{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='Elephant dung used to track population' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c346d8eafeecae1600fb' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54c346d8eafeecae1600fb' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nElephant dung used to track population\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP TelevisionTesso Nilo national park, Riau, 21 February 20131. Close of elephant2. Wide of elephants walking on path with trainers3. Mid of young elephants4. Wide of WWF team finding faeces of Sumatran elephant5. Mid of team taking GPS...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eTesso Nilo national park, Riau, 21 February 2013\u003cbr/\u003e1. Close of elephant\u003cbr/\u003e2. Wide of elephants walking on path with trainers\u003cbr/\u003e3. Mid of young elephants\u003cbr/\u003e4. Wide of WWF team finding faeces of Sumatran elephant\u003cbr/\u003e5. Mid of team taking GPS location of faeces\u003cbr/\u003e3. Close up of detailed info about faeces being written down\u003cbr/\u003e6. Tilt down from WWF team to elephant faeces\u003cbr/\u003e7. Close up of Samsuardi \u003cbr/\u003e8. Wide of WWF team collecting sample of elephant faeces\u003cbr/\u003e9. Close up of faeces stored in test tube\u003cbr/\u003e10. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) Samsuardi, WWF team leader for elephant research\u003cbr/\u003e\"We take the outer layer of the elephant faeces as our sample. The faeces must be fresh and less than 2 days old.\"\u003cbr/\u003e11. Wide of WWF team taking GPS location of elephant faeces at a second location\u003cbr/\u003e12. Close up of faeces\u003cbr/\u003e13. Mid of WWF team at work\u003cbr/\u003e14. Close up of elephant faeces stored in test tube\u003cbr/\u003e15. Wide of WWF team marking faeces \u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) Samsuardi, WWF team leader for elephant research\u003cbr/\u003e\"We hope that we can count the population of elephants in the national park with certainty and keep track of their deaths every year. With the use of DNA sampling, we aim to better protect these elephants.\"\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eJakarta, 1 March 2013\u003cbr/\u003e17. Close up of test tube of elephant faeces\u003cbr/\u003e18. Wide of lab worker taking out faeces\u003cbr/\u003e19. Close up of faeces sample being stored in a clean tube\u003cbr/\u003e20. Close up of lab worker setting a machine to extract DNA from faeces\u003cbr/\u003e21. Close up of faeces being placed inside DNA extraction machine\u003cbr/\u003e22. Wide of lab worker putting DNA samples on gel platform\u003cbr/\u003e23. Close up of DNA samples\u003cbr/\u003e24. Wide of lab worker putting DNA samples into DNA sequencer\u003cbr/\u003e25. Close up of DNA sequencer machine\u003cbr/\u003e26. Wide of Loa Helena Suryadi looking at computer\u003cbr/\u003e27. Close up of data showing DNA analysis on computer\u003cbr/\u003e28. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) Loa Helena Suryadi, Deputy head of Forensic DNA laboratory at Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology\u003cbr/\u003e\"The diversity of  Sumatran elephants can be seen through the profile and fragment analysis of their DNA. We can use this information to determine the elephant population in a certain location and distinguish the male population from the female population.\"\u003cbr/\u003eJakarta 1 March 2013\u003cbr/\u003e36. Pan from lab worker to computer\u003cbr/\u003e37. Wide of lab workers reviewing data on computer\u003cbr/\u003e38. Mid of computer screen showing DNA scans of elephants\u003cbr/\u003eAP Television\u003cbr/\u003eTesso Nilo national park, Riau - 20 February 2013\u003cbr/\u003e29. Wide of forest\u003cbr/\u003e30. Wide of Kupin Simbolon and his staff on a site visit\u003cbr/\u003e31. SOUNDBITE: (Indonesian) Kupin Simbolon, Head of Tesso Nilo national park\u003cbr/\u003e\"I think the DNA scientific method can be effective, but we should avoid compiling our database only for one specific project. We must build our database of elephant genetics based on the overall distribution and base of our elephants.\"\u003cbr/\u003e32. Wide of trained Sumatran elephants and their mahouts getting into river\u003cbr/\u003e33. Mid of elephants in the water\u003cbr/\u003e34. Wide of mahouts giving elephants a bath\u003cbr/\u003e35. Close up of elephants in the water\u003cbr/\u003eIndonesian conservationists are finding a new way to help conserve Sumatran elephants through DNA testing of their dung. \u003cbr/\u003eThe genetic information of this critically endangered species can be used to determine its population in the wild and become evidence against illegal poachers in court. \u003cbr/\u003eThey say an elephant never forgets. Well now it's what's locked up in the memory of their dung's DNA that is helping secure the future of the elephant population on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.