Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) - Environment and Natural ...

Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
Capture, Handling & Release of Bears
Wildlife Care Committee Primary Author: Dr. Marc Cattet Version 2 - 2011
The best fit is usually achieved when the collar is as tight as possible, but still
able to be pulled over the head (Reynolds et al. – unpublished report). A
collar that is snug but not too tight at the width of the zygomatic arch (i.e.,
finger’s width between the collar and zygomatic arch on either side) will
generally ensure that the collar will be loose enough to accommodate the
seasonal increase in body mass. If bears are fitted with collars when they are
in poor condition (e.g., in a year following a food-failure year), investigators
should ensure there is enough space between the collar and the neck to
accommodate a large gain in body mass in a good food year. Further, male
polar bears and some male grizzly bears cannot be fitted with telemetry
collars due to the width of their neck in relation to their skull. However, ear
tag transmitters can be applied to these animals instead.
Conventional VHF collars should not be deployed unless funds have
been procured to monitor the collars for the length or majority of the
battery life.
Conventional VHF collars should not be fitted on bears if funding is not
sufficient to ensure that radio locations will be recorded at a rate (i.e., number
of locations per unit time) that will adequately meet the study objectives.
If ear tag transmitters must be used to meet the study objectives, the
transmitter weight should be as light as possible (