Winning with Poo: Non-invasive Endocrine Monitoring as a Tool for Wildlife Conservation and Animal Welfare

Although the level of intactness of native fauna seems key for the stability of ecosystem diversity, an increasing amount of wildlife has to adapt to a continuously decreasing and often altered environment due to the progressing expansion and global resource utilisation by man. In this regard, the ability to monitor reproductive potential and animal welfare greatly facilitate attempts to manage wildlife. The endocrine system, as one of the primary communication system, helps an organism to function properly, coordinating vital processes. Therefore, quantifying reproductive and stress-associated hormones is nowadays a primary approach for examining physiological responses in wildlife. The presented findings will provide detailed insight into the endocrine responses of wildlife to anthropogenic activities and their ability to adapt to human presence or changing environmental conditions. Underlining the importance of monitoring physiological responses to assist wildlife management and impose the question of change for wildlife living in a brave new world.