Hunt for dung link

DNA analysis of elephant dung is being used for the first time in an attempt to reunite an elephant calf with her herd.

Since 2017 Nania has been hand-raised by keepers in a national park in Burkina Faso, where she was found wandering alone after becoming separated from her family. Sixteen samples were collected from the park over several months and sent to the US for analysis.

More dung samples will be tested to discover the native herd’s location but it is impossible to predict how Nania’s return to her family will unfold.