Effect of immobilizations on the activity and space use of female moose ( Alces alces)

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Zoology
• Main Authors: Neumann, Wiebke, Ericsson, Göran, Dettki, Holger, Arnemo, Jon M.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Canadian Science Publishing 2011
• Subjects: Alces alces
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z11-076; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/full-xml/10.1139/z11-076; http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/z11-076

Studies of free-ranging wildlife often involve animal capture and fitting of tracking devices. Capturing wildlife may result in behavioral alterations. Thus, there is a need to evaluate the effects of capture on study animals to identify potential biases influencing the research. We assessed the short-term response of 15 GPS/GSM-collared adult female moose ( Alces alces (L., 1758)) and immobilization and handling by comparing moose rates of movement and net square displacement before and after recapture. Moose were more active up to 7 h and increased their spatial displacement for 4.5 days after recapture compared with movement patterns before recapture. Opposite to our predictions, moose did not reduced their movement rates after their initial displacement following capture and recovery, i.e., moose did not show any indication for a residual effect. We recommend using individuals as their own controls in analyses of capture impacts to account adequately for individual behavioral differences. We recommend omitting data of at least the first 5 days following capture for analyses of moose movement and distribution.