Radiocollaring and Stress Hormones in African Wild Dogs

Handling wild animals involves some risk. The risks of general anesthesia are not taken lightly by doctors, and they should not be taken lightly by biologists studying endangered species. Recent debate about the effects of handling on African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) has focused attention on the po...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Conservation biology 1997-04, Vol.11 (2), p.544-548
Main Authors: Creel, Scott, Creel, Nancy Marusha, Monfort, Steven L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Biological and medical sciences
Conservation biology
Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife
Corticosterone
Creels
Dogs
Ecosystems
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Game reserves
Hormones
Lycaon pictus
Parks, reserves, wildlife conservation. Endangered species: population survey and restocking
Plains
Research Notes
Species extinction
Stress response
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Summary:Handling wild animals involves some risk. The risks of general anesthesia are not taken lightly by doctors, and they should not be taken lightly by biologists studying endangered species. Recent debate about the effects of handling on African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) has focused attention on the potential consequences of handling. All agree that the risks of handling should be assessed and weighed against the benefits of the research, but few studies present direct data on the effects of handling. We show that radiocollaring African wild dogs does not cause chronic stress, does not lead to increased aggression, and does not increase the risk of dying. Studies of radiocollared wild dogs have identified ecological factors that regulate wild dog numbers, and this information will be of use in conserving the species. We suggest that the benefits of studying wild dogs outweigh the potential risks.
ISSN:0888-8892
1523-1739
DOI:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1997.95476.x