#RhinoWatch: A Day with Davee Center

April 4, 2019

The Davee Center for Epidemiology and Endocrinology has a single goal: to use data to provide better care for animals at the zoo and conserve species in the wild.

Pregnant female rhino Kapuki is no exception. Davee Center scientists have been using Kapuki’s fecal samples, or poop, to measure stress and hormone levels ever since she arrived at the zoo in 2008. The center just processed nine more samples, bringing the grand total to 1,179 samples over the course of the last decade. These samples tell us everything we need to know about Kapuki’s hormone levels, including when she is ovulating and should be introduced to male rhino, Maku—and, of course, when she is pregnant.

Join research assistant Ivy Yen in the Davee Center lab as we process Kapuki’s latest samples! You can follow along on our Instagram story or check out the full video below.

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