— About Us —

Pathfinder is a world-leading helicopter wildlife management company based out of Salt Lake City, Utah. For more than two decades, Pathfinder has worked closely with wildlife agencies, universities, corporations, institutions and individuals throughout the world to provide safe, humane and efficient wildlife capture and management services.

Over the years Pathfinder’s methodologies have enabled wildlife management and conservation to advance to new levels. Using Pathfinder’s crews, biologists and wildlife managers now have the confidence to plan larger and more significant projects with the knowledge that wild animals can be predictably captured, relocated, monitored and tested in a safe, humane and efficient manner.

Demand for the Company’s activities is escalating, as free ranging wildlife continue to come under ever-increasing pressures. The need for research and management is critical in preserving the integrity and well-being of free ranging wildlife populations. Pathfinder continues to play a leading role in this wildlife management and conservation movement.

During Pathfinder's net gun capture and handling, animal welfare is critical to obtain reliable, authentic information and to ensure animal health and prosperity is not compromised. Wild animals are generally captured to conduct research by gathering samples, taking measurements, disease testing, and placement of tracking and monitoring devices. Animals are also captured for relocation to establish new populations, disperse overpopulated populations, and protect sensitive and endangered species.

It is critical to have capture crews such as Pathfinder’s who understand wild animal behavior. This allows for captures without excessive chase times as well as fast and efficient processing. Animals that have been subjected to long and stressful chases before capture or that have been subjected to harassment and lengthy restraint and processing experiences are more likely to suffer health complications. Biological data will often be unusable. Animals may disperse in search of safer habitat, compromising the integrity of the study. At worst the animals may die from capture myopathy.

Experienced and efficient crews such as Pathfinder’s, fly fewer hours. By knowing where to find and how to position animals, these crews cause fewer disturbances to the environment and the animals within it and fly fewer hours to complete the job. The helicopter is on the ground whenever possible or leaves the area so as not to cause unnecessary harassment to the surrounding environment and it's inhabitants.