An analysis of mechanical failure of darts and costs involved in drug immobilization of elephant and buffalo

Summary The failure and success achieved while attempting to immobilize sixty‐two elephants ( Loxodonta africana ) and twenty‐five African buffalo {Syncerus coffer ) with etorphine hydrochloride administered by syringe projectile are described. Failures due to mechanical causes are divided into those occurring before and those occurring after injection. In the elephant series the most frequent cause of mechanical failure before injection was due to the dart bouncing off the target animal often coupled with bending or breaking of the needle. In the buffalo series, misfires due to faulty cartridges were responsible for most of the failures before injection, but bounce‐offs were common, too. Failure to immobilize or inadequate immobilization following apparently successful darting of both elephant and buffalo was most often due to the penetration of the plunger by the detonator. A breakdown of the cost of immobilizing forty elephant and twenty buffalo is given. Total costs for each animal successfully immobilized were U. Shs. 323.0 and U. Shs. 359.9 for elephant and buffalo respectively.