While the two ropes are being positioned it is important that the 

 animal remain facing the marking crew and stand its ground. For this 

 reason late May and early June are the best times for marking adult 

 males. The animals are still sparsely distributed, and their territorial 

 defense is strong. This is the time of year when males are most likely 

 to continually face toward approaching humans and hold their ground 

 rather than turning and running; they are most likely to make the 

 lunges or boundary displays necessary for getting the rope loop 

 behind the front flipper Only when the animal is facing the direction 

 it is being pulled can it be held successfully in the ropes. When the 

 seal turns away the ropes are no longer hooked behind the front flip- 

 pers, and the nooses simply slide back along the seal's tapering body. 



To aid in positioning the rope the third member of the front rank 

 working crew can stimulate the animal to move by judicious use of a 

 bamboo pole. A light touch, or mild poke to the animal's hindquarters 

 will generally cause it to move away from the stimulus; touching a 

 front flipper with the pole will induce the seal to retract the flipper. 

 These two tendencies are used appropriately to position the animal as 

 desired. When inducing the seal to step through the lasso care must 

 be taken to avoid touching the front flipper or the seal will retract it 

 away from the rope loop and the procedure must be started anew. 

 With the rope in place, and a worker maintaining tension on it, a 

 fourth member may join the front party with the second rope, which 

 is positioned similarly to the first. 



Once the two ropes are properly positioned on the animal, other 

 members of the work crew who have stayed 10-20 m back from the 

 front rank may come forward and lay hold of the two ropes. The best 

 procedure is for the six- to eight-person team to drag the animal to the 

 box quickly (at a run if possible). Moving the seal slowly allows it to 

 brace itself against rocks, to resist the movement, or slow movement 

 may allow the animal to turn away and slip out of the nooses. 



As the workers drag the seal toward the marking box, one of the 

 two ropes is passed through the box and will be used to pull the ani- 

 mal into the box. As each worker on this pulling rope approaches the 

 box, he releases the rope, runs around the outside of the box, and 

 picks up the rope again on the other end . The second rope can be used 

 to help control the path of the animal's slide toward the box. As the 

 animal gets close to the box, only one or two people will be needed 

 on this controlling rope; others may move to the pulling rope to help 

 with the strenuous task of getting the animal into the box. 



Just as the seal is reaching the box it is helpful to have one person 

 leave the positioning rope, pick up a 2-3 m pole, and push the animal 

 from the back side. The seal will offer considerable resistance to 

 entering the box, hooking its flippers on the side, and forcing its head 

 against the sides and top of the opening. The person with the pole can 

 help by defeating the animal's holds on the box and allowing it to be 

 dragged inside by the other workers. This person also has the clearest 

 view of the seal's body entering the box, and is in the best position to 

 shout the order to close the box doors. 



One worker is designated from the beginning to be in charge of 

 operating the doors to the box. This is an appropriate job for someone 

 who is not a strong puller, or who is uncomfortable working close to 

 the animals. As soon as the ropes are in position on the animal and the 

 crew is ready to begin pulling, this person should be alerted to take 

 position standing astride the top of the marking box. Once the seal is 

 inside the box, the doors are dropped. The first door to be dropped is 

 the one toward which the seal is being pulled (between the seal and 

 the workers pulling it). Tension on the rope can be maintained by the 

 pullers (holding the animal inside the box) while the rear door is 

 dropped and the animal is contained. 



An attentive person with a bamboo pole can stop all but the most 

 concerted charge by a male fur seal . The most successful technique is 

 a sharp jab or push with the end of the pole to the animal's chest or 



throat. A balance must be stmck between very hard blows and accu- 

 rate ones. The harder the pole is pushed, the less accurately it can be 

 controlled. If a jab misses the seal and the animal moves closer, 

 shorten the pole or step back and take another jab. Banging the charg- 

 ing seal on top of the head or batting it from the side will produce 

 almost no effect whatever. If the animal is just beginning to move, a 

 sharp blow to the side of the head may stop it, but this is risky because 

 of the danger of destroying an eye or breaking a tooth. (The loss or 

 breakage of a canine is a very harmful event for a territorial fur seal . ) 

 An animal that is not charging, but is generally too close to the work 

 area or otherwise in the way, may be distracted by dangling the end of 

 a pole just out of reach in front of and above its face. Soviet scientists 

 move stationary males by lightly tapping them on the head with a 

 bamboo pole that has been intentionally split into a dozen or more 

 "ribbons" at the tip. These ribbons make noise but do not injure the 

 seal. 3 Except very early or very late in the season it is nearly impossi- 

 ble to drive a single adult male out of its territory, even with the con- 

 certed efforts of several people with bamboo poles. Workers 

 confronting a seal should stay familiar with who and what is behind 

 them in the event that they may not be able to stop the charge, and 

 must either ran backward or turn and ran. Special efforts should be 

 made to avoid falling down on the rookery. 



Subadult Males 



Unlike the capture of adult males and adult females, which takes 

 place on an individual basis, subadult males (2 to 5 yr old) are 

 rounded up in small groups and held temporarily while individuals 

 are pulled out and marked. These roundups usually occur on hauling 

 out grounds adjacent to breeding areas. The most important factor in 

 successful roundup, capture, and marking of subadult males is 

 weather. These animals are very easily heat stressed. Careful atten- 

 tion must be paid to weather conditions and to physiological symp- 

 toms of the animals. Ideal weather conditions for working with 

 subadult males are cool temperatures (<10°C), moderate winds, 

 and overcast skies or light misting rain. 



A roundup begins by two or more workers moving unnoticed into 

 a position between the seals and the water. This may involve taking a 

 long roundabout route, or some crawling on the ground to maintain a 

 low profile. Remaining unseen during this first step is critical. Once 

 in position below the particular group that is desired, the workers 

 stand up, raise their arms or protective poles, and shout, whisde, or 

 rattle noise makers. Once the seals begin to move inland, very little 

 effort is required to keep them moving. In fact, the most attention 

 must be paid to keeping the animals from moving too far or too fast. 

 Some experimentation will show how much distance must be kept 

 between the seals and the "herders" to move the animals an appropri- 

 ate amount with the least amount of agitation. 



Slow movement of the animals from one location to another cannot 

 be overemphasized. Body heat builds quickly and is lost very slowly. 

 The following symptoms indicate overheating: captive animals that 

 lie prone rather than sitting erect, excessive rear flipper waving, ani- 

 mals which tilt their heads far back and pant with a rattle in their 

 throats, animals which can move only a meter or so without falling 

 prone to rest. 



Once the animals are in position for holding and marking, minimal 

 herding actions are required. One person or two can manage a small 

 group (30 animals or fewer) without excessive agitation of the seals. 

 A good strategy is to squat or kneel 5- 10 m from the group and stand 

 up or move into position to cut off their movements only when neces- 

 sary. Cutting the animals off with the least disturbance involves mak- 



3V. A. Vladimirov, VNIRO. Moscow, U.S.S.R.. pens, commun. July 1981. 



