GPS tags, satellite collars, and implantable tracking devices have transformed wildlife research but carry welfare costs that must be managed carefully.
Wildlife tracking technology creates a welfare cost in exchange for research benefits. Capture stress, collar weight effects, and the risk of equipment malfunction or entanglement must be weighed against conservation value. The development of increasingly miniaturized, lightweight, and minimally invasive tracking technology is reducing welfare costs while extending research capability. Welfare assessment should be built into all wildlife tracking research protocols.