A Scooping Review on Anesthesia in Wild Animals

Authors: Pal M , Beshir M, Lemma M , Mekonnen M , Regassa M and Bhardwaj N

DOI: 10.23880/oajvsr-16000281

Volume 10, Issue 1

Abstract

Different ancient cultures kept wild animals in captivity in collections, but there are essentially no records of the veterinary care that may have been provided to these animals. Live capture of wild animals by chemical immobilization was introduced in the1950’s. As a result, several novel capture techniques, darting tools and drug administration techniques have been created and applied to a variety of wildlife species. Even though captive wildlife in zoological collections is more protected they still pose challenges compared to domestic animal surgery. In captive, immobilization of wild animals is often required for health examination and for diagnosis and treatment of disease. Improvement of chemical capture is an important part of wildlife conservation and animal welfare to minimize distress for the animals and the risk of morbidity and mortality. Veterinarians warn that such field anesthesia is especially difficult because the pre-anesthetic evaluation of an animal's health is restricted to characteristics that are easily observed. Darting from a helicopter to the ground as a means of capture, followed by physical restraint and drug injection. Radio collaring is essential for understanding an animal’s movement patterns, but capture and immobilization can alter an animal’s activity pat stern for days to weeks following capture. Many wild animals are particularly dangerous, and it is essential that the animal reaches deep level of sedation or anesthesia before any human gets close and that it remains in this level for the entire procedure. as well as for wild animals in particular, where residual sedation or re narcotization can cause injury after release and where it is crucial to return to normal behavior as soon as possible, anesthesia recovery should be quick and complete. Veterinarians should be knowledgeable about the physiology, behaviour, and natural history of the target species in order to achieve a better chemical immobilization while capturing wild animals. All equipment must also be thoroughly checked before usage.

Keywords: Anesthesia; Capture; Chemical; Darting; Immobilization; Wildlife

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