I am conducting both a camera trap study and a mark-recapture study of a local raccoon population. It would make my camera trap study more effective if the raccoons were uniquely identifiable, so that I could identify them individuals in the night-time photos. Because I am also capturing and temporarily sedating them, I have the opportunity to mark them. Has anyone ever used hair dyes or other techniques to mark mammals in such a way that they are uniquely identified in nocturnal pictures?
Raccoons quickly remove ear tags, which would be too small to see reliably in photographs anyway. I cannot use collars or other attachments. I am looking for a method, such as a dye or bleach, of making long-lasting (a few months, anyway) marks on the sides of raccoons. If you have any suggestions please contact me offlist. Russell Burke bio...@hofstra.edu
