Document Detail


An ethical issue in biodiversity science: The monitoring of penguins with flipper bands.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  21640946     Owner:  NLM     Status:  In-Data-Review    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Individual marking is essential to study the life-history traits of animals and to track them in all kinds of ecological, behavioural or physiological studies. Unlike other birds, penguins cannot be banded on their legs due to their leg joint anatomy and a band is instead fixed around a flipper. However, there is now detailed evidence that flipper-banding has a detrimental impact on individuals. It can severely injure flipper tissues, and the drag effect of their flipper bands results in a higher energy expenditure when birds are moving through the water. It also results in lower efficiency in foraging, since they require longer foraging trips, as well as in lower survival and lower breeding success. Moreover, due to the uncertainty of the rate of band loss, flipper bands induce a scientific bias. These problems, which obviously have serious ethical implications, can be avoided with alternative methods such as radiofrequency identification techniques.
Authors:
Yvon Le Maho; Claire Saraux; Joël M Durant; Vincent A Viblanc; Michel Gauthier-Clerc; Nigel G Yoccoz; Nils C Stenseth; Céline Le Bohec
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article     Date:  2011-05-23
Journal Detail:
Title:  Comptes rendus biologies     Volume:  334     ISSN:  1768-3238     ISO Abbreviation:  C. R. Biol.     Publication Date:  2011 May 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2011-06-06     Completed Date:  -     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  101140040     Medline TA:  C R Biol     Country:  France    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  378-84     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Copyright © 2011 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Département d'Écologie, Physiologie et Éthologie, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, 23, rue Becquerel, 67087 Strasbourg cedex 02, France; CNRS, UMR 7178, 67037 Strasbourg, France.
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