Assessment of short-term effects of capture on wolf's behaviour

Capturing wildlife is important for research and conservation projects, but from an animal welfare perspective, it is essential to assess the negative effects that capture events can have on individual behaviour and survival rate. The goal is to improve ethical standards and refine capture practice to make them as less invasive as possible, ensuring the best procedures are followed. Unidentified impacts from capture procedures may create a misleading impression about the wellbeing of animals after release. This study investigates the short-term behavioural effects of capture with foot snares and GPS collaring on wolves (Canis lupus) in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park in Italy. Three wolves were monitored for three months following capture, with both activity and movement patterns assessed through accelerometer data and instantaneous velocity calculations. Using Generalized Additive Mixed Models (GAMMs), we analysed how time since capture and time of day influenced behaviour. Results revealed that wolves experienced significant suppression of both activity and velocity immediately after capture, followed by a recovery pattern that stabilized at approximately 21 days post-capture. Despite these capture-related disruptions, wolves maintained their characteristic crepuscular rhythms throughout the study. The findings align with previous research on mammals, confirming that wolf’s acclimation period falls within the ranges of large carnivores, highlighting the influence of capture methods on the recovery time. This study demonstrates the importance of accounting for post-capture effects when analysing telemetry data, suggesting a three-week data censoring period to avoid biased interpretations of wolf behaviour. Additionally, our results validate the use of instantaneous velocity as a complementary metric when activity data are incomplete. These findings contribute to both the refinement of wildlife research protocols and enhanced understanding of capture effects on wolf’s behaviour.