Field Anaesthesia for Platypuses: a proven method and the case for non-veterinarian accreditation pathways

Gilad Bino; Tahneal Hawke

doi:10.1071/AM24029

RESEARCH ARTICLE (Open Access)

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Field Anaesthesia for Platypuses: a proven method and the case for non-veterinarian accreditation pathways

Gilad Bino ^A ^* and Tahneal Hawke ^A ^B

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, Platypus Conservation Initiative, Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

^B Taronga Institute of Science and Learning, Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Dubbo, NSW 2830, Australia.

^* Correspondence to: gilad.bino@unsw.edu.au

Handling Editor: Bronwyn McAllan

Australian Mammalogy 47, AM24029 https://doi.org/10.1071/AM24029

Submitted: 13 August 2024 Accepted: 27 January 2025 Published: 21 February 2025

© 2025 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of the Australian Mammal Society. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)

Abstract

This communication details the implementation of field-based anaesthesia for platypuses, applied by non-veterinarians to over 500 individuals across 9 years, with a focus on enhancing animal welfare while enabling the collection of critical scientific data. By utilising portable anaesthetic machines and tailored protocols, safe handling and minimising stress during procedures such as tagging, sample collection, and minor surgeries are ensured. Given the impracticality and high costs of having veterinarians in the field along with researchers, we advocate for accreditation pathways to empower ecologists to independently perform these important procedures, thereby improving the efficiency and sustainability of wildlife research.

Keywords: animal welfare, capture techniques, conservation research, field techniques, isoflurane, mammal, monitoring vital signs, monotreme, non-invasive sampling, portable anaesthetic machines, wildlife handling.

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