeopardise the likelihood of individuals breeding.
For many reasons, it is difficult to track the health and wellbeing of individuals in the wild, especially those that migrate across extensive territories. A non-invasive and reliable way had to be found to track rhino stress levels in the field.
The Solution:
Chester Zoo scientists have undertaken on-site testing of hundreds of faecal samples collected from critically endangered eastern black rhinos, using hormone analysis to track their welfare before, during and after translocation.
This allows us to check how individual rhinos responded to anaesthetics administered during the move, and how well they have adapted to their new environment.
This data can potentially be used to predict outcomes for rhinos involved in future translocations, reducing stress, and making sure they are comfortable in their new homes.
This project is undertaken in partnership with the Wildlife Research and Training Institute, Kenyan Wildlife Service, Manchester Metropolitan University, WWF-Kenya/UK and the Zoological Society of London.
Our focus is on immunology and endocrinology, and on developing new methods to sample and isolate biomarkers, such as the non-invasive faecal sampling methods described in the case study.
Over the last decade, conservation scientists at Chester Zoo have become leading proponents of pysiological monitoring through the detection of key biomarkers. We are able to perform sophisticated endocrinological analyses of a range of animal samples in our on-site lab, and work with partner organisations off-site on specific immunological projects.
We use endocrinological methods to monitor several species at Chester Zoo. They are part of an EAZA Ex-situ Programme (EEP), and include Goodfellow's tree kangaroo, Malayan sun bear, bokiboky, Grandidier's vontsira, ring-tailed vontsira, Sumatran tiger, Amur tiger, Owston's civet and banteng.
We actively share our biomarker monitoring expertise through scientific publications and offer endocrinology services to other members of the zoo community, for instance allowing them to make informed breeding and welfare decisions by confirming pregnancy and tracking the hormone cycles of animals in their care. We routinely run tests on samples collected from Asian elephants, giraffes and okapi living in other zoos and sanctuaries.