Small mammal trapping is a commonly taught field
technique in ecology and population biology. However,
there are still open questions regarding the extent to
which trapping affects the welfare of small animals.
This study investigated faecal cortisol as a non-invasive
measurement of the physiological stress response of
bank voles (Myodes glareolus) to live-trapping. Faecal
cortisol concentrations were similar between samples
collected from trapped and non-trapped voles, but were
negatively correlated with capture duration. This result
may suggest that any physiological stress response was
short-lasting and the animals habituated to the trap. As
such, effects on faecal cortisol were not apparent as
mean faecal cortisol concentration was determined from
multiple collected faeces. Future work should focus on
characterising the potential stress response to trapping
with greater temporal resolution.
