prior to their release was noted to be difficult, measures should be taken to test for as many diseases as possible. Also, protective measures should be employed to prevent animals from contracting diseases while in captivity; a quarantine period should be utilized after capture, during which time animals can be monitored for illnesses. Sick animals should not be translocated to new sites, as they could serve as vectors to infect existing individuals already on the site or individuals being concurrently translocated.
Agencies should develop policies and procedures for their translocation programs.
Such measures have been suggested in response to noted problems with translocations that have occurred since translocating animals became a common practice among management agencies in the 1970's (Dein et al.). In a review of 292,628 wildlife citations, database entries, and programs elicited from personal communications from 1971 through 1991 in the United States, Dein et al. found that 1,431 involved translocations. However, they estimated that the actual number is much higher
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