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A Case Study of Feces Evidence of Macro and Microplastic Pollution in Western Ghats, India
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Researchers used non-invasive fecal sampling to document microplastic contamination in Indian elephants, sambar deer, and black-naped hares from the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot, finding MPs in all species and all sites — with elephants carrying the highest loads and LDPE, HDPE, and polypropylene from packaging waste dominating the polymer profile.
Microplastic pollution has emerged as a serious threat to terrestrial ecosystems, yet evidence from wild mammals in biodiversity hotspots remains limited. This study primarily investigated the presence, abundance, and characteristics of microplastics (MPs), with brief documentation of associated macroplastic debris, in the feces of three terrestrial wild mammals Elephas maximus indicus (Indian elephant), Rusa unicolor (sambar deer), and Lepus nigricollis (black-naped hare) collected from six buffer-zone locations of the Western Ghats in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 51 fecal samples were analyzed using chemical digestion, filtration, microscopic examination, and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. MPs were detected in all species and across all sites with elephants showing the highest concentrations followed by deer and hares. Fibers and fragments were the dominant shapes while transparent, white and black particles were most common. Polymer analysis revealed the predominance of LDPE, HDPE, PP and nylon indicating strong links to packaging waste, synthetic textiles and other anthropogenic sources. Sites with intense human activity showed significantly higher MPs loads highlighting the role of improper waste management in wildlife exposure. This study highlights fecal analysis as an effective non-invasive monitoring method for forest ecosystems and is the first to analyze macro and microplastic pollution in wild mammalian species from the Western Ghats.
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