Elvis the beagle sniffs polar bear fecal samples.

Over the past two weeks, Elvis the pregnancy diagnosing beagle, has been hard at work smelling fecal samples (yes, fecal samples) collected from 17 female polar bears, including the Cincinnati Zoo’s own female, Berit. Currently, there is no definitive test for pregnancy in polar bears, so Elvis has been trained to identify samples that originated from pregnant females in an effort to predict which females are due to have cubs in a few weeks. Last week, Elvis demonstrated an impressive 100% accuracy on the known ‘test’ samples he had never smelled before, signaling appropriately on the pregnant samples while ignoring those that came from non-pregnant individuals.

Elvis the polar bear pregnancy detective.

We humans don’t yet know exactly what Elvis is smelling that enables him to identify the samples from pregnant bears. In his early training, he was exposed only to samples that came from pregnant bears. Over time, other samples, such as those from males and from juveniles were introduced, but he was only rewarded when he signaled on the pregnant samples. Eventually, samples from females in estrus and females known not to be pregnant were thrown in the mix. After months of training, Elvis has seemingly figured out what makes the samples from pregnant females different from all others.

A dog’s sense of smell is incredibly powerful- Elvis possesses around 225 million olfactory (smell) receptors in his nose, compared to just 5 million in a human’s.  Dogs also make better use of another olfactory organ, Jacobson’s organ, allowing them to detect pheromones which are other chemical communicators of physiology (and possibly pregnancy?). Additionally, the part of a dog’s brain dedicated to analyzing smells is 40 times greater than ours. As a result, a dog’s sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times better than that of humans.

“If you make the analogy to vision, what you and I can see at a third of a mile, a dog could see more than 3,000 miles away and still see as well” said James Walker, former director of the Sensory Research Institute at Florida State University.

Put another way, while we would probably notice if our coffee has a teaspoon of sugar added to it, a dog could detect a teaspoon of sugar in a million gallons of water, or two Olympic-sized pools worth, according to Alexandra Horowitz, a dog-cognition researcher and author of Inside of a Dog.

Because their noses are so sensitive, precautions need to be taken so we don’t inadvertently compromise the results. Samples are double-bagged and stored separately to make sure scent cross-contamination doesn’t occur and the tubes that hold the samples on the training boards are thoroughly washed between samples- a time consuming process. Currently, Elvis is working through two-to-three samples, in replicates, from each of the 17 possibly pregnant bears to ensure his predictions are consistent for the same individual. Each institution will be notified of the results for its bears within the week.

So while it might sound like a terrible job to us, we joke that Elvis is the envy of his peers at Iron Heart High Performance Working Dogs. While the other detection-dogs-in-training are smelling bed bugs, explosives, drugs, or toxic mold, Elvis gets to smell poop and is even rewarded for it- isn’t that every dog’s dream?

In Kansas with Elvis and his training team.

Guest blogger: Sophie Williams, Advanced Inquiry Program (AIP) student and consultant on the Passenger Pigeon Memorial renovation

Despite once numbering in the billions and traveling in flocks that blotted out the sun,  the entire passenger pigeon species was diminished to a single bird by the early 1900s. Martha died at the Cincinnati Zoo in 1914, and with her death, the passenger pigeon went extinct.

Once an inexhaustible resource, the passenger pigeon’s numbers were quickly reduced. A range of human actions—overhunting and commercial-scale harvesting of the birds, along with deforestation associated with advances in technology as rail and telegraph lines spread across the country—had an insurmountable impact on the species. Though few believed the passenger pigeon could ever be eliminated, by the dawn of the 20th century, only a handful of captive birds remained.

Nets, like this one painted by James Pattison Cockburn in 1829, could capture hundreds of pigeons at once.

