Abstract
Seventeen free-ranging red deer (Cervus elaphus) (12 calves and 5 yearling hinds) were immobilized with a combination of medetomidine hydrochloride (MED) and ketamine hydrochloride (KET) in winter (January-March). Immobilizations were performed with plastic projectile syringes fired from a dart gun. Mean (SD) doses of 0.147 (0.024) mg MED/kg and 2.5 (0.4) mg KET/kg induced recumbency in 5.0 (2.0) minutes in the calves and all of them were completely immobilized. The initial doses in the yearling hinds were 0.099 (0.016) mg MED/kg and 1.9 (0.2) mg KET/kg but three of them required addirional dosing for induction of reliable restraint. The distance covered by the animals between darting and recumbency ranged from 40-250 m for calves and 100-300 m for yearling hinds. The animals were translocated to deer farms for breeding purposes and were given 12.5-25.0 mg of atipamezole hydrochloride before transportation. All animals recovered completely. Haematological and serum biochemical comparisons between free-ranging calves immobilized with medetomidine-ketamine (n=3) and captive unmedicated calves (n=4) showed that chemical capture induce very little stress in red deer.
Highlights
The most reliable method for chemical immobili zation of red deer {Cervus elaphus) is considered to be injection of a potent opioid i n combination with a sedative
Rapid induction is extremely important in chemical capture work so that the animals can be found, handled and monitored within a reasonable time after drug administration
We consider the initial doses of medetomidine and ketamine that were used for calves to be adequate, while the doses for yearling hinds should be regarded as insufficient
Summary
The most reliable method for chemical immobili zation of red deer {Cervus elaphus) is considered to be injection of a potent opioid i n combination with a sedative. Opioids are extremely toxic for humans: the self-injection of a full immobilizing dose involving a few milligrams of etorphine or carfentanil would be classed as a catastrophic overdose for a human (Haigh & Hudson, 1993a). Xylazine-ketamine has been widely used for immobilization of captive red deer (Haigh & Hudson, 1993a) but, in recent years, medetomidine has largely replaced xylazine as a sedative and immobilizing agent in non-domestic mammals (Jalanka, 1993). Medetomidine-ketamine has been recommended for captive red deer (Jalanka & Roeken, 1990; Haigh & Hudson, 1993a) bur the use of this combination has not been reported i n free-living red deer.
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