EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION AND TRANSLOCATION OF SELECTED WILD HERBIVORES AT YANKARI GAME RESERVE AND SUMU WILDLIFE PARK, BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA
EVALUATION OF CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION AND TRANSLOCATION OF SELECTED WILD HERBIVORES AT YANKARI GAME RESERVE AND SUMU WILDLIFE PARK, BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA
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Date
2014-05
Authors
ABDURRAHMAN, MOHAMMED
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Abstract
The study was conducted to assess the suitability or otherwise of the capture and restrain techniques as well as the transportation of wildlife in the Yankari game Reserve and Sumu Wildlife Park, Bauchi State using chemical immobilization. A total of twenty five (25) wild herbivores were captured and translocated during this study. Chemical immobilization or anaesthesia was conducted using a combination of an opioid, etorphine hydrochloride at an average dose of 7 mg and a tranquilizer belonging to the class of alpha 2 agonist, medetomidine to potentiate the etorphine Hcl. effect in the same remote delivering dart at an average dose of 6 mg. The animals were successfully anaesthesized after 5 to 15 minutes for all the species captured and there was no statistical significant difference (P>0.05) between the recumbency and recovery time among species. Azaperone was also used as a short acting tranquilizer before the administration of the reversal agent Naltrexone which antagonizes the effect of the etorphine. Perphenazine was used alongside with azaperone during the cause of translocation as a long acting tranquilizer. No animal was lost during the cause of translocation and as such the combination of Perphenazine and Azaperone was judged satisfactory. This work proved that the mixture of etorphine Hcl. as an anaesthetic drug and medetomidine as a tranquilizer facilitated handling and reduced stress of free-ranging animals. In conclusion, this anaesthetic combination has proven to have rapid onset, safe, effective and potent. The anaesthetic reversal was rapid with minimal undesirable side effects.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY ZARIA, NIGERIA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN VETERINARY ANAESTHESIA DEPARTMENT OF VETERINARY SURGERY AND RADIOLOGY, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA. MAY, 2014
Keywords
EVALUATION,, CHEMICAL IMMOBILIZATION,, TRANSLOCATION,, WILD HERBIVORES,, YANKARI GAME RESERVE,, SUMU WILDLIFE PARK,, BAUCHI STATE, NIGERIA