# Guidelines for Telemetry Studies on Snow Leopards
## 3 Design  
Given the logistical challenges of capturing elusive, low-density carnivores, many studies attempt to capture and collar as many animals as possible. However, this approach ignores the principle of reduction, puts animals at higher risk levels than necessary, and jeopardizes limited resources [14]. For example, empirical and mathematical evidence suggest that, with respect to resource selection (a) common subject for telemetry studies; [23]), reasonably precise and accurate estimates of population-level parameters may be generated from far fewer individuals than is typically assumed, particularly if resource selection is strong and landscapes are complex [24], as is likely the case for snow leopards across much of their distribution. Nonetheless, a standard baseline of scientific rigor in research will require that any valid collar-based study deploys collars on multiple individuals. If the data are intended for inference (i.e., to test clear _a priori_ hypotheses), statistical power analyses drawing on pilot data or data from the literature (including analogous species where appropriate) should be conducted to determine the sample size needed to evaluate the proposed research hypotheses [1]. A pilot study may be needed to obtain the information--population-level variation in the target parameters [25]--necessary to conduct power analyses. Except for idiosyncratic and extraordinary circumstances where the objective is to describe or monitor the behavior of a single individual, even a pilot study will require that at least two individuals are monitored. Researchers interested in resource selection can use the closed-form expressions of [PERSON] et al. [24] to estimate how many animals and location fixes are necessary to detect expected selection patterns. Given the substantial effort required for capturing individuals of most field species, it is reasonable to expect that inference at ecological scales of interest to research and conservation will require a multi-year effort to acquire sufficient sample sizes. If the primary goals involve prediction and forecasting, sampling design should reflect additional effort to ensure that there are sufficient out-of-sample data to validate predictive performance [16]. In many cases, it may be difficult to successfully achieve the target sample size, therefore the research plan should also explain and justify a minimum sample size. If estimated sample size requirements are not achievable with available resources, the study goals should be modified or refined, or delayed until additional resources can be secured. By contrast, nearly any sample size _might_ be justifiable in an exploratory or descriptive context provided that the inherent limitations of such studies are recognized and communicated to stakeholders. Telenetry studies of solitary large carnivores (and indeed individual-based studies of free-ranging wildlife more broadly) are inevitably constrained by happenstance. Unforeseen events and equipment failures mean that even fundamental sampling design considerations, such as the number of individuals or the location fix rates, are only partially controllable. A proportion of the deployed collars will not yield the expected amount of data due to collar malfunctions, or because the animal dies or disperses outside of the study area. Accounting for this in advance means researchers should increase the target sample size by a buffer of at least 20% [26]. Further, if age or sex-specific estimates are desired (or if differences among such classes would otherwise confound inference), the sample size needs to be increased even further because the actual animals captured will inevitably not align with needs as they are likely unevenly dispersed among demographic groups. With the study goals and minimum sampling needs identified, the next step is to determine which tracking devices are most suitable. There are several brands that manufacture tracking devices, even though they may appear similar the quality, price, and features may differ [26].