Track monkeys, deer, and bears in real time — built for municipal operations.
For municipalities and research institutions evaluating GPS collars for wildlife damage management: this page summarizes how to choose one, with a focus on the LoggLaw G2C — our LTE-M, solar-powered collar.
No local base station to install or maintain. The collar sends data directly to the cellular network.
Solar charging suits long-term outdoor deployments — minimizing the need to re-capture animals for battery service.
Deployed in wildlife damage operations across Japan. Eligible for the Wildlife Damage Prevention Comprehensive Subsidy.
A wildlife damage GPS collar is a tracking device worn on the neck of medium-to-large mammals such as Japanese macaques, sika deer, and Asiatic black bears. Unlike traditional VHF telemetry collars, which require an operator on site to triangulate signals, a GPS collar logs latitude and longitude directly via satellite positioning and can upload data to a cloud platform — making continuous, remote tracking of home range, movement, and dwell time possible.
For municipalities and agricultural operators, the key to wildlife damage management is knowing — in real time — when, where, and which individuals are appearing. Fitting one or two animals in a troop with a GPS collar makes it possible to infer the broader group's behavior and to plan deterrence, capture, and fencing strategies on the basis of data.
This page explains the criteria for selecting a wildlife damage GPS collar and details how our LTE-M cellular collar, the LoggLaw G2C, addresses them.
Wildlife damage GPS collars differ significantly across vendors in communication, power, and operational overhead. Below are the key axes to evaluate.
Wildlife damage GPS collars typically use either a base-station-relayed VHF/920MHz design or direct LTE-M cellular transmission. The former requires the operator to install and maintain a local base station; the latter requires only LTE-M coverage. The LoggLaw G2C uses LTE-M to minimize infrastructure overhead for municipal operators.
Because GPS collars are deployed for months to years at a time, the power scheme drives operating cost. Primary-battery-only devices require re-capture when the battery dies; solar-equipped devices can extend operation considerably under adequate sunlight. The LoggLaw G2C has built-in solar charging and runs for approximately one year even without any solar input (under 12 GPS fixes/day, 1 data transmission/day).
In wildlife damage management, continuous monitoring of home-range patterns and proximity trends to settlements matters more than instantaneous fixes. Base-station-relayed devices only deliver data when an animal happens to be within range of the base station, so wide-ranging individuals tend to produce data gaps. The LoggLaw G2C uploads data over LTE-M cellular on a configurable schedule. The default is a few times per day, but when real-time visibility matters — during deterrence operations or population counts — the device can be remotely switched to a high-frequency mode of up to 2-minute GPS fixes and 5-minute uploads. Long-term monitoring and high-frequency tracking during peak appearance periods are both possible from a single device.
GPS collars must be matched to the animal's body size and neck circumference. The LoggLaw G2C supports medium-to-large mammals — Japanese macaques, sika deer, Hokkaido sika deer, Asiatic black bears, and Japanese serow — with field testing underway for raccoons and wild boar. Animal welfare requires careful evaluation of the collar's weight relative to the animal's body weight.
A GPS collar that only logs positions cannot be operationalized in the field. Map visualization, multi-individual management, reconciliation with capture reports, and sighting-information sharing require a tightly integrated cloud platform. The LoggLaw G2C integrates with our Animal Portal cloud (geofence-based proximity alerts are coming soon).
A general comparison of the two prevailing communication models for wildlife damage GPS collars. For specific products, refer to each vendor's published specifications.
| Criterion | Base-station GPS collar (VHF/920MHz relay) | Direct LTE-M GPS collar (LoggLaw G2C) |
|---|---|---|
| Additional infrastructure | Local base station with power required | None (direct cellular) |
| Communication range | Several km from the base station | Nationwide LTE-M coverage |
| Data transmission | Only when animal is in base-station range (gaps when out of range) | Scheduled cellular uploads at configured intervals |
| High-frequency mode | Fixed by product | Remotely switchable down to 2-minute GPS fixes / 5-minute uploads |
| Power scheme | Primarily primary batteries; some solar | Built-in solar (~1 year without solar) |
| Operational overhead | Base-station maintenance required | All cloud-based; no field maintenance |
| Subsidy eligibility (JP) | Varies by product | Wildlife Damage Prevention Comprehensive Subsidy eligible |
* The comparison above describes general characteristics of the two communication models and is not exhaustive of any specific vendor's product. For final selection, please refer to each manufacturer's published specifications.
Representative use cases of the LoggLaw G2C wildlife damage GPS collar, by target species.
Fitting individuals in a troop with a GPS collar reveals the troop's home range, seasonal movement, and appearance patterns. Applications include effectiveness evaluation of deterrence measures, early warning before damage occurs, and providing appearance information to residents. The LoggLaw G2C has been used in long-term winter monitoring of macaque behavior.
View the macaque GPS collar pageUsed for analyzing incursions into farmland and plantations, identifying wintering grounds, and seasonal movement routes. In March 2026, the LoggLaw G2C was used in the first confirmed sika deer wintering survey in Kamikōchi, reported by the Shinano Mainichi Shimbun.
Tracks the bear's movement toward settlements and human activity zones continuously. During peak appearance periods, the device can be remotely switched to a high-frequency mode (down to 2-minute GPS fixes) to support timely warnings to municipalities and residents.
Application to other damage-causing species is in progress. Field tests for raccoons and wild boar, as well as custom attachment methods, are available — please contact us for details.
As of May 2026, the LoggLaw G2C is deployed across 25 prefectures and 65+ municipalities, research institutions, and companies in Japan. As a Kyoto University-affiliated biologging equipment manufacturer, we iterate alongside the field operators we serve.
Eligible under the Japanese Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries' Wildlife Damage Prevention Comprehensive Subsidy program. Based on the municipal damage-prevention plan, costs for GPS collars may be covered by the subsidy. Please contact your municipal office or local agricultural office for details.
Data captured by the LoggLaw G2C is visualized on Animal Portal, our cloud platform: map-based visualization, multi-individual management, sighting-information sharing, and capture-report management. CSV and GeoJSON export plus PDF reports make integration with existing GIS environments straightforward. Geofence-based proximity alerts are coming soon.
Learn more about Animal PortalWe support municipalities and research institutions in choosing the right collar for the target species and operating region, advising on subsidy use, and arranging field trials. Please get in touch.