{"id":41600,"date":"2026-08-05T10:48:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T08:48:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/?post_type=news&#038;p=41600"},"modified":"2026-08-05T10:48:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T08:48:29","slug":"sa-researchers-develop-dna-based-breakthrough-for-wildlife-monitoring","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/news\/sa-researchers-develop-dna-based-breakthrough-for-wildlife-monitoring\/","title":{"rendered":"SA researchers develop DNA based breakthrough for wildlife monitoring"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">Researchers at the University of the Free State Province, South Africa (SA) have developed a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) based technique that could transform the way wildlife populations are monitored.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">The method uses DNA extracted from animal dung to estimate the number of animals living in an area, without capturing or disturbing them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">Researchers say the technique could improve conservation efforts by providing more accurate population estimates, particularly for elusive and endangered species that are difficult to observe.<br \/>\nCounting wildlife has traditionally relied on aerial surveys or road counts,<\/p>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">Methods that are often ineffective for species living in dense vegetation or that are active mainly at night.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">Researchers are testing a new approach that uses DNA extracted from animal dung to identify individual animals and estimate population size without direct observation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">The proof-of-concept study focused on a greater kudu population in the Doornkloof nature reserve in the Northern Cape Province.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p class=\"x_MsoNormal\">&#8211;SABC&#8211;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":41601,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"news-type":[78,26],"class_list":["post-41600","news","type-news","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","news-type-featured","news-type-general_news","entry"],"acf":{"short_description":"","published_date":"","news_description":"DNA based technique could transform the way wildlife populations are monitored","form_embed":"","author":"","image_caption":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41602,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news\/41600\/revisions\/41602"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41600"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.channelafrica.co.za\/channelafrica\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=41600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}