IMMOBILIZATION AND PHYSIOLOGICAL-PARAMETERS ASSOCIATED WITH CHEMICAL RESTRAINT OF WILD PIGS WITH TELAZOL(R) AND XYLAZINE HYDROCHLORIDE

We used a combination of Telazol(R) (3.3 mg/kg) and xylazine hydrochlo ride (1.6 mg/kg) to immobilize 144 wild pigs (Sus scrofa) with blow da rts. This drug combination was safe and effective for rapidly immobili zing animals ranging in size from 34 to >170 kg and avoided difficulti es associated with hand injections. For 123 single injection immobiliz ations, mean (+/- SD) induction times and effective handling periods a veraged 5 (+/- 2.5) and 52 (+/- 18) min. respectively, and animals gen erally recovered for release within 120 min of initial injections. Ani mals that required two injections to immobilize (n = 21) received lowe r initial doses of Telazol(R) and xylazine hydrochloride than those im mobilized with a single injection because of errors in estimating body sizes; we found that there was a threshold dose required to immobiliz e wild pigs from 2.8 to 3.3 mg/kg Telazol(R) and 1.4 to 1.6 mg/kg xyla zine. Although neither age or sex influenced immobilization parameters , animals in good condition required longer to recover than those in p oor condition. However animals immobilized with two injections recover ed as rapidly as those immobilized with a single injection. Heart rate s and body temperatures declined slightly during the immobilization pe riod, but respiration rates and blood oxygen saturation levels remaine d stable. In general, single injection immobilizations were preferable because they minimized problems associated with injecting partially i mmobilized animals. Because it was difficult to accurately estimate th e sizes of large wild pigs (greater than or equal to 90 kg), and becau se wild pigs thai. were partially immobilized were difficult to handle , we recommend increasing the drug doses to 4 mg/kg Telazol(R) and 2 m g/kg xylazine hydrochloride when injecting relatively large animals to assure single injection immobilizations. Although recovery periods ma y be prolonged, higher doses of Telazol(R) and xylazine should be safe based on data from domestic pigs.