Break-away collars, do you supply them?

Many researchers wish to study survival and dispersal in juveniles that are still growing and a breakaway collar appears to be the solution. Unfortunately we do not supply such tags because of the huge risks involved. We are too remote to be able to judge the collars effectively, or deal with any problems should they arrive. Providing equipment commercially we have responsibilities ensuring that the tag will work properly. Judging when a weak link will break under different conditions is extremely difficult. If the link breaks too early researchers will be unhappy, because a lot of battery life is wasted, but they will be even more unhappy if the link does not break and the collar strangles the animal.