Technologies used to monitor wildlife - from radio collars to camera traps and satellite tags - can themselves affect animal welfare. Responsible monitoring requires minimizing the welfare costs of the methods used.
The welfare of animals used in wildlife research is increasingly subject to ethical review, but the standards applied vary significantly between countries and institutions. Tracking devices that are too heavy - a common problem in early satellite telemetry - alter behavior, impair normal activities and can cause physical injury at attachment sites. Harness-mounted devices on birds can cause feather wear, abrasion and in severe cases restrict blood flow. The benefits of monitoring data for conservation must be weighed against the welfare costs imposed on individual animals carrying monitoring devices. The development of lighter, miniaturized technology has progressively reduced but not eliminated these costs. Minimum standards for device weight relative to body mass (typically less than 3% for birds) provide some protection but are not universally enforced.