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Wildlife Research Wildlife Research Society
Ecology, management and conservation in natural and modified habitats
REVIEW (Open Access)

Animal welfare testing for shooting and darting free-ranging wildlife: a review and recommendations

Jordan O. Hampton https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0472-3241 A L , Jon M. Arnemo B , Richard Barnsley C , Marc Cattet D , Pierre-Yves Daoust E , Anthony J. DeNicola F , Grant Eccles G , Don Fletcher C , Lyn A. Hinds https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4125-2357 H , Rob Hunt G , Timothy Portas I , Sigbjørn Stokke J , Bruce Warburton K and Claire Wimpenny C
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A University of Melbourne, Parkville, Vic. 3052, Australia.

B Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, NO-2480, Koppang, Norway and Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-90183 Umeå, Sweden.

C Australian Capital Territory Government, GPO Box 158, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

D RGL Recovery Wildlife Health and Veterinary Services, 415 Allison Crescent, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.

E University of Prince Edward Island, 550 University Avenue, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada.

F White Buffalo Incorporated, 26 Davison Road, Moodus, CT 06469, USA.

G New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service, GPO Box 1967, Hurstville, NSW 1481, Australia.

H CSIRO Health and Biosecurity, GPO Box 1700, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia.

I Zoo and Wildlife Veterinary Consultancy, 6 Mary Cairncross Avenue, Maleny, Qld 4552, Australia.

J Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgard, Trondheim, Norway.

K Landcare Research, PO Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, New Zealand.

L Corresponding author. Email: jordan.hampton@unimelb.edu.au

Wildlife Research 48(7) 577-589 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR20107
Submitted: 24 June 2020  Accepted: 14 February 2021   Published: 28 April 2021

Journal Compilation © CSIRO 2021 Open Access CC BY-NC-ND

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.

Keywords: ethics, fertility control, human dimensions, pest control, population control.


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