Recent advances in molecular genetics have increased the feasibility of non-invasive sampling. The use of materials such as dung or hair can help overcome sampling constraints which limit the application of genetic analyses, especially where endangered, rare or cryptic fauna are concerned. However, the relative low quality and quantity of DNA contained in such extracts poses a risk. Genotyping errors, principally 'allelic dropout' and 'false alleles', can lead to a serious distortion of biological inferences, raising questions over the validity of conducting reliable genetic studies based...