Want to know if your tiger is pregnant? Then check its poo.
A test developed by Queensland researchers has been credited with the early discovery that Nika, a tiger at Dreamworld on the Gold Coast, was expecting.
Tigers do not appear pregnant until the final two weeks of their three-and-a-half-month gestation, so early detection helps keepers provide appropriate care.
Tamara Keeley, a reproductive biologist at the University of Queensland, says the test is not invasive and can detect pregnancy at six weeks.
It examines the tiger's hormone levels, and gave Dreamworld staff a heads-up well before Nika gave birth to female twins Adira and Akasha, now two months old.
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"Anything we can do to improve reproduction in a captive setting ensures that the animals can be perpetuated over time in a captive breeding program," Dr Keeley said.
"So it's really important for any species that's threatened or endangered, including tigers."
It's not the first time tiger faeces has come in handy.
In 2006, Queensland researchers found it was successful in keeping feral goats away from farms and government land.
