Improved trapping and handling of an arboreal, montane mammal: Red Panda Ailurus fulgens
Article
Article Title | Improved trapping and handling of an arboreal, montane mammal: Red Panda Ailurus fulgens |
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ERA Journal ID | 200143 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Bister, Damber (Author), Lama, Sonam Tashi (Author), Weerman, Janno (Author), Sherpa, Ang Phuri (Author), Pandey, Purushotam (Author), Thapa, Madhuri Karki (Author), Acharya, Haribhadra (Author), Hudson, Nicholas J. (Author), Baxter, Greg S. (Author) and Murray, Peter John (Author) |
Journal Title | Animals |
Journal Citation | 11 (4) |
Article Number | 921 |
Number of Pages | 13 |
Year | 2021 |
Publisher | MDPI AG |
Place of Publication | Switzerland |
ISSN | 2076-2615 |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11040921 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/11/4/921 |
Abstract | It is sometimes essential to have an animal in the hand to study some of their ecological and biological characteristics. However, capturing a solitary, cryptic, elusive arboreal species such as the red panda in the wild is challenging. We developed and successfully tested a protocol for tracking, trapping, immobilization, and handling of red pandas in the wild in eastern Nepal. We established a red panda sighting rate of 0.89 panda/day with a capture success rate of 0.6. We trapped and collared one animal in 3.7 days. On average, we took nearly 136 (range 50–317) min to capture an animal after spotting it. Further processing was completed in 38.5 (21–70) min. Before capture, we found it difficult to recognize the sex of the red panda and to differentiate sub-adults above six months from adults. However, body weight, body length, tail length, shoulder height, and chest girth can be used for diagnosis, as these attributes are smaller in sub-adults. Our method is a welfare-friendly way of trapping and handling wild red pandas. We report new morphometric data that could serve as a guide for field identification. |
Keywords | animal handling; arboreal mammal; cage-trap; fencing-method; GPS collaring; immobilization; morphometric data; red panda trapping |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 410299. Ecological applications not elsewhere classified |
310901. Animal behaviour | |
Byline Affiliations | University of Queensland |
Red Panda Network, Nepal | |
Rotterdam Zoo, Netherlands | |
Directorate of Livestock and Fisheries Development, Nepal | |
Department of Forest and Soil Conservation, Nepal | |
Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, Nepal | |
School of Sciences | |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q6484/improved-trapping-and-handling-of-an-arboreal-montane-mammal-red-panda-ailurus-fulgens
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animals-11-00921 Improved Trapping and Handling of an Arboreal Montane.pdf | ||
License: CC BY 4.0 | ||
File access level: Anyone |
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