Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T15:49:13.900Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A simple quantitative method for assessing animal welfare outcomes in terrestrial wildlife shooting: the European rabbit as a case study

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2023

JO Hampton ,
DM Forsyth ,
DI Mackenzie  and
IG Stuart
JO Hampton*
Affiliation:
Murdoch University, 90 South Street, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia Ecotone Wildlife Veterinary Services, PO Box 1126, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia
DM Forsyth
Affiliation:
Department of Zoology, The University of Melbourne, VIC 3010, Australia
DI Mackenzie
Affiliation:
Proteus Wildlife Research Consultants, PO Box 5193, Dunedin, New Zealand
IG Stuart
Affiliation:
Kingfisher Research, 177 Progress Road, Eltham, VIC 3095, Australia
*
* Contact for correspondence and requests for reprints: j.hampton@ecotonewildlife.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Shooting is widely used to reduce the abundances of terrestrial wildlife populations, but there is concern about the animal welfare outcomes (‘humaneness’) of these programmes. Management agencies require methods for assessing the animal welfare outcomes of terrestrial wildlife shooting programmes. We identified four key issues in previous studies assessing the animal welfare outcomes of shooting programmes: (i) biased sampling strategies; (ii) no direct ante mortem observations; (iii) absence of quantifiable parameters for benchmarking; and (iv) no evaluation of explanatory variables that may cause adverse welfare outcomes. We used methods that address these issues to assess the welfare outcomes of a European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) shooting programme in south-eastern Australia. An independent observer collected ante mortem (distance, timing and outcome of each shot fired) and post mortem (locations of bullet wounds) data. The ante mortem data were used to estimate three critical animal welfare parameters: apparent time to death (ATTD); instantaneous death rate (IDR); and wounding rate (WR). The post mortem data were used to evaluate the location of bullet wounds relative to the Australian national standard operating procedure (SOP). For rabbits, the mean IDR was 0.60, ATTD was 12 s and WR was 0.12. A large proportion of rabbits (0.75) were shot in the cranium or thorax, as required by the SOP. Logistic regression indicated that the proportion of rabbits wounded and missed increased with shooting distance. Hence, reducing shooting distances would increase the humaneness of European rabbit shooting programmes. Our approach enables the animal welfare outcomes of terrestrial shooting programmes to be independently quantified.

Keywords

animal welfareEuropean rabbithuntinginstantaneous death ratetime to deathwounding rate
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Welfare , Volume 24 , Issue 3 , August 2015 , pp. 307 - 317
Copyright
© 2015 Universities Federation for Animal Welfare

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, DR 2001 The need to get the basics right in wildlife field studies. Wildlife Society Bulletin 29: 1294–1297Google Scholar
Bateson, P and Bradshaw, EL 1997 Physiological effects of hunting red deer (Cervus elaphus). Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B 264: 1707–1714. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.1997.0237CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Beausoleil, NJ and Mellor, DJ 2014 Advantages and limitations of the Five Domains model for assessing welfare impacts associated with vertebrate pest control. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 62: 1–17Google Scholar
Bradshaw, EL and Bateson, P 2000 Welfare implications of culling red deer (Cervus elaphus). Animal Welfare 9: 3–24Google Scholar
Brakes, P and Donoghue, M 2006 Comprehensive and stan-dardised data on whale killing: welfare considerations. Proceedings of the Workshop on Whale Killing Methods and Associated Welfare Issues pp 1–4. 11–13 June 2006, St Kitts and Nevis. International Whaling Commission: Cambridge, UK. http://archive.iwcoffice.org/_documents/commission/IWC58docs/58-WKM&AWI7.pdfGoogle Scholar
Burnham, KP and Anderson, DR 2002 Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: a Practical Information-Theoretic Approach, Model Selection and Multimodel Inference: a Practical Information-Theoretic Approach, Springer-Verlag: New York, USAGoogle Scholar