\u003cbr/\u003eField teams from the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are currently working in the Tesso Nilo national park inside the province of Riau , using molecular genetics in their latest campaign to protect the critically endangered elephants.\u003cbr/\u003eFive groups are spread out across the 83-thousand-hectare national park to spot for fresh elephant faeces.\u003cbr/\u003eDuring each discovery, the WWF team takes a photo and GPS reading of the faeces. The team also keeps a database of detailed measurements and characteristics of the dung.\u003cbr/\u003eThen a team member will collect a 5-millilitre sample of the elephant's faeces and store it in a test tube, mixed with a buffer solution to preserve its condition.\u003cbr/\u003eFinally the team will mark the faeces to avoid double identification.\u003cbr/\u003eWWF team leader Samsuardi says that only certain types of elephant dung are used in the project.\u003cbr/\u003eThe faeces must be brown-coloured and contain some watery fluid. They must also remain free from interaction with other animals in the forest to protect their genetic codes.\u003cbr/\u003e\"We take the outer layer of the elephant faeces as our sample. The faeces must be fresh and less than 2 days old,\" says Samsuardi.\u003cbr/\u003eIn late 2012, WWF signed an agreement with the Eijkman institute in Jakarta, well known for its practical use of molecular biology, to begin using faeces samples to map out DNA sequences of Sumatran elephants. \u003cbr/\u003eWhile using blood samples remain the most accurate way, collecting faeces samples allows researchers to extract the crucial DNA of wild elephants without having to capture them. \u003cbr/\u003eBut the task of capturing all the elephant dung in the national parks is a testing job. \u003cbr/\u003eThe teams of researchers have to move on foot slowly through thick forests trying to catch up with the fast-moving wild elephants inside the park.\u003cbr/\u003eWeather can be a significant obstacle. In the rainy season, parts of the forests are flooded making it difficult for people to pass through. They are also racing against time.\u003cbr/\u003eFacing threats of illegal poaching, land conversion and human conflict, the population of Sumatran elephants is shrinking at an alarming rate. \u003cbr/\u003eIn the Sumatran province of Riau, WWF estimated that the numbers of wild elephants have dropped from 1,300 in 1994 to just around 300 in 2000. \u003cbr/\u003eIn 2012 alone, the Tesso Nilo national park recorded 15 elephant deaths, mostly due to increasing conflicts with people living in the area.\u003cbr/\u003eConservationists argue that the faeces samples from the Sumatran elephants will give them a better understanding of the population and distribution of the animals and provide a basis for more effective conservation efforts. \u003cbr/\u003e\"We hope that we can count the population of elephants in the national park with certainty and keep track of their deaths every year. With the use of DNA sampling, we aim to better protect these elephants,\" says Samsuardi. \u003cbr/\u003eIn the genetic lab at the Indonesian capital, researchers are going through several key processes when dealing with the samples from the Sumatran elephant dung.\u003cbr/\u003eThe researchers will isolate the DNA of the elephants from the faeces and multiply it in the sterile laboratory setting.\u003cbr/\u003eThis work takes place at -20 Celsius temperature to preserve the faeces sample for years of use.\u003cbr/\u003eThen they use DNA fragment analysis to gain insights into the animals' population, family classification, and other distinct features.\u003cbr/\u003eSenior molecular biologist Loa Helena Suryadi says: \"The diversity of  Sumatran elephants can be seen through the profile and fragment analysis of their DNA. We can use this information to determine the elephant population in a certain location and distinguish the male population from the female population.\"\u003cbr/\u003eThe researchers are currently working with around 300 faeces samples from Sumatran elephants in the Jakarta lab.\u003cbr/\u003eThey are expecting another 500 batches to arrive by mid 2013.\u003cbr/\u003eBack in Tesso Nilo, local park officials welcome the use of DNA-based test for Sumatran elephants.\u003cbr/\u003eThe head of the park Kupin Simbolon stresses the need for a continuous and comprehensive DNA testing of Sumatran elephants.\u003cbr/\u003eSimbolon says, \"I think the DNA scientific method can be effective, but we should avoid compiling our database only for one specific project. We must build our database of elephant genetics based on the overall distribution and base of our elephants.\"\u003cbr/\u003eElephant conservationists hope the DNA testing will strengthen ongoing conservation efforts, including using trained elephants to patrol the park and monitor wild elephants. \u003cbr/\u003eExperts argue that DNA samples of Sumatran elephants can also be used to identify animal body parts and become evidence when illegal poachers are brought to court.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' 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