Martha, the last of her kind, was one of these few, an aged bird who lived at the Cincinnati Zoo from 1902 until her death in 1914. During her time in Cincinnati, many attempts were made to breed Martha, including with two male passenger pigeons also housed at the Zoo. These breeding attempts failed, perhaps due to the gregarious nature of the passenger pigeon; they typically mated in huge breeding flocks. By 1910, each of the males had died. A reward of $1,000 was offered to anyone who could supply a mate for Martha, but none was found.

In the early 1900s, a concerted effort was made to protect the passenger pigeons that remained. Despite these breeding and protection efforts, it was simply too late to make a difference. Those who had been concerned about the fate of the passenger pigeon had not been heeded in time, and by the time it was obvious the species was to go extinct, it was too late to save it. The “thoughtlessness and insatiable greed of man” had driven one of the most abundant species on the planet to extinction  (Schorger, as cited in A Passing in Cincinnati, 1976).

In this year before the 100^th anniversary of the passenger pigeon’s extinction, the unimaginable loss of one of the most common bird species in the world weighs heavy on our minds. During this year, we recognize the importance of this story as an impetus for positive change in the world of wildlife conservation. In the years immediately following Martha’s death, great strides were made to protect species in the United States and beyond, and these efforts continue today.

We at the Zoo are proud of our place in the history of the passenger pigeon and mankind’s last efforts to save them, and recognize our responsibility to honor not only Martha’s memory, but also her role as a catalyst in the protection of other species. We look forward to a future in which we as humans are aware of our power, both for bad and for good, and are able to add more success stories of wildlife conservation to the ranks of the white-tailed deer and American bison. For more on these species conservation success stories, tune in next month!

American bison (Photo: Jack Dykinga)

To read the first two posts in this series, click here and here.

Zoo employees and volunteers have been working hard to spread the word about the Zoo levy that will be on the ballot for Hamilton County voters next Tuesday.  You’ve probably seen us putting signs in yards or standing at intersections hoping you’ll honk to show your support.

When I got to my office this morning, I found a special campaign contribution from one of our volunteers on my desk.  It was a CD with this note attached…

Raven Alford – Levy Rap Composer

I created this “Renew The Zoo Rap” to further spread word of the 2013 Renew the Zoo Campaign.  As a former 2013 Summer intern and current volunteer, I wanted to do my part. Due to my busy hours with school I have been unable to help out  as much as I would have liked, so I decided to spread the message as best as I know how, through music.  Nothing sticks like a catchy song and I am presenting this “Renew the Zoo Rap” for the cause.

THANK YOU!!! HOPE YOU ENJOY!!!

-Raven Alford

Listen to RENEW THE ZOO RAP (mp3)

The lyrics…

RENEW THE ZOO RAP by Raven Alford

Renew the zoo, vote yes on 2 (3x)

Animals depend on us, and we count on you! (They do, They do)

Renew the zoo, vote yes on 2 (3x)

Animals depend on us, and we count on you! (They do, They do)

Let’s get this straight and clear the air,

of the common misconceptions about this affair

a renewal, it will not raise your taxes,

it’s a renewal, only be towards the zoo if it passes,

for the animal’s food, care and their needs,

along with maintenance repairs if there’s a need,

the greenest zoo in America only want the best,

wildlife ambassadors who deserve nothing less,

all you have to do is check the yes,

on issue 2 for the levy to pass,

if animals could talk I’m sure they’d have much to say,

like thanks for supporting us on voting day!

Renew the zoo, vote yes on 2 (3x)

Animals depend on us, and we count on you! (They do, They do)

Renew the zoo, vote yes on 2 (3x)

Animals depend on us, and we count on you! (They do, They do)

Thank you so much for your support,

And if you’d like you can do more,

get a yard sign for all to see

our signs are compostable always Green

Thane Maynard has a vision for our success

for the animals, gardens, and the guests

an amazing place to learn and educate

never been to zoo? well it’s never too late

we are non-profit, AZA approved,

we have a lot to offer and always something new

so on November 5th, 2013een

check yes on 2 and let me hear you scream!

*Chorus Repeat*