Rajkot: Scientists may soon be able to unlock vital clues about a wild cat’s age, sex, reproductive status and health—without ever having to capture or disturb the animal- by analysing the chemical signatures in its urine and faeces – according to a new study published in the Journal of Chemical Ecology in 2026.The study, titled “Non-Invasive Sampling of Odours from Tiger (Panthera tigris) and Leopard (Panthera pardus) for Wildlife Conservation”, developed a non-invasive technique to collect and analyse volatile organic compounds (VOCs) released from the urine and faeces of Bengal tigers and Indian leopards.The research was led by BV Aditi, with Chena Desai and Darshan Sreenivas as co-authors, under the supervision of tiger biologist Uma Ramakrishnan and chemical ecologist Dr Shannon Olsson. The research involved scientists and institutions associated with Ahmedabad University, the National Centre for Biological Sciences-TIFR in Bengaluru and the Danish Academy of Technical Sciences in Copenhagen.Samples were collected from captive tigers and leopards at zoos in Bengaluru, Ahmedabad and Vadodara. The researchers also collected urine samples from identified wild tigers in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore Tiger Reserve.The researchers adapted a field-friendly odour sampling technique known as headspace solid-phase volatile sampling to capture chemical compounds released by the animals. These compounds were then analysed to determine whether their chemical profiles could reveal biological information about individual animals.The study analysed 144 urine samples from 28 individually identified wild tigers, including 24 samples collected from four pregnant or lactating females. Along with samples from captive animals, researchers analysed 176 urine samples before filtering the dataset for further analysis.The study found clear differences between the odour profiles of tigers and leopards. Chemical signatures in both urine and faecal samples showed strong species-level differences, indicating that the technique could potentially be used to distinguish between the two big cats.More significantly, the researchers found that volatile compounds varied between animals of different ages and sexes. This could help address a limitation of conventional wildlife monitoring techniques.According to the researchers camera traps and genetic sampling can help identify individual animals, estimate populations and provide information on sex and behaviour. However, determining an animal’s precise age, reproductive condition or some aspects of its health remains difficult without physically examining it.The researchers also identified chemical signatures associated with reproductive states in tigers, including females showing signs of pregnancy and lactation. Preliminary findings further suggested that volatile compounds could potentially provide clues about an animal’s health.The researchers believe that, with additional testing, chemical fingerprinting of animal odours could eventually become a relatively inexpensive and non-invasive tool for demographic monitoring, health assessment and long-term population management of threatened wildlife.The researchers said the technique, described as “volatilomics”, could complement existing conservation tools such as camera trapping and genetic sampling.
