Is Scientist's tagging of Wild Animals doing more harm than good?

[Sailor.X]

I am making this thread now because I have come to the conclusion that Scientists tagging of wild animals to study them are doing more harm than good for the creatures they study. I have watch many Wild Life programs over the years and I am seeing a common pattern. The animals that are tagged are being stressed and maimed for science. Some animals have geniune terror afterwards. Meaning these scientists are causing trauma just to get data. I am all for scientific inquiry. But I also don't like seeing animals harmed. I think the tactic of tagging Animals for data collection should be ended. We have other more humane methods that can be used to study these creatures. What are your thoughts on the matter?

 

[PsihoKekec]

Not to mention that tagging migratory animals (especially birds) that go through Middle East will get those animals accused of being Israeli spies.

 

[Fleiur]

That's complicated though. Because what are the alternatives? And don't they have the correct process that they should follow when they collect data?

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

I am making this thread now because I have come to the conclusion that Scientists tagging of wild animals to study them are doing more harm than good for the creatures they study. I have watch many Wild Life programs over the years and I am seeing a common pattern. The animals that are tagged are being stressed and maimed for science. Some animals have geniune terror afterwards. Meaning these scientists are causing trauma just to get data. I am all for scientific inquiry. But I also don't like seeing animals harmed. I think the tactic of tagging Animals for data collection should be ended. We have other more humane methods that can be used to study these creatures. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Regular terror and stress are a natural part of these creature's lives.

 

[Bear Ribs]

I do think the less the scientists interact with the animal, the higher the quality of their data on it's natural behavior. But...

As @Fleiur says there aren't really any alternatives. Ideally there'd be some way to throw a Star Trek style tag from a drone that just injects itself under the skin or something where the animal is no more disturbed than a sharp prick from a thorn, but we're nowhere near that level technologically. I think an alternative would absolutely be a good thing though.

Without tagging tracking an animal is incredibly hard. I recall watching the documentary Swift and Silent where a researcher with decades of experience tracking leopards tried looking at the other spotted cats, and he spent months trying to find a Jaguar and only got a single video of less than a minute, some footprint castings, and an old skull. It's just that hard to find some of these animals and tagging them is a required way to track them.

 

[LifeisTiresome]

We really have become too soft as a civilization. @Sailor.X

Animals regularly have terrors and stress in their life. Stress from finding food, avoiding predators, to worrying about their kids to terrors and pain when being eaten alive.

 

[Sailor.X]

That's complicated though. Because what are the alternatives? And don't they have the correct process that they should follow when they collect data?

Robotics and drone tech has made it so these creatures can be monitored covertly. They showed one group of scientists using that approach on Nova. And that team learned more things about the target creatures than was learned from tagging them. We already have the tech.

We really have become too soft as a civilization. @Sailor.X

Animals regularly have terrors and stress in their life. Stress from finding food, avoiding predators, to worrying about their kids to terrors and pain when being eaten alive.

Ok let my staple a tag to your ear and bolt a radio collar to you neck for 6 months and see how you like it. Those creatures do everything in their power to get those devices off of them. Some actually succeed in doing so.

As to being soft. One I grew up on a farm and would never treat an animal the way these scientists do. And two. I served in war zones getting shot at by the scum of the Earth. Don't you dare call me soft!!!

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Robotics and drone tech has made it so these creatures can be monitored covertly. They showed one group of scientists using that approach on Nova. And that team learned more things about the target creatures than was learned from tagging them. We already have the tech.

Some react negatively to drone monitoring, stressing the animal out further. Additionally, there are limitations both in terms of cost and physically to drone monitoring, depending on the species in question.

Ok let my staple a tag to your ear and bolt a radio collar to you neck for 6 months and see how you like it.

Bro you just posted cringe, and will lose subscriber.
We shoot animals to death, and are in most cases right to do so. People get their bodies pierced for fashion.
There are maybe a handful of animals intelligent enough that I'd consider it unethical to hunt them.

As to being soft. One I grew up on a farm and would never treat an animal the way these scientists do. And two. I served in war zones getting shot at by the scum of the Earth. Don't you dare call me soft!!!

