Dignity in Death: Our Role in Wildlife Euthanasia

1. Dignity in Death: Our Role in Wildlife Euthanasia Patrice N. Klein, MS VMD DACPV DACVPM Veterinary Consultant Second Chance Wildlife Center, Gaithersburg, MD

2. A Wildlife Rehabilitator’s Code of EthicsNWRA-IWRC Minimum Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation 2000 • “A wildlife rehabilitator should strive to provide professional and humane care in all phases of wildlife rehabilitation, respecting wildness and maintaining the dignity of each animal in life and in death. Releasable animals should be maintained in a wild condition and released as soon as appropriate.” • “Non-releasable animals that are inappropriate for education, foster-parenting, or captive breeding have a right to euthanasia.”

3. Responsibilities • Welfare of the animals • Needs of the patient • Release to the wild • Non-release options

4. Life and Death Decisions • The essential role of the wildlife rehabilitator is as an advocate for wildlife in their care • We ensure that they are treated humanely • We ensure their right to euthanasia if that is more humane than attempting treatment • A captive life can be so diminished in quality that its maintenance would be an act of cruelty • Euthanasia is a compassionate, moral alternative

5. Impacts • We lose our ability to help when: • Exhausted, overwhelmed trying to save every animal • Money, Staffing, Time are limiting resources • We should: • Direct our efforts to save animals with the best chance for return to the wild • Provide other animals with a dignified, humane death • We are the caretakers and advocates for wildlife • We educate and influence the public on wildlife conservation and habitat preservation

6. We Need to Understand…. • Why we should perform euthanasia • When it is the best course of action • How to do it humanely

8. The Quality of Life for Wildlife • Freedom • Independence • Ability to make choices • Availability of shelter and refuge • Potential to reproduce and evolve • Restoration of liberty if potentially lost by injury, disease, orphaning, displacement

9. Criteria for Release • Age and health • Physical capability • Survival skills • Food, hunting • Shelter, nest building • Waterproofing • Behavior (tame, habituated, imprinted) • Release location and habitat • Season (climate, temperature, migration)

10. What about Non-releasable Animals? • Considerations for permanent placement • Type and quality of the facility • Temperament of the animal • Rarity of species • Essential needs of wild animals in captivity • Psychological health • Physical comfort • Security • Proper diet • Companionship

12. Wild Animals That Should Not Be Released • Visual impairment in both eyes (blind) • Impaired use in two or more legs • Birds with partial/complete amputation of a leg • Birds that cannot fly • Turtles with critical shell loss/ dysfunction • Tamed, habituated, imprinted • Carriers of non-endemic diseases

14. Criteria for Electing Euthanasia • Will the animal be able to sustain a normal life in the wild with others of its own species? • Does suitable habitat exist in which to release the animal once it has recovered? • In captivity, will the animal have proper housing, nutrition, and stimulation to ensure its physical and psychological well-being?

15. Practical Considerations • Who will perform the euthanasia? • What techniques will be used? • How will the carcasses be disposed?

16. Definitions • Euthanasia • the act of inducing a painless death. • (Gk) “eu” good and “thanatos” death • Implicit in the definition of euthanasia is the needed control over the animal and its experience during the process of euthanasia

17. The Concepts of Pain • Pain:the sensation (perception) resulting from nerve impulses reaching the cerebral cortex (brain) via specific nociceptive neural pathways triggered by noxious stimuli. • Nociceptive: from noci “to injure” and ceptive “to receive” • Noxious stimuli: temperature, pressure, chemicals, trauma which may and do destroy tissues. • To experience pain, the cerebral cortex and subcortical structures in the brain must be functional.

18. The Concepts of Stress • Stress is caused by the effect of physical, physiological, and psychological factors (stressors) that induce an alteration in homeostasis or the adaptive state. • Response varies according to species, breed, age, health status. • Response is an adaptive process to restore homeostasis • Distress results when the response to stressors causes harmful effects to the well-being of the animal.

