Post-Release Monitoring
Post-Release Monitoring lets your organisation track animals after they have been released back into the wild. Each sighting is recorded against the animal's profile, building a timeline of observations that demonstrates ongoing welfare outcomes.
Overview
Once an animal has been released, carers and administrators can log post-release sightings from the animal's detail page. Each observation captures when and where the animal was seen, what condition it appeared to be in, and any supporting notes or photos. Records are displayed in reverse chronological order so the most recent sighting is always at the top.
Recording a Sighting
Click Record Sighting on the Post-Release Monitoring tab of the animal detail page. A dialog will open where you can fill in the observation details.
Observation Fields
| Field | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Date | Yes | The date the animal was sighted. Defaults to today. |
| Time | No | The time of the sighting, if known. |
| Sighting Location | No | A human-readable location description, selected via the location picker. |
| Coordinates | No | GPS latitude and longitude, populated automatically when a location is selected via the map picker. |
| Animal Condition | No | A general assessment of the animal's condition at the time of the sighting. See condition categories below. |
| Observation Notes | Yes | Free-text description of the sighting -- animal behaviour, appearance, activity, or anything else worth recording. |
| Photos | No | One or more photos of the sighting. Accepts JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF formats. |
Condition Categories
The condition field uses a fixed set of categories to keep assessments consistent across your organisation.
| Condition | Meaning | Display Colour |
|---|---|---|
| Healthy | The animal appears to be in good condition with no visible issues. | Green |
| Injured | The animal shows signs of physical injury. | Red |
| Distressed | The animal appears stressed, disoriented, or otherwise not coping well. | Amber |
| Unknown | The animal's condition could not be determined (e.g., seen from a distance). | Grey |
Viewing Sighting Records
All sighting records for a given animal appear on the Post-Release Monitoring tab of the animal detail page. Each record card shows:
- The date and time of the sighting
- The condition badge (colour-coded)
- The location and GPS coordinates, if recorded
- The observation notes
- Any attached photos as thumbnails
Deleting a Record
Users with the appropriate permissions can delete a sighting record by clicking the trash icon on the record card. A confirmation dialog will appear before the record is permanently removed.
Permissions
Post-Release Monitoring uses two permission levels:
| Permission | Who Has It | What It Allows |
|---|---|---|
compliance:manage_post_release | Admins and compliance officers | Create and delete sighting records for any animal in the organisation. |
animal:edit_own | Carers | Create sighting records for animals they are assigned to as the carer. |
If a user only holds the animal:edit_own permission, they can only record sightings for animals where they are the assigned carer.
Audit Trail
Every post-release monitoring record that is created generates an entry in the audit log. The audit entry includes the animal ID and the record ID, making it straightforward to trace who recorded each observation and when.
Integration with Other Modules
| Module | Integration |
|---|---|
| Animal Record History | Post-release sightings are accessed from the animal's detail page, alongside the animal's full care history. |
| Audit Logging | Creation of sighting records is automatically logged for compliance and accountability. |
| Compliance | Ongoing monitoring records demonstrate post-release welfare outcomes for regulatory reporting. |
| Roles & Permissions | Access to create and delete sighting records is controlled by role-based permissions. |