COURSE DESCRIPTION: This hybrid course (online followed by an in-person field experience), held through the Center for Wildlife Studies, is for wildlife students and wildlife professionals interested in learning about all aspects of capturing and immobilizing wild animals using a variety of drugs. Prior to arriving at the Wildlife Science Center (WSC) for the field course, students will attend an online course with Dr. Terry Kreeger to prepare them for their visit. This prerequisite is required, see details below. At WSC, students will participate in a series of interactive labs with some of the most prominent wildlife professionals in the United States. These ALL-STAR instructors will teach participants about all practical aspects of capture and chemical immobilization, including safe capture techniques, pharmacology, delivery systems, patient monitoring, medical emergencies, and more. Several species will be used as ambassadors for learning, including black bears, gray wolves, mountain lions, elk, and several species of mesocarnivores. YES, you will handle many of these animals!
Course Fee: $1,950 professional / $1,700 student
NOTE: The required prerequisite online course has additional fees.
ONLINE TRAINING (provided during the prerequisite course):
Introduction and Capture Philosophy
Legalities, Extra-Label Use, & Withdrawal Times
Controlled Substances & Labeling
Drug Definitions and Characteristics
Calculating Drug Doses & Drug Combinations
Neuromuscular Blocking Drugs
Tranquilizers, Sedatives, Cyclohexanes, & Opioids
Other Anesthetics, Enantiomers, and the Future of Capture Drugs
Overview of Recommended Drugs
Drug Delivery Methods: Introduction, Projectors, Darts
Animal Capture Considerations
Approach and Immobilization
Handling an Immobilized Animal
Urban Animal Capture
Analgesia and Euthanasia
Animal Emergency Medicine
Human Emergency Medicine
Responses to Specific Drugs
FIELD TRAINING:
Select the appropriate drugs and calculate the correct dosages for multiple species
Learn safety protocols associated with darting and drug handling, capture, and chemical immobilization
Become proficient in using a variety of projectors during a dart gun lab
Demonstrate proper patient care and monitoring
Learn how to draw blood and collect other tissue samples for disease monitoring and research
Understand how to properly mark animals using a variety of tags, including radio-collars
Administer vaccinations and antibiotics to immobilized animals
Evening lectures by instructors and local agency biologists
FORMAT: This course consists of online learning, followed by a 4-day in-person field experience. Activities for the online prerequisite course consists of prerecorded lectures, working on problem sets, and reading peer-reviewed journal articles. Participants will also have the option to participate in a live Q&A and one-on-one sessions with Dr. Kreeger about the materials presented in each module. During the 4-day field course, instructors will teach participants different capture techniques and skills to chemically immobilize a variety of species at WSC.
FIELD SCHEDULE (subject to change) :
Arrival Night (Sunday): WCS orientation & mixer; evening presentation by Kreeger
Day 1 - Dart gun lab & cougar capture and chemical immobilization
Day 2 - Black bear captures and chemical immobilization
Day 3 - Wolf captures and chemical immobilization
Day 4 - Mesocarnivore captures and chemical immobilization
INSTRUCTORS: Wildlife Experts
DATES: November 13 - 16, 2023
LAST DAY TO REGISTER: October 15th
CLASS CAP: 12
LOCATION: Wildlife Science Center, Stacy, MN
LODGING: Shared bunkhouse accommodations available onsite for students at a fee of $35/night. Other local accommodations in Forest Lake, MN. Additional information about what to bring TBA.
CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT: This course has been pre-approved for continuing education by (1) the Ecological Society of America for 4 CEUs in Category I(b): Professional Education and Training, (2) The Wildlife Society for 16 CEUs in Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal/Professional Development Certificate Program, and (3) RACE approval for 32 hours of continuing eduction credit. Students must participate in all 4 days of fieldwork to earn a Certification of Course Completion, which is required to earn the CEUs specified above. Studies continuing education credit page for details.
CANCELLATION POLICY: Cancellations >30 days before the start date are not subject to cancellation fees. Cancellations 10-30 days before the start date are subject to a 50% cancellation fee. Sales are final <10 days before the start date.
COVID POLICY: To ensure the safety of all participants and instructors, we are adhering to all federal, state, and CWS guidelines. Participants are expected to have had a COVID vaccination before the start of the course. Although we anticipate meeting outdoors and practicing social distancing, we expect everyone to wear a mask during each class meeting.