Camera trap studies have revolutionized tiger monitoring, but research involving capture, collaring, and handling raises welfare questions that conservation science must address alongside ecological goals.
Tigers captured for GPS collaring undergo chemical immobilization — a procedure with real risks including respiratory depression, hyperthermia, and injury during induction. The welfare cost is the acute stress of capture and handling, and the ongoing presence of collar hardware. Researchers must weigh these costs against the conservation knowledge gained. Camera trap monitoring provides significant population data without capture events — the welfare-minimizing approach where population monitoring rather than individual tracking is the goal.