Researchers to study DNA from dung to save Laos elephants

A forest in Northern Laos witnessed a fall in the Asian elephant population, prompting researchers to use different methods to save them.
The population of Asian elephants in Laos has decreased due to habitat loss, exhausting work in logging, hunting, and limited breeding chances, AFP reported.
Scientists are utilising DNA analysis of elephant dung to monitor both captive and wild populations, aiming to maintain genetic diversity and develop effective breeding strategies for species preservation.
Laos, historically known as “Lane Xang” or “Land of a Million Elephants”, now houses only 500 to 1,000 elephants, representing a mere third of its population from 20 years ago, according to WWF-Laos.
The mortality rate shows 10 elephants dying annually for every one or two births, indicating a critical risk of extinction in this Southeast Asian country.
At the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) laboratory in Sainyabuli province, wildlife biologist Anabel Lopez Perez explains to AFP their aim to maintain a healthy captive population as a genetic safeguard against wild population collapse.
Scientists plan to identify individual elephants through DNA testing of dung samples. This information will help manage genetic diversity, prevent inbreeding and produce healthy calves for potential release into the wild.
At the ECC hospital, which houses 28 elephants in its 500-hectare sanctuary, Mae Khoun Nung receives care in a specially designed metal structure. Sounthone Phitsamone, the centre’s elephant keeper manager and assistant vet, performs routine foot maintenance.
Mae Khoun Nung, who worked in logging until 2014, represents a species that previously inhabited vast areas of Asia but now occupies less than 20% of its original territory, according to WWF. Wild elephant numbers have decreased by approximately half since the early 1900s, with only 40,000 to 50,000 remaining.
Researchers are currently collecting DNA samples from dung in Nam Poui National Protected Area’s remaining wild elephant population of 50 to 60 individuals. This analysis will help identify elephants, determine their sex, track movements and understand herd relationships, reported AFP.
Following the 2018 government ban on illegal logging, many elephants were transferred to tourism or sold to various facilities. The ECC attempts to purchase and protect captive elephants, but has achieved limited breeding success with only six pregnancies resulting in three calves since 2010.
Mae Khoun Nung, aged 45, prefers solitary activities due to her isolated upbringing. Unlike other elephants who socialise during bathing, she chooses to feed alone on banana plants.
Phitsamone, with over a decade of experience at the centre, acknowledges the significant challenges in preserving Laos’s elephant population, expressing uncertainty about their future in the coming decades.