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CC BY-NC-ND V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Animal welfare testing for shooting and darting free-ranging wildlife: a review and recommendations
Wildlife research (East Melbourne), Vol.48(7), pp.577-589
2020
Abstract
Several important techniques for managing wildlife rely on ballistics (the behaviour of projectiles), including killing techniques (shooting) as well as capture and marking methods (darting). Because all ballistic techniques have the capacity to harm animals, animal welfare is an important consideration. Standardised testing approaches that have allowed refinement for other physical killing and capture methods (e.g. traps for mammals) have not been applied broadly to ballistic methods. At the same time, new technology is becoming available for shooting (e.g. subsonic and lead-free ammunition) and darting (e.g. dye-marker darts). We present several case studies demonstrating (a) how basic ballistic testing can be performed for novel firearms and/or projectiles, (b) the benefits of identifying methods producing undesirable results before operational use, and (c) the welfare risks associated with bypassing testing of a technique before broad-scale application. Following the approach that has been used internationally to test kill-traps, we suggest the following four-step testing process: (1) range and field testing to confirm accuracy and precision, the delivery of appropriate kinetic energy levels and projectile behaviour, (2) post-mortem assessment of ballistic injury in cadavers, (3) small-scale live animal pilot studies with predetermined threshold pass/fail levels, and (4) broad-scale use with reporting of the frequency of adverse animal welfare outcomes. We present this as a practical approach for maintaining and improving animal welfare standards when considering the use of ballistic technology for wildlife management.
Details
- Title
- Animal welfare testing for shooting and darting free-ranging wildlife: a review and recommendations
- Authors/Creators
- Jordan Hampton - The University of MelbourneJon M Arnemo - Swedish University of Agricultural SciencesRichard Barnsley - Australian GovernmentMarc Cattet - Saskatchewan Health AuthorityPierre-Yves Daoust - University of Prince Edward IslandAnthony J DeNicola - White Buffalo Incorporated, 26 Davison Road, Moodus, CT 06469, USAGrant Eccles - Parks and Wildlife ServiceDon Fletcher - Australian GovernmentLyn A Hinds - CSIRO Health and BiosecurityRob Hunt - Parks and Wildlife ServiceTimothy Portas - Zoos VictoriaSigbjørn Stokke - Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchBruce Warburton - Manaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchClaire Wimpenny - Australian Government
- Publication Details
- Wildlife research (East Melbourne), Vol.48(7), pp.577-589
- Publisher
- CSIRO Publishing
- Number of pages
- 13
- Identifiers
- 991005796171507891
- Copyright
- © CSIRO 2021
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability; School of Veterinary Medicine
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article
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Source: InCites
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InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Citation topics
- 3 Agriculture, Environment & Ecology
- 3.35 Zoology & Animal Ecology
- 3.35.274 Wildlife Ecology
- Web Of Science research areas
- Ecology
- Zoology
- ESI research areas
- Plant & Animal Science