**4. Telemetric collars and European bison movement monitoring**

Free-ranging European bison create herds consisting of cows, their offspring, and youth; solitary bulls live outside of the herd and, however, approach or join in the mixed groups during rutting season and winter (for feeding), while young bulls often create small male groups [37]. Since European bison move over considerable distances during the day (especially the bulls), in order to monitor the distribution of these animals and study their use of space and different ecosystems, telemetric transmitters are being placed on selected individuals. Through such transmitters, we can track the daily rhythm of European bison and the use of various habitats for feeding and resting, divided into seasons and various periods relevant to the behavior of animals (the calving season, mating season) [1]. Such transmitters can use a radio signal emission (the oldest way, currently replaced by GPS); it requires the involvement of a person with a radio receiver together with an antenna to track the animal and record their location. Another way is to connect the transmitter to the server via cellular telephony; coordinates from the GPS system are collected, converted, and transferred to the operator's server, processed and plotted on the map; however, it requires the animal remains within the GSM network, and the reading may be analyzed by the inspector only after some time. The most modern, but also significantly more expensive, way is placing satellite emitters on the European bison, which allows tracking these animals in different conditions (also outside the GSM network) and the ability to record the location of the "marked" animal systematically regardless of the environment in which it is located. By monitoring European bison for a longer period of time, maps can be created for the use of both males and females of different ecosystems, determine the range of existence of individual herds, and determine, for example, the nutritional preferences of these animals. The telemetric coordinates of European bison location are applied to maps and visualized showing land usage of individuals/herds in relation to season, differences in distribution, and behavior of females and males [38]. Same as European bison counting, setting up telemetry transmitters is usually performed during winter concentration at feeding places. For this purpose, the individual is pharmacologically immobilized (**Figure 4**) [7], and the belt with the telemetry transmitter is adjusted to its neck. This is important because a too tight collar may cause difficulties in swallowing and regurgitation, while too loosely attached collar may cause injuries (entrapment of the limb, foreign bodies such as branches). For an adult European bison, a telemetry transmitter that weighs approx. 2 kg may be compared to a watch on a human wrist. Additionally, during the pharmacological immobilization of European bison, samples are collected for veterinary, genetic, and toxicological tests, which is a part of the health monitoring described in paragraph 3.

**153**

**Figure 4.**

*Infectious Disease Monitoring of European Bison (*Bison bonasus*)*

**5. Current major epidemic threats and monitoring of European bison**

*Chemical immobilization of free-living European bison (photo: J. Klej).*

(the so-called epidemiological triangle: animal-environment-pathogen) should be considered. The epizootic and epidemiological situation is a resultant of the interactions between the natural environment of the free-living animals, other wild reservoir species and farm animals at the wildlife-lifestock interface. An important environmental component will also be access to competent vectors of a given microorganism. In the case of environmental impact, it is also necessary to take into account people who are susceptible to zoonoses, can themselves be a source of infections, or can be a mechanical vector of infectious and invasive agents transmitted to animals, becoming endemic in sylvatic environment [39]. Those aspects meet in the One Health approach, which include wildlife as a key component of the ecosystem [9, 32, 40, 41]. Therefore, in the case of an epizootic, surveillance should be carried out in both domestic and non-domestic populations, both free-living and captive, and the potential role of humans (animal care takers, breeders, vets) as vectors should be taken into account. Climate, environment, socioeconomical changes create alterations also in the distribution of infectious diseases and remind us that animals and humans, environment, and pathogens are the elements of the same ecosystem.

When considering the problems of infectious and invasive diseases, three aspects

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84290*

*Infectious Disease Monitoring of European Bison (*Bison bonasus*) DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.84290*

*Wildlife Population Monitoring*

tuberculosis [36].

infections, and since no vaccination programs or treatment could have been introduced, the only method of disease control and prevention from spreading was the elimination of infected European bison [28, 29, 31–34]. The eradication resulted in a significant depopulation observed in decrease of the numbers of European bison (**Figure 2**). Tuberculosis affecting European bison in Poland is caused by *Mycobacterium caprae* [35]. The management of the diseases is extremely difficult especially in wildlife, since the mycobacteria transmit readily between different wild species such wild boar, deer, and wolves in Bieszczady mountains [31]. American bison bred in Poland are also considered important reservoir of

**4. Telemetric collars and European bison movement monitoring**

tests, which is a part of the health monitoring described in paragraph 3.

Free-ranging European bison create herds consisting of cows, their offspring, and youth; solitary bulls live outside of the herd and, however, approach or join in the mixed groups during rutting season and winter (for feeding), while young bulls often create small male groups [37]. Since European bison move over considerable distances during the day (especially the bulls), in order to monitor the distribution of these animals and study their use of space and different ecosystems, telemetric transmitters are being placed on selected individuals. Through such transmitters, we can track the daily rhythm of European bison and the use of various habitats for feeding and resting, divided into seasons and various periods relevant to the behavior of animals (the calving season, mating season) [1]. Such transmitters can use a radio signal emission (the oldest way, currently replaced by GPS); it requires the involvement of a person with a radio receiver together with an antenna to track the animal and record their location. Another way is to connect the transmitter to the server via cellular telephony; coordinates from the GPS system are collected, converted, and transferred to the operator's server, processed and plotted on the map; however, it requires the animal remains within the GSM network, and the reading may be analyzed by the inspector only after some time. The most modern, but also significantly more expensive, way is placing satellite emitters on the European bison, which allows tracking these animals in different conditions (also outside the GSM network) and the ability to record the location of the "marked" animal systematically regardless of the environment in which it is located. By monitoring European bison for a longer period of time, maps can be created for the use of both males and females of different ecosystems, determine the range of existence of individual herds, and determine, for example, the nutritional preferences of these animals. The telemetric coordinates of European bison location are applied to maps and visualized showing land usage of individuals/herds in relation to season, differences in distribution, and behavior of females and males [38]. Same as European bison counting, setting up telemetry transmitters is usually performed during winter concentration at feeding places. For this purpose, the individual is pharmacologically immobilized (**Figure 4**) [7], and the belt with the telemetry transmitter is adjusted to its neck. This is important because a too tight collar may cause difficulties in swallowing and regurgitation, while too loosely attached collar may cause injuries (entrapment of the limb, foreign bodies such as branches). For an adult European bison, a telemetry transmitter that weighs approx. 2 kg may be compared to a watch on a human wrist. Additionally, during the pharmacological immobilization of European bison, samples are collected for veterinary, genetic, and toxicological

**152**

**Figure 4.** *Chemical immobilization of free-living European bison (photo: J. Klej).*
