The public is occasionally concerned about the detrimental impact of wildlife research activities, particularly capture procedures such as the use of chemical immobilization. One of the risks inherent with chemical immobilization is aggression (or predation) to immobilized animals by conspecifics; yet, data on such occurrences are rarely reported in the literature. We chemically immobilized 25 dominant age-class, large-bodied adult male bison (Bison bison). We observed seven instances (28%) of dominant adult male bison attacking a conspecific that was lying down shortly after being chemically immobilized. Incidences of attacks by aggressive males were more frequent during ground-based versus helicopter-based captures, but this difference was not statistically significant. Contrary to our prediction, we found no difference in the frequency of attacks during mid-summer or late-winter. Our observations highlight the aggressive nature of dominant male bison toward conspecifics and serve as a cautionary note to others chemically immobilizing them. With a marked interest in restoring bison to, and better understanding their ecological role in, their native landscapes, it is anticipated that capturing bison for research and conservation purposes will become more common. We provide suggested best practices so that protocols may be implemented to reduce potential injuries to immobilized bison from conspecifics, and these may also apply to other large, aggressive ungulates.

公众有时会担心野生动植物研究活动的不利影响，尤其是捕获程序，例如使用化学固定剂。化学固定所固有的风险之一是同种异体对固定动物的侵略（或掠夺）。但是，有关此类事件的数据很少在文献中报道。我们化学固定了25个主要年龄段的大体成年雄性野牛（野牛野牛）。我们观察到7个实例（28％）的成年雄性野牛攻击了被化学固定后不久就躺下的同种菌。在地面抓获和直升机抓获之间，好斗的男性发动袭击的频率更高，但这种差异在统计上并不显着。与我们的预测相反，我们发现仲夏或冬末的袭击频率没有差异。我们的观察结果突显了雄性野牛对特定物种的侵略性，并为其他化学固定它们的人提供了警告。随着人们对恢复野牛的兴趣并更好地了解其在其自然景观中的生态作用，人们期望捕获野牛以进行研究和保护将变得更加普遍。