Corondi, A.M., Brown, J.D., Banfield, J.E. and Walter, W.D. (2024). Comparison of Butorphanol-Azaperone-Medetomidine and Nalbuphine-Medetomidine-Azaperone in Free-Ranging Elk (Cervus canadensis) in Pennsylvania, USA. Journal of Wildlife Diseases, 60(4). doi:https://doi.org/10.7589/jwd-d-23-00127.
Abstract
Capture and handling of free-ranging elk (Cervus canadensis) requires chemical immobilization for the safety of the animal and people involved in the event. Important characteristics of an immobilization agent include minimal side effects, adequate potency, rapid induction, controllable duration, and widely available and legal to use by researchers. Increasingly, wildlife captures are being conducted with drug combinations that provide safe and effective chemical immobilization and achieve many of the characteristics listed above. Butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM) and nalbuphine-medetomidine-azaperone (NalMed-A) are formulated drug combinations that are available in the US and are frequently used for immobilization of ungulates. From January 2020 to April 2022, 196 free-ranging female elk were immobilized in Pennsylvania, USA, using either BAM or NalMed-A under two conditions: free-darting with a CO2 powered dart rifle or darting at close range with a CO2 powered pistol while the elk is contained in a Clover trap. We assessed the quality of each drug combination based on vital rates, induction and reversal times, and sedation quality. We found that BAM and NalMed-A performed equally well in terms of vital rates and induction and reversal times. Supplemental drug administration was more frequently required to achieve a safe level of sedation when using NalMed-A.