Are instrumented animals representative of the population, given the potential bias caused by selective sampling and the influence of capture, handling and wearing bio-loggers? The answer is elusive owing to the challenges of obtaining comparable data from individuals with and without bio-loggers. Using non-invasive genetic data of a large carnivore, the wolverine (Gulo gulo) in Scandinavia, and an open-population spatial capture–recapture model, we found a 16 (credible interval: 4–30) percentage points lower mortality probability for GPS-collared individuals compared with individuals without GPS collars. While the risk of dying from legal culling was comparable for collared and non-collared wolverines, the former experienced lower probability of mortality due to causes other than legal culling. The aforementioned effect was pronounced despite a potentially lower age—and therefore likely higher natural mortality—of collared individuals. Reports of positive effects of bio-loggers on the survival of individuals are uncommon and we argue that GPS collars could shield animals from poaching. Our results highlight the challenges of drawing population-level inferences for populations subjected to poaching when using data from instrumented individuals.

考虑到选择性采样造成的潜在偏差以及捕获、处理和佩戴生物记录器的影响，使用仪器的动物是否能够代表种群？由于从有和没有生物记录器的个人获取可比较数据的挑战，答案是难以捉摸的。使用大型食肉动物狼獾 ( Gulo gulo) 的非侵入性基因数据) 在斯堪的纳维亚半岛，以及一个开放的人口空间捕获-重新捕获模型，我们发现与没有 GPS 项圈的个人相比，有 GPS 项圈的个人的死亡率降低了 16 个（可信区间：4-30）个百分点。虽然有项圈和无项圈狼獾死于合法扑杀的风险相当，但前者因合法扑杀以外的原因而死亡的可能性较低。尽管戴项圈的人的年龄可能较低，因此自然死亡率可能较高，但上述影响仍然很明显。关于生物记录器对个体生存产生积极影响的报道并不常见，我们认为 GPS 项圈可以保护动物免受偷猎。