How poo is helping scientists count African forest elephants

Scientists say there are thousands more African forest elephants than previously thought - all thanks to the animals' poo!

African forest elephants are critically endangered and it's difficult for researchers to count how many there are in the wild as they live in remote, dense jungles across 22 African countries.

But now they have been able to count the elephants by taking DNA from the dung left behind, according to the study by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

One of the scientists from the study, Dr. Benson Okita-Ouma, said it's "good news" because "there's more of them than we thought," but "there's still a lot of work to be done."

African forest elephants are mostly found in Gabon

The African forest elephant was only classified as a separate species from the African savannah elephant in 2021.

They are smaller, with rounder ears and straighter tusks and the IUCN's Red List classifies them as critically endangered because they are at a high risk of extinction.

These elephants eat mainly fruit and play an important role in distributing their seeds throughout the forest with their poo - which helps plant trees.

Dr Okita-Ouma added that the survival of this species is important for the forest too: "If you remove them from that ecosystem, then it means that forest slowly will also go extinct."

DNA is different for every animal, including humans, and carries the instructions for development, growth, and things like hair and eye colour and height.

Each elephant has its own unique DNA which can be found in the poop.

That's how scientists have been able to count the number of African forest elephants there are in the wild more accurately.

The study reveals the population is nearly a fifth higher than 2016 estimates.

But the species still faces threats from loss of habitat because of issues like deforestation, mining and farming.

The findings of the study will be presented at an international meeting to discuss how to protect these elephants and other endangered species around the world.