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To catch a buffalo: field immobilisation of Asian swamp buffalo using etorphine and xylazine
Author(s) -
MCMAHON CR,
BRADSHAW CJA
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
australian veterinary journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.382
H-Index - 59
eISSN - 1751-0813
pISSN - 0005-0423
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-0813.2008.00303.x
Subject(s) - xylazine , etorphine , bubalus , swamp , dose , zoology , veterinary medicine , biology , anesthesia , chemistry , medicine , ketamine , pharmacology , opioid , ecology , biochemistry , (+) naloxone , receptor
Objective To demonstrate the efficacy of a mixture of etorphine and xylazine to safely immobilise wild buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ) in the field. Methods Body mass was estimated (to calculate mass‐specific dosages) by deriving a predictive relationship between morphometric measurements (body length, height) and mass based on a dataset collected in Vietnam, because the study animals could not be weighed in the field. Results Mass‐specific dosages varied between 0.02 and 0.03 mg/kg for etorphine and between 0.14 and 0.22 mg/kg for xyalazine; induction times varied between 10 and 33 min, mean recumbency time was 68 min, and the mean time to standing was 10 min (range: 10–17 min). Conclusions The mixture of ethorphine and xylazine was effective for immobilisation of this species and appeared to have a relatively large safety margin, based on the mass‐specific dosages used. The allometric relationships described here should prove useful for those working with wild swamp buffalo.