Gunpowder-powered captive bolts for the euthanasia of kangaroo pouch young

Abstract

Euthanasia of macropod pouch young becomes necessary in situations when the mother has died as a result of situations such as: culling programs, vehicle collisions, bushfires, dog attacks, and entrapment in fences. Euthanasia methods currently recommended for older (furred) pouch young are contentious, hence the need to develop a more reliable method of euthanasia. To investigate animal welfare outcomes resulting from the use of a gunpowder-powered captive bolt, an independent veterinarian observed euthanasia of 28 furred kangaroo pouch young. Pouch removal duration was zero for all animals as the captive bolt was applied in situ in the pouch. Immediate insensibility was observed for 27 (96%) of the pouch young, exceeding the commonly used animal welfare standard of 95%. Results indicate that a gunpowder-powered captive bolt can produce favourable animal welfare outcomes for euthanasing kangaroo pouch young by delivering more than 40 times the kinetic energy delivered by previously studied captive bolt units applied to pouch young. When compared with other euthanasia methods for kangaroo pouch young, the use of a gunpowder-powered captive bolt delivers favourable animal welfare outcomes.