Bison fecal egg counting: Part 1

Parasites of one type or another are common to most lifeforms and bison are no exception.  In bison some of these parasites normally aren't a problem, others can weaken them, and still others can kill them.  While different parasite life cycles may vary greatly, a large portion of the most common internal parasites in bison can be detected by testing the samples of the animal's feces (i.e. their poop).  This is because many internal parasites have found poop, as one of the few nutrient rich mediums to pass outside the body on a regular basis, to be a great way to distribute their eggs in the environment. 
The above video highlights how I collect manage to safely collect poop samples from a herd of surly bison.  How the tests are conducted will be discussed in a later post. 

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