Capture of Ungulates in Central Asia Using Drive Nets - Advantages and Pitfalls Illustrated by the Endangered Mongolian Saiga
The benefits of handling saiga antelope must be weighed against stress to the animals and potential capture-related mortality. As populations have been heavily harvested and poached, opportunities for restraint are often limited. Mongolian saiga, being both endangered and poached, typify these issues.
Here we describe capture protocols for adult females handled quickly and without anaesthesia. Using multiple vehicles driven at high speed, individual saiga were isolated from groups and herded into nets.