Durban - Scientists have unravelled some of the biggest mysteries of bird movement and migration using leg rings and GPS satellite trackers – but local bird experts say the time has come to review the ethics of willy-nilly bird-tracking experiments.
“Handling birds and attaching devices to them poses inherent risks for the individual birds and these risks must be justified in terms of expected science and conservation outcomes,” says Hanneline Smit-Robinson of the Birdlife South Africa conservation group.
Smit-Robinson was among nearly 50 experts who met in KwaZulu-Natal recently for a workshop on the ringing, marking and tracking of wild bird species.
She said there was a growing interest in tracking birds for commercial, scientific and conservation purposes, and Birdlife South Africa and the Endangered Wildlife Trust believed the time was ripe for a review of the ethical and legal issues, especially for birds of prey and other vulnerable wild bird species.
According to Birdlife guidelines, a tracking device should not weigh more than three percent of the bird’s body weight, and tracking devices should be fitted by experienced and competent people.
Risks
While cost was always a factor in decision-making, devices should be tested beforehand by reputable companies to reduce the risk to tracked birds.
Birdlife South Africa and the Endangered Wildlife Trust acknowledged that information gathered from bird-tracking could help to answer questions about avian biology and ultimately contribute to conservation.
This information could also help to guide the placement of wind turbines, electricity lines and other infrastructure. But the “ad hoc” or haphazard fitting of tracking devices was seen as unethical in cases where the research outcomes and rationale for tracking was unclear.
Smit-Robinson noted there were alternative methods of monitoring bird movements, such as simply following and observing them.
Raptor expert Andre Botha, of the Endangered Wildlife Trust, said it was crucial to ensure tracking devices would continue to generate data for an extended period. “There’s no point in fitting devices that generate data for a few months and then conk out, with the bird carrying a useless device around for several years.”
There were also question marks around whether all researchers were suitably qualified to ring, mark or track birds. Although the capture of birds for tracking was controlled ultimately by provincial conservation agencies via research permits, the requirements for permits differed from province to province.
Where researchers were unable to obtain ethical clearance via universities, zoos or museums, Smit-Robertson recommended that research proposals be submitted to Birdlife’s ethics committee for review.
Handling time should also be kept to a minimum and every effort should be made to reduce stress.
“Birds are not just toys to be used for experiments. The welfare of the bird should always come first,” said Botha
l For more information, or to obtain a copy of Birdlife’s tracking guidelines, contact [email protected].
The Mercury