Darting / Chemical capture

Since some of the lions were to have their collar changed, we learned the basics of darting.

When you immobilize an animal by using chemicals it is called Darting.

There are several reason to immobilize an animal:

• Research
  
• Translocation
  
• Removal of snare
  

BASIC ETHICS: Have an important reason to dart an animal !!!!!!!

The preparation of the wild animal for some form of chemical restraint, sedation or anesthesia most often must be made without the benefit of a physical examination to determine the physiological condition or specific needs.The drug to be used for darting depends on the animal.

A common drug to be used on many animal (not primates, lions and leopards) is the drug M99. This drug is 10.000 times more powerfull than morphine so one have to be very carefull when calculating the dose to give and as well being carefull not to injure yourself or others with the needle as this will put a person in immediate danger.

When the animal has been immobilized several physical safety procedures for the animal are to be followed:

Take care of what position you put the animal depending on what kind of stomach they have. The elephant for example cannot breath if he is resting on his chest.
Cover their eyes, it calms the animal, prevent from drying and dilate.
Some animals will vomit from the drug. Be carefull with the tongue that it doesn't fall back.
Monitor dangerous animals that they don't wake up.

SAFETY RULE: Minimum 4 persons in a Dart-team when darting a dangerous animal