--- title: “Now I can trust that if the darted tapir runs away, I will find it” description: The introduction of the new DANiNJECT TrackDart has been a game-changer for Patricia Medici in her lowland tapir conservation work in Brazil. image: https://dan-inject.com/hubfs/Darting%20tapir.jpeg --- - [Explore](https://dan-inject.com/explore) - [Products](https://dan-inject.com/products) - [All products](https://dan-inject.com/products) - [Injection rifles](https://dan-inject.com/products/tranquilizing-rifles) - [VHF TrackDart](https://dan-inject.com/products/vhf-tracking-dart) - [AirCharge - PCP solution](https://dan-inject.com/products/aircharge) - [CETA-DART](https://dan-inject.com/cetadart-biopsy-dart-for-marine-mammals) - User Instructions - [Chip Dart preparation](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-chip-dart) - [VHF TrackDart preparation](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-vhf-transmitter) - [AirCharge instructions](https://dan-inject.com/pcp-pump-user-instructions) - [Small animal handling rug](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-small-animal-handling-rug) - [Jabstick user instruction](https://dan-inject.com/user-intructions-jabstick-user-instruction) - [Dart loading - air pressure](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-dart-loading-air-pressure) - [Dart maintenance](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-dart-maintenance) - [Recommended needle sizes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-recommended-needle-sizes) - [Cleaning the needles](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-cleaning-the-needles) - [Biopsy needle instruction](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-biopsy-needle-instruction) - [Loading of dart syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-loading-of-dart-syringes) - [Unloading of dart syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-unloading-of-dart-syringes) - [Cleaning the syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-cleaning-the-syringes) - Distributors - [Find a distributor](https://dan-inject.com/distributors) - [Become a distributor](https://dan-inject.com/become-a-daninject-distributor) - [About us](https://dan-inject.com/about) - [Contact](https://dan-inject.com/contact) - [Webshop](https://shop.daninject.com/) [![Daninject\_logo-1-1](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/avidly/assets/images/Daninject_logo-1-1.png?width=100&height=99&name=Daninject_logo-1-1.png "Daninject_logo-1-1")](https://dan-inject.com) - [Explore](https://dan-inject.com/explore) - [Products](https://dan-inject.com/products) - [All products](https://dan-inject.com/products) - [Injection rifles](https://dan-inject.com/products/tranquilizing-rifles) - [VHF TrackDart](https://dan-inject.com/products/vhf-tracking-dart) - [AirCharge - PCP solution](https://dan-inject.com/products/aircharge) - [CETA-DART](https://dan-inject.com/cetadart-biopsy-dart-for-marine-mammals) - User Instructions - [Chip Dart preparation](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-chip-dart) - [VHF TrackDart preparation](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-vhf-transmitter) - [AirCharge instructions](https://dan-inject.com/pcp-pump-user-instructions) - [Small animal handling rug](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-small-animal-handling-rug) - [Jabstick user instruction](https://dan-inject.com/user-intructions-jabstick-user-instruction) - [Dart loading - air pressure](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-dart-loading-air-pressure) - [Dart maintenance](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-dart-maintenance) - [Recommended needle sizes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-recommended-needle-sizes) - [Cleaning the needles](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-cleaning-the-needles) - [Biopsy needle instruction](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-biopsy-needle-instruction) - [Loading of dart syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-loading-of-dart-syringes) - [Unloading of dart syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-unloading-of-dart-syringes) - [Cleaning the syringes](https://dan-inject.com/user-instructions-cleaning-the-syringes) - Distributors - [Find a distributor](https://dan-inject.com/distributors) - [Become a distributor](https://dan-inject.com/become-a-daninject-distributor) - [About us](https://dan-inject.com/about) - [Contact](https://dan-inject.com/contact) - [Webshop](https://shop.daninject.com/) ![](https://dan-inject.com/hubfs/Darting%20tapir.jpeg) Explore ## “Now I can trust that if the darted tapir runs away, I will find it” The introduction of the new DANiNJECT TrackDart has been a game-changer for Patricia Medici in her lowland tapir conservation work in Brazil. After five years without access to a transmitter dart, she can now dart tapirs in forest conditions and trust that she will always find the darted animal.  