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, and several species of mesocarnivores. YES, you will handle many of these animals! Registration for the field course closes on February 18th!

Regular field course fee (after Jan 1st): $1,950 professional / $1,750 student

NOTE: The required prerequisite online course is a learn at your own pace

ONLINE TRAINING:

• 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 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

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: Peggy Callahan and Dr. Terry Kreeger.

DATES: In the field: March 18th - March 21st, 2024

LAST DAY TO REGISTER: February 18th, 2024

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: Attendance at this course has been pre-approved by The Wildlife Society for 27 CEUs in Category I of the Certified Wildlife Biologist® Renewal program and Category I of the Professional Development Certificate program. See our 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.