Jordan Hampton

This chapter describes negative impacts of wildlife capture, focusing on large mammal species and chemical immobilization. Impacts may manifest as mortalities, short-term stressors, and long-term effects. All stages of capture pose risks, and animals are invariably injured and killed during capture programs. Mortalities include animals killed and euthanized during capture and in the days and weeks after capture. Adverse events encountered extend beyond mortalities and include animals escaping during capture attempts, sustaining nonfatal traumatic injuries, physiological abnormalities during anesthesia, and negative impacts of tagging or telemetry devices. Long-term impacts include energetic costs of capture, effects on reproduction and body condition, and long-term survival. Wildlife researchers and managers should report the outcomes of the capture methods they use, whether they demonstrate negligible or substantial impacts. Adverse events in wildlife capture may be minimized by methodical monitoring and refinement of procedures and a focus on investigating the causes of mortalities.