Research overview: VHF triangulation and aerial telemetry for felids

This overview describes how field teams located collared cats before satellite positioning existed, relying on VHF beacons and directional antennas. Ground observers took compass bearings from multiple known points and intersected them to estimate a position, while aircraft crews homed on the signal to find animals in roadless terrain. Triangulation error grew with distance, rugged topography, and signal bounce, so studies often reported only coarse weekly fixes. These constraints shaped early conclusions about felid home ranges and movement, which were necessarily based on sparse data. Reviewing the method explains both the durability of VHF, still used for mortality signals and locating animals for recapture, and the leap in resolution that automated GPS later delivered.