WILD 6650: Wildlife Techniques

Course Information: Offered each year during May through the UGA Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources
Course Number: WILD 4650/6650
Duration: Ten days in May, dates vary by year
Faculty Instructors: Jim Beasley

Course Description: This is a 4-hour undergraduate/graduate-level course offered during Maymester at the Savannah River Ecology Lab near Aiken, SC. The course exposes students to a variety of techniques used in contemporary wildlife research and management and provides opportunities for students to apply these techniques in a field setting. Topics vary from year to year but typically cover live-capture, handling, and chemical immobilization of wildlife, non-invasive sampling techniques, wild-pig capture and handling techniques, use of radio-telemetry to monitor animal movements, and use of drones in wildlife research. 

Course Goals and Learning Outcomes: In this course students should gain practical hands-on experience applying contemporary field techniques commonly used in wildlife research and management. Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

1. Describe and implement common invasive and non-invasive methods of capturing, handling, and sampling wildlife populations

2. Demonstrate knowledge of wildlife capture and handling procedures, study design, and population monitoring techniques

3. Demonstrate understanding of how non-invasive tools can used to address a variety of questions in wildlife ecology and conservation