Butterworth, A and Richardson, M 2013 A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commercial seal hunt. Marine Policy 38: 457–469. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2012.07.006CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caudell, JN 2013 Review of wound ballistic research and its applicability to wildlife management. Wildlife Society Bulletin 37:824–831. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/wsb.311CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caudell, JN, West, BC, Griffin, B and Davis, K 2009 Fostering greater professionalism with firearms in the wildlife arena. In: Boulanger, J (eds) Proceedings of the Thirteenth Wildlife Damage Management Conference pp 95–99. 4-7 May 2009, Saratoga Springs, New York, USA. The Wildlife Society: Bethesda, USA.Google Scholar
Cockram, MS, Shaw, DJ, Milne, E, Bryce, R, McClean, C and Daniels, MJ 2011 Comparison of effects of different methods of culling red deer (Cervus elaphus) by shooting on behaviour and post mortem measurements of blood chemistry, muscle glycogen and carcase characteristics. Animal Welfare 20: 211–224CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowled, BD, Elsworth, P and Lapidge, SJ 2008 Additional tox-ins for feral pig (Sus scrofa) control: identifying and testing Achilles’ heels. Wildlife Research 35: 651–662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR07072CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daoust, PY and Caraguel, C 2012 The Canadian harp seal hunt: observations on the effectiveness of procedures to avoid poor animal welfare outcomes. Animal Welfare 21: 445–455. http://dx.doi.org/10.7120/09627286.21.4.445CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daoust, PY, Hammill, M, Stenson, G and Caraguel, C 2014 A review of animal welfare implications of the Canadian commer-cial seal hunt: a critique. Marine Policy 43: 367–371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2013.07.012CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Defra 2013 Monitoring the Humaneness Of Badger Population Reduction by Controlled Shooting. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: London, UK. http://www.gov.uk/govern-ment/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/300388/humaneness-report.pdfGoogle Scholar
Di Maio, VJM 1999 Gunshot Wounds: Practical Aspects of Firearms, Ballistics, and Forensic Techniques, Second Edition. CRC Press: Boca Raton, USAGoogle Scholar
Gales, N, Leaper, R and Papastavrou, V 2008 Is Japan's whaling humane? Marine Policy 32: 408–412. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2007.08.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Grandin, T 2010 Auditing animal welfare at slaughter plants. Meat Science 86: 65–65. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2010.04.022Google ScholarPubMed
Gregory, NG 2005 Bowhunting deer. Animal Welfare 14: 111–116Google Scholar
Gregory, NG, Milne, LM, Rhodes, AT, Littin, KE, Wickstrom, M and Eason, CT 1998 Effect of potassium cyanide on behaviour and time to death in possums. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 46: 60–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00480 169.1998.36057CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hamilton, GD and Weeks, HP Jr 1985 Cortisol and aldos-terone comparisons of cottontail rabbits collected by shooting, trapping, and falconry. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 21: 40–42. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-21.1.40CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hampton, JO, Cowled, BD, Perry, AL, Miller, CJ, Jones, B and Hart, Q 2014 A quantitative analysis of animal welfare out-comes in helicopter shooting: a case study with feral dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Wildlife Research 41: 127–145. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR13216CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hattingh, J, Cornelius, ST, Ganhao, MF and Fonesca, F 1986 Arterial blood gas composition, consciousness and death in rabbits. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 57: 13–16Google ScholarPubMed
Henderson, RJ, Frampton, CM, Morgan, DR and Hickling, GJ 1999 The efficacy of baits containing 1080 for control of brushtail possums. Journal of Wildlife Management 63: 1138–1151. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3802832CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hoffman, LC 2000 Meat quality attributes of night-cropped Impala (Aepyceros melampus). South African Journal of Animal Science 30: 133–138. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/sajas.v30i2.3862CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hollerman, JJ, Fackler, ML, Coldwell, DM and Ben-Menachem, Y 1990 Gunshot wounds: 1. Bullets, ballistics, and mechanisms of injury. American Journal of Roentgenology 155: 685–690. http://dx.doi.org/10.2214/ajr.155.4.2119095CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Iossa, G, Soulsbury, CD and Harris, S 2007 Mammal trapping: a review of animal welfare standards of killing and restraining traps. Animal Welfare 16: 335–352Google Scholar
