Animal poo can be used to save endangered species from extinction, research finds

Poo also contains cells from the creature that deposited it, shed from the lining of their intestines. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/The Guardian

Turning animal poo into offspring sounds like a zoo keeper’s conjuring trick, but it might become a reality if researchers succeed in a new project to help save endangered animals from extinction.

From snow leopards to sea turtles, animals the world over are under threat, with some scientists calling the massive loss of wildlife in recent decades a “biological annihilation”.