Wildlife Capture Methods

Capturing animals enables the collection of data that cannot necessarily be collected with other methods. For example, information on morphology, abundance, population status, demographics, health and reproduction can be collected from trapped animals. Additionally, trapping is often required for collection of biological samples, including scats, tissue samples and voucher specimens. This chapter details general operating procedures (GOPs) for capturing terrestrial mammals, reptiles and amphibians, and birds and bats with mist nets. Capture methods for aquatic animals are covered elsewhere in this book (see Chapters 12–14), as are additional methods for the capture of birds (Chapter 15). Capture methods are diverse; this chapter is not intended to provide an exhaustive review of techniques, but focuses on those that are often the subject of research applications to animal ethics committees. The impacts of these methods on study and non-target animals can be mitigated through careful planning, proper resourcing, and ensuring that personnel have appropriate training and experience.