Jacobson, HA, Kirkpatrick, RL, Burkhart, HE and Davis, JW 1978 Hematologic comparisons of shot and live trapped cotton-tail rabbits. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 14: 82–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-14.1.82CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jacques, CN, Jenks, JA, Deperno, CS, Sievers, JD, Grovenburg, TW, Brinkman, TJ, Swanson, CC and Stillings, BA 2009 Evaluating ungulate mortality associated with helicopter net-gun captures in the northern Great Plains. The Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 282–1291. http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2009-039Google Scholar
Jenkins, HE, Woodroffe, R and Donnelly, CA 2010 The duration of the effects of repeated widespread badger culling on cat-tle tuberculosis following the cessation of culling. PLoS One 5: e9090. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0009090CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaplan, EL and Meier, P 1958 Non-parametric estimation from incomplete observations. Journal of the American Statistical Association 53: 457–481. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01621459.1958.10501452CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kestin, SC 1995 Welfare aspects of the commercial slaughter of whales. Animal Welfare 4: 11–27Google Scholar
Knudsen, SK 2005 A review of the criteria used to assess insen-sibility and death in hunted whales compared to other species. The Veterinary Journal 169: 42–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.t vjl.2004.02.007CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewis, AR, Pinchin, AM and Kestin, SC 1997 Welfare implications of the night shooting of wild impala (Aepyceros melampus). Animal Welfare 6: 123–131Google Scholar
Liste, G, Villarroel, M, Chacón, G, Sañudo, C, Olleta, JL, García-Belenguer, S, Alierta, S and Maria, GA 2009 Effect of lairage duration on rabbit welfare and meat quality. Meat Science 82: 71–76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.meatsci.2008.12.005CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Littin, K, Fisher, P, Beausoleil, NJ and Sharp, T 2014 Welfare aspects of vertebrate pest control and culling: ranking control techniques for humaneness. Revue Scientifique et Technique (International Office of Epizootics) 33: 281–289Google ScholarPubMed
Littin, KE 2010 Animal welfare and pest control: meeting both conservation and animal welfare goals. Animal Welfare 19: 171–176CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ludders, JW, Schmidt, RH, Dein, FJ and Klein, PN 1999 Drowning is not euthanasia. Wildlife Society Bulletin 27: 666–670Google Scholar
Marks, CA 2010 Haematological and biochemical responses of red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) to different capture methods and shooting. Animal Welfare 19: 223–234CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Marks, CA, Gigliotti, F, Busana, F, Johnston, M and Lindeman, M 2004 Fox control using a para-aminopropriophenone formulation with the M-44 ejector. Animal Welfare 13: 401–407Google Scholar
McLeod, SJ, Saunders, GR and Miners, A 2011 Can shooting be an effective management tool for foxes? Preliminary insights from a management programme. Ecological Management and Restoration 12: 224–226. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-8903.2011.00613.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
McLeod, SR and Sharp, TM 2014 Improving the humaneness of commercial kangaroo harvesting. Rural Industries Research and Development Corporation: Canberra, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Mellor, DJ and Littin, KE 2004 Using science to support ethical decisions promoting humane livestock slaughter and vertebrate pest control. Animal Welfare 13: 127–132Google Scholar
