Table 1_Investigating the potential of RFID in identifying individual white-tailed deer for PZP immunocontraceptive programs.docx

IntroductionIdentifying individual white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) for treatment with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraceptive vaccines is critical to the success of fertility management programs, but adult female deer are very difficult to distinguish in the field. Past research has relied on chemical immobilization and ear-tagging to assure individual identification, but this approach is more technically challenging, time-consuming, costly, and stressful to animals and field personnel than is remote darting with PZP.
MethodsTo explore the use of radio frequency identification (RFID) as an alternative to permanently identify deer, we captured, ear-tagged, and implanted 52 wild deer with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags and deployed 3 fixed tag-reader stations in a nature reserve in Head of the Harbor, NY. Motion-sensor cameras were used to confirm the presence, location, and identity of PIT-tagged deer.
ResultsResults showed that tag reader stations consistently read the PIT tags in tagged deer within 0.6 to 1.2 meters of the apparatus, and that tags remained readable multiple years after implantation.
DiscussionRFID’s may be a viable strategy for remote identification of individual deer. Developing a single dart that delivers both a PIT tag and the fertility control agent would significantly improve the animal’s experience as well as the feasibility and cost effectiveness of immunocontraception programs.