phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at o:4488 DOI 10.1002/wlb3.01416 Behavioural responses of brown bears to helicopter capture Understanding the effects of capture and handling on wild animals is crucial in evaluating ethical practices in ecological research, and in avoiding biased conclusions from misinterpreting biologging data potentially affected by capture. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of helicopter capture on the behaviour of Scandinavian brown bears by comparing the expression of specific behavioural states between captured bears in spring and bears of a control group that were not captured during the same time period. We identified three different behavioural states: stationary, walking/foraging and transit. Our study revealed that captured bears were more stationary for up to four days after capture compared to bears of the control group, depending on their reproductive state. We found higher doses of the immobilizing drug, as well as abdominal surgery, to negatively impact the bears' movement after capture, highlighting the importance of careful consideration of drug doses and invasive procedures during wildlife capture. This study advances our understanding of the impact of helicopter capture and surgery on the movement of brown bears and helps to refine capture and handling protocols to ensure well-being and welfare during wildlife capture. eng Behavioural Classification Capture Effects Chemical Immobilization Field Surgery Ursus Arctos 2025-11-03T14:03:54.896Z LOMv1.0 Author BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Thiel;Alexandra; FN:Alexandra Thiel END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Hertel;Anne G.; FN:Anne G. Hertel END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Fuchs;Boris; FN:Boris Fuchs END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Friebe;Andrea; FN:Andrea Friebe END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Ahlqvist;David; FN:David Ahlqvist END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Graesli;Anne Randi; FN:Anne Randi Graesli END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Giroud;Sylvain; FN:Sylvain Giroud X-ORCID:https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6621-7462 END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Kindberg;Jonas; FN:Jonas Kindberg END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Arnemo;Jon M.; FN:Jon M. Arnemo END:VCARD BEGIN:VCARD VERSION:3.0 N:Evans;Alina L.; FN:Alina L. Evans END:VCARD https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/scheme https://w3id.org/kim/hcrt/text Textdokument Text LOMv1.0 yes https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 application/pdf 2397410 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/o:4488 https://phaidra.vetmeduni.ac.at/api/object/o:4488/thumbnail LOMv1.0 discipline