Wearable technology for deer

The benefits of wearable technology in the livestock sector have been promoted and recognised as a potentially transformative technology through the potential labour and cost savings associated with monitoring livestock health and welfare (Barwick et al. 2020). Livestock wearing technological devices is a relatively common sight on many dairy farms around New Zealand. These devices come in all shapes and sizes including neck collars, ear tags, and internal sensors and are used for a multitude of purposes including monitoring animal health, detection of oestrus and controlling where and when animals can graze (virtual fencing). However, the use of wearable technology in the dry stock farming sector is not as prominent (Fogarty et al. 2017) for logistical and cost reasons. They are nevertheless beneficial in the dry stock sector as they have the potential to improve welfare outcomes through early detection of animal health issues, or other animal distress and provide the opportunity to maintain our social license to farm through the demonstration of positive animal welfare metrics. There is also the opportunity to increase profitability by improving animal and feed resource utilisation efficiency and protect environmentally sensitive areas through phenotyping and genetic selection, or controlled grazing. Additional benefits around behavioural phenotyping that can be used for management and genetic selection purposes include prediction of parturition date (Asher et al., 2002).