Mormède, P, Andanson, S, Aupérin, B, Beerda, B, Guémené, D, Malmkvist, J, Manteca, X, Manteuffel, G, Prunet, P, van Reenen, CG, Richard, S and Veissier, I 2007 Exploration of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function as a tool to evaluate animal welfare. Physiology and Behavior 92: 317–339. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2006.12.003CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newhook, JC and Blackmore, DK 1982 Electroencephalographic studies of stunning and slaughter of sheep and calves: part 1 - the onset of permanent insensibility in sheep during slaughter. Meat Science 6: 221–233. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0309-1740(82)90031-6CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nimmo, DG and Miller, KK 2007 Ecological and human dimensions of management of feral horses in Australia: a review. Wildlife Research 34: 408–417.http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR06102CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noer, H, Madsen, J and Hartman, P 2007 Reducing wounding of game by shotgun hunting: effects of a Danish action plan on pink-footed geese. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: 653–662. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2007.01293.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parker, H, Rosell, F and Danielsen, J 2006 Efficacy of cartridge type and projectile design in the harvest of beaver. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34: 127–130. http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/0091-7648(2006)34[127:EOCTAP]2.0.CO;2CrossRefGoogle Scholar
R Development Core Team 2010 R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing: Vienna, AustriaGoogle Scholar
Reddiex, B, Forsyth, DM, McDonald-Madden, E, Einoder, LD, Griffioen, PA, Chick, RR and Robley, AJ 2006 Control of pest mammals for biodiversity protection in Australia I. Patterns of control and monitoring. Wildlife Research 33: 691–709. http://dx.doi.org/10.1071/WR05102CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Romesburg, HC 1981 Wildlife science: gaining reliable knowl-edge. Journal of Wildlife Management 45: 293–313. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3807913CrossRefGoogle Scholar
RSPCA Australia 2002 Kangaroo Shooting Code Compliance. RSPCA Australia: Canberra, Australia. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodi-versity/wildlife-trade/publications/kangaroo-report/index.htmlGoogle Scholar
Sharp, T 2011 Standard Operating Procedure HOR002: Aerial shooting of horses. Invasive Animals CRC: Canberra, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Sharp, T and Saunders, G 2011 A Model for Assessing the Relative Humaneness of Pest Animal Control Methods, Second Edition. Australian Government Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry: Canberra, AustraliaGoogle Scholar
Sjare, B and Stenson, GB 2002 Estimating struck and loss rates for harp seals (Pagophilus groenlandicus) in the Northwest Atlantic. Marine Mammal Science 18: 710–720. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-7692.2002.tb01068.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stormer, FA, Kirkpatrick, CM and Hoekstra, TW 1979 Hunter-inflicted wounding of white-tailed deer. Wildlife Society Bulletin 7: 10–16Google Scholar
Thompson, HV and King, CM 1994 The European Rabbit: The History and Biology of a Successful Colonizer. Oxford University Press: Oxford, UKGoogle Scholar
Urquhart, KA and McKendrick, IJ 2003 Survey of permanent wound tracts in the carcases of culled wild red deer in Scotland. Veterinary Record 152: 497–501. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.152.16.497CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Urquhart, KA and McKendrick, IJ 2006 Prevalence of ‘head shooting’ and the characteristics of the wounds in culled wild Scottish red deer. Veterinary Record 159: 75–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/vr.159.3.75CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warburton, B, Gregory, NG and Morriss, G 2000 Effect of jaw shape in kill-traps on time to loss of palpebral reflexes in brushtail possums. Journal of Wildlife Diseases 36: 92–96. http://dx.doi.org/10.7589/0090-3558-36.1.92CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warburton, B and Norton, BG 2009 Towards a knowledge-based ethic for lethal control of nuisance wildlife. Journal of Wildlife Management 73: 158–164. http://dx.doi.org/10.2193/2007-313CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Warburton, B, Tompkins, DM, Choquenot, D and Cowan, P 2012 Minimising number killed in long-term vertebrate pest management programmes, and associated economic incentives. Animal Welfare 21: 141–149. http://dx.doi.org/10.7120/096272812X13345905674123CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Williams, BK, Nichols, JD and Conroy, MJ 2002 Analysis and Management of Animal Populations. Academic Press: San Diego, USAGoogle Scholar
Williams, K, Parer, I, Coman, B, Burley, J and Braysher, M 1995 Managing Vertebrate Pests: Rabbits. Australian Government Publishing Service: Canberra, AustraliaGoogle Scholar