Written by [Steffen Stræde](https://dan-inject.com/explore/author/steffen-straede) [Featured](https://dan-inject.com/explore/tag/featured) [Explore](https://dan-inject.com/explore/tag/explore) In October 2025, Patricia Medici and her team tried something they hadn’t dared to do in years. They darted three tapirs in the Amazonian rainforest. “We trusted the equipment, and it worked perfectly. We were able to find all three tapirs again, even though they ran off into the forest after we darted them. Without the transmitter dart, we would have never dared to try that,” Patricia Medici explains. The three tapirs were fitted with GPS collars so Patricia Medici and her team can track their movements in the Carajás National Forest, Pará State, Brazil, to understand how these “gardeners of the rainforest” move through the area, which is also home to the world's largest iron ore mine. The research is an important part of the conservation work that Patricia Medici has devoted her professional life to. In 1992, she co-founded the Brazilian non-governmental organization IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas/Institute for Ecological Research), where she oversees the Lowland Tapir Conservation Initiative (LTCI) established in 1996. ![Credit Raquel Alves](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Credit%20Raquel%20Alves.jpeg?width=1280&height=975&name=Credit%20Raquel%20Alves.jpeg) *Photo credit: Raquel Alves* ### Stressful without a transmitter dart Patricia Medici and her team study tapirs across various biomes, selecting the most suitable methods for capturing them in each area based on the local environment. Sometimes they use box traps and pitfalls, but often they prefer to locate and immobilize the animals. However, for the last five years, the team has not had access to transmitter darts due to the pandemic and the fact that they went out of production. “Darting tapirs without the transmitter darts was super stressful because we had to make quick decisions on whether to dart the animals or not. If they were too close to the forest, we couldn’t do it, but if they were maybe 500 meters from the edge of the forest, we would take our chances, but still, there is a risk that it will run off.” ![Credit Raquel Alves2](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Credit%20Raquel%20Alves2.jpeg?width=1280&height=864&name=Credit%20Raquel%20Alves2.jpeg) *Photo credit: Raquel Alves* ### Both rugged and light However, with the new transmitter dart, [TrackDart](https://dan-inject.com/products/vhf-tracking-dart), in her arsenal, she can always choose this solution when she wants to be on the safe side. And her experiences with the new dart have been positive. “I must say, I am in love with the new product. The previous devices we have used in the past had a certain lifetime, but now we can just recharge the battery. Additionally, previous transmitters were more fragile, and we experienced issues where they sometimes stopped working due to the dart's impact on the animal, resulting in the loss of some animals that ran off. But the new transmitters are more rugged, and actually, so far I have reused the same one for all the dartings,” she says. Patricia Medici also emphasizes TrackDart's weight and construction as notable improvements. “It's really, really light. The previous models I used were much heavier, so this is super helpful because the more weight you add, the less stable the dart becomes. With a lighter and more stable dart, we can now dart the animals from 25 meters away instead of 15. That’s a great advantage.“ ![PATRICIA MEDICI](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/PATRICIA%20MEDICI.jpeg?width=1280&height=853&name=PATRICIA%20MEDICI.jpeg) ### Ready for the next expedition In March 2026, Patricia Medici and her team will return to the field to study tapirs, this time in the Caatinga of northeastern Brazil, where tapirs were previously believed to be extinct until Patricia Medici discovered them during an expedition in 2023. Now, the team is returning to study the tapirs and how they survive in this extremely dry environment. And this time, the TrackDart will be part of the equipment. “We’ll probably use traps in Caatinga, but we’ll have the rifle with us. I always make jokes with my team that when we are in the field, wherever we go, we have the rifle and we have the darts ready to go, because who knows when you will see a tapir, so we're always ready for catching.” [Learn more about TrackDart here.](https://dan-inject.com/products/vhf-tracking-dart) ![Credit Lucas Ninno](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Credit%20Lucas%20Ninno.jpeg?width=1280&height=974&name=Credit%20Lucas%20Ninno.jpeg)*Photo credit: Lucas Ninno* ![RIFLE - darting](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/RIFLE%20-%20darting.jpeg?width=1280&height=854&name=RIFLE%20-%20darting.jpeg) *Photo credit: Raquel Alves*   ## Latest post [See all posts](https://dan-inject.com/explore) #### [![](https://dan-inject.com/hubfs/cetadart%20product2.jpg) 24-09-2026 DANiNJECT acquires CETA-DART to continue manufacturing of marine biopsy darts DANiNJECT has acquired CETA-DART and will continue to manufacture and further develop the well-known biopsy darts for marine mammals.](https://dan-inject.com/explore/daninject-acquires-ceta-dart-to-continue-production-of-marine-biopsy-darts) #### [![](https://dan-inject.com/hubfs/pexels-solce-34761097%20(1).jpeg) 21-09-2026 Protecting the Symbol of the Alps: Fighting Brucellosis in Alpine Ibex To monitor and control the spread of brucellosis among Alpine ibex, the French Biodiversity Agency captures and tests around 150 animals each year in two massifs. 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In Greece, biologist Yorgos Iliopoulos has spent many years studying wolves while helping communities respond...](https://dan-inject.com/explore/tracking-bold-wolves-in-greece) [![DANiNJECT logo](https://dan-inject.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Logo/Daninject_logo_w.png?width=300&height=299&name=Daninject_logo_w.png "DANiNJECT logo")](https://dan-inject.com) Olgas Allé 4 DK-6000 Kolding Denmark Tel: +45 75 86 90 70 [mail@daninject.com](mailto:mail@daninject.com) VAT: DK39736497 Since the foundation in 1986, DANiNJECT has been known for manufacturing products of the highest quality, functionality, reliability, and robustness, as well as the system most humane to the animal. [Follow us on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/daninject/about/) [Follow us on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/daninject/) © 2026 All rights reserved. [Privacy policy](https://dan-inject.com/privacy-policy)