— Operating Procedures —

The goal for Pathfinder is to provide safe, reliable and quality helicopter wildlife management services to its clients. The Company specializes in capturing, collecting biological samples, placing radio collars, transporting, disease testing, controlling, eradicating and harvesting free ranging wild animals using the most efficient and humane methods possible.

Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) have been developed drawing on the immense experience and knowledge gained by Company crews over the last 25 years working with free ranging wildlife in many countries throughout the world.

SOP will help Pathfinder crews and clients better understand their respective expectations and responsibilities. The procedures and guidelines outlined in this manual facilitate contracting processes between Pathfinder and its clients.

Organizations whose agenda is to protect the welfare of wild animals will have confidence in the knowledge that wild animals are being captured, handled, processed, removed or eradicated by experienced, trained and professional personnel.

Clients and animal welfare organizations can have confidence that Pathfinder Helicopter crews have an in-depth knowledge of the SOP and have received training in these specialized techniques. Professional standards are specified in the Company contracts.

Even though it is helpful to have standard procedures for most operations it is understood that the need for flexibility will arise and it is important that Company crews and clients can adapt accordingly.

Pathfinder's Standard Operating Procedures detail guidelines for the following areas:

Helicopter Net Gunning
Animal Welfare, Animal Marking
Collection of Biological Samples and Animal Transport

ANIMAL WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS - Net gun operations

ANIMAL WELFARE CONSIDERATIONS - Eradication operations

SAFETY OVERVIEW

HAZARDS

Risk hazards
Risk analysis
Risk management

PERSONNEL

Qualifications
Recruitment
Training

PLANNING

General
Location
Pricing

EQUIPMENT

Checklist
General maintenance
Clothing
Boots
Helicopter safety Kit
Personal safety kit
Knives
Helmets
Net gun
Ammunition
Nets
Telemetry receivers and aerials
Rifles for shooting
Canisters
Window protection
Safety support handles
Dual controls
Snow pads
Radios for communication

HELICOPTER OPERATIONS-GENERAL

General rules for net gunning and eradication
Seat belts
Communication
Flight following
Shooters/net gunners’ positions
External loads
Selecting landing sites
Landing in snow
Evening hunting operations
Night landings
Door removal
Extra personal in the helicopter
First-Aid and emergency supplies

EVIRONMENTAL CONSIDERATIONS

Cleanliness
Noise pollution and harassment
Herding animals
Disposal of rubbish
Fuel management

EMERGENCY PLANS

Engine or running gear failure
Accident

PRE-FLIGHT BRIEFING

Potential hazards
Responsibilities
General safety precautions
Dangers
Boarding-exiting
Exiting during single skid, toe in and hovering landings
Boarding during single skid, toe in and hovering landings
Management of capture equipment
Aircraft performance
Public relations

HARVESTING, ERADICATION AND REMOVAL OPERATIONS

Methods
Meat harvesting
Recovering carcasses for disease surveillance
Remote locations
Potential hazards
Depopulating
Judas animals

CAPTURE OPERATIONS

PREPERATION

Search time
Placing radio collars
Relocating animals
Injured animals

THE CAPTURE

Chase
Herding
Positioning
Pursuit
Multiple captures

ANIMAL HANDLING

Removal from net
Removal of antlers in velvet
Chemical immobilization
Antibiotics, Anthelmintics and Supplements
Release

ANIMAL WELFARE

Animal injuries
Shock
Capture Myopathy
Hyperthermia
Bloat
Euthanasia

ANIMAL MARKING

Attaching radio collars
Attaching ear tags

COLLECTING BIOLOGICAL SAMPLES

Procedures
Blood Collection Systems
Syringe and hypodermic needle
Vacutainer collection system
Monovette system
Blood collection sites
External jugular vein – neck
Saphenous vein – hind leg
Cephalic vein – front leg
Handling Blood Samples
General rules
Whole blood collection tubes
Serum collection tubes
Feces
Throat Swabs
Nasal Swabs
External Parasites
Tooth collection from live ungulates

Introduction
Anesthesia
Tooth extraction
Physical measurements
Aging

ANIMAL TRANSPORT

Small animals
Large animals
Euthanized animals

DISEASE

Personnel considerations
Rabies
Hantavirus
Contagious Ecthyma
Bovine Tuberculosis
Brucellosis
Tularemia
Plague
Colorado Tick Fever
Lyme Disease
Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever
Ringworm
Cystic Hydatid Disease
Sarcoptic Mange
Giardiasis
Disease Transmission

SPECIES PROTOCOLS

Bighorn Sheep
Bison
Caribou
Elk
Horse-Burros
Moose
Mountain Goat
Mule Deer
Pronghorn
White-tailed Deer
Wolves
Bears

LITERATURE CITED

APPENDICES

Protocol for Animal Relocations
Metric conversion tables

* A full copy of our SOP will be made available to contractors apon request*

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