Well stop acting so out of character then, honestly I thought this thread was you having a laugh at first.


The natural course of the vast majority of animal life on earth is a state of intermittent mortal terror and pain surrounded by lethargy, followed eventually either by being ripped apart or starving to death. Being knocked out and pierced nonfatally is frankly well within the norm.

Those creatures do everything in their power to get those devices off of them. Some actually succeed in doing so.

Sometimes. They do that sometimes.

 

[Sailor.X]

Some react negatively to drone monitoring, stressing the animal out further. Additionally, there are limitations both in terms of cost and physically to drone monitoring, depending on the species in question.



Bro you just posted cringe, and will lose subscriber.
We shoot animals to death, and are in most cases right to do so. People get their bodies pierced for fashion.
There are maybe a handful of animals intelligent enough that I'd consider it unethical to hunt them.



Well stop acting so out of character then, honestly I thought this thread was you having a laugh at first.


The natural course of the vast majority of animal life on earth is a state of intermittent mortal terror and pain surrounded by lethargy, followed eventually either by being ripped apart or starving to death. Being knocked out and pierced nonfatally is frankly well within the norm.


Sometimes. They do that sometimes.

Dude I literally saw a Great White they had tagged earlier during the year. Act completely out of character and try to snatch one of the scientists off of the boat. Animals that are on the more intelligent side are not starting to have grudges against humans in general. The scientist even said they normally don't do that. This is having negative affects causing some animals to want to get even. How long before some innocent bystander pays the price for something a scientist did a few months earlier.

 

[Shipmaster Sane]

Dude I literally saw a Great White they had tagged earlier during the year. Act completely out of character and try to snatch one of the scientists off of the boat.

Awesome, one anecdote, that means jack!

The scientist even said they normally don't do that.

But sometimes they do.

How long before some innocent bystander pays the price for something a scientist did a few months earlier.

Show me the increased statistics of animal attacks by tagged animals, otherwise, nobody gives a shit.

 

[Husky_Khan]

Dude I literally saw a Great White they had tagged earlier during the year. Act completely out of character and try to snatch one of the scientists off of the boat. Animals that are on the more intelligent side are not starting to have grudges against humans in general. The scientist even said they normally don't do that. This is having negative affects causing some animals to want to get even. How long before some innocent bystander pays the price for something a scientist did a few months earlier.

It's probably dependent on the animal. I could see how some sharks can get irritated or exceptionally stressed by it, especially Great Whites. None of them have survived in captivity after all.

 

[Sailor.X]

It's probably dependent on the animal. I could see how some sharks can get irritated or exceptionally stressed by it, especially Great Whites. None of them have survived in captivity after all.

Yep someone taking a power drill to your dorsal fin and tail fluke would not exactly make them want to be your friend a few months later.

 

[The Original Sixth]

I am making this thread now because I have come to the conclusion that Scientists tagging of wild animals to study them are doing more harm than good for the creatures they study. I have watch many Wild Life programs over the years and I am seeing a common pattern. The animals that are tagged are being stressed and maimed for science. Some animals have geniune terror afterwards. Meaning these scientists are causing trauma just to get data. I am all for scientific inquiry. But I also don't like seeing animals harmed. I think the tactic of tagging Animals for data collection should be ended. We have other more humane methods that can be used to study these creatures. What are your thoughts on the matter?

Depends on the animal species, the individual animal, the device, and method of securing a tag.

Forcibly restraining an animal while you tag it may cause long term stress and psychological issues, especially if it learns to associate that with humans. A wolf trying to remove a collar that it finds annoying, that might have been put on while it was drugged, and generally doesn't restrain it is probably not a big deal. A shark that has something drilled into a fin while its awake or otherwise has learned to associate it with humans will become hyper aggressive because they are impart aggressive apex predators already.

It's certainly worth looking into, but I suspect any sort of team sent to investigate will either be packed with green enthusiasts who will want to shut it down regardless or scientists who will want to permit as much as possible.