19. General Criteria for Euthanasia Methods • Rapid unconsciousness and rapid death • Minimized pain, distress, and anxiety • Minimized movements • Rapid, reliable, irreversible cardiac and respiratory arrest • Compatibility with species, age, health status • Compatibility with requirement, purpose, and subsequent evaluation/use of tissues • Predator/ scavenger safety (if carcass consumed) • Personnel safety and emotional impact • Drug availability/human abuse potential • Maintenance of equipment

20. Basic Mechanisms of Actions • Hypoxia: muscle paralytic agents are not acceptable as sole agents for euthanasia • SuccinylcholineStrychnineNicotine • Curare Gallimine K+ or Mg+ salts • Depression of vital neurons: (+/- excitatory phase) • Barbituates CO2 / CO • Inhalant anesthetics Tricaine methanesulfonate (MS-222) • Physical disruption/ destruction of brain activity • Gunshot Penetrating captive bolt • Cervical dislocation Decapitation

21. Potassium chloride in Conjunction with Prior General Anesthesia • Potassium chloride (KCl) administered IV or IC AFTER animal is under surgical plane of anesthesia. • Rapid cardiotoxic effect (1-2 mmol/kg BW) • Safe for predators/scavengers that may consume carcasses… but what about anesthetic residue? • Inexpensive and not a controlled substance • Muscle spasms may occur briefly after injection

22. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness without pain, distress Rapid and irreversible depression of CNS, cardiac, and respiratory functions Works well in many species Disadvantages DEA-Controlled substance Licensed veterinarians IV, IP routes IC only in unconscious animal Carcasses must be disposed properly, NO consumption Barbituates

23. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness Direct depression of CNS Veterinary prescription Relatively inexpensive Disadvantages Species, age, health limits Resistance to effects in the young, the old, and with respiratory impairment May be reversible Proper ventilation required for personnel safety May need second method to ensure death Inhalant anesthetics(halothane, isoflurane, sevoflurane)

24. Advantages Moderately rapid loss of consciousness Direct depression of CNS, resp. and cardiac functions Inexpensive Compressed gas cylinders No accumulation in tissues Disadvantages Species, age, health limits Aquatic animals, neonates, debilitated animals more resistant to CO2 levels Small birds/mammals (<7 kg) Reptiles/amphibians breathe too slowly for CO2 Irritant to respiratory mucosa (carbonic acid) Inhalant Gases(Carbon Dioxide/ CO2)

25. YES NO

26. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness and death at 4-6% CO concs. Direct depression of CNS, resp. and cardiac functions Binds irreversibly to RBC hemoglobin  hypoxemia Compressed gas cylinders Commercial chambers ($$) Disadvantages Very hazardous- gas is odorless and tasteless; 0.4% lethal for humans OSHA regulations Small mammals use Inhalant Gases(Carbon Monoxide/ CO)

27. Advantages Used in aquatic tanks for amphibians and fish Moderately rapid loss of consciousness and death at proper exposure concentration >250 mg/L solution, continue exposure >10 minutes after movement cessation Disadvantages 21-day withdrawal time, not for use in food animal Anesthesia only at lower concentrations: reversible Moderately expensive Proper storage conditions Tricaine methane sulfonate (MS-222)

29. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness and death with proper use Direct destruction of brain tissue with proper use Must know anatomy! Field emergency use Carcasses may be consumed Disadvantages Personnel safety Firearm permits Government ordinances Maintenance of skill and proficiency required Animal restraint needed for accuracy RVS testing constraints Gunshot to the Brain

31. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness and death with proper use Direct destruction of brain tissue with proper use Must know anatomy! Carcasses may be consumed Disadvantages Maintenance of skill and proficiency required May require firearm permits Animal restraint for accuracy Maintenance of equipment Penetrating Captive Bolt

32. Advantages Moderately rapid loss of consciousness and death Severs spinal cord and ascending pain pathways to brain Carcasses may be consumed No special equipment needed Must know anatomy! Disadvantages Mastery of technical skill and proficiency required Use limited to small birds and small rodents (<200 gm) Prior sedation recommended Residual brain electrical activity (13-14 secs) ??? Must know anatomy! Cervical Dislocation

33. Cervical DislocationAvian Skeletal Anatomy

34. Advantages Rapid unconsciousness and death Severs spinal cord and ascending pain pathways to brain Carcasses may be consumed Disadvantages Handling/ restraint may be distressful to animals Personnel safety/ injury Prior sedation recommended Residual brain electrical activity (13-14 secs) ??? Maintenance of equipment Decapitation

35. Adjunctive Methods NOT AS SOLE METHODS FOR EUTHANASIA Must be used with another method to ensure humane death • Stunning • Blunt force trauma • Non-penetrating captive bolt • Electrical stunning • Neuromuscular blocking agents • Pithing • Exsanguination

36. Unacceptable Methods • Neuromuscular blocking agents (alone) • Drowning • Freezing • Thoracic compression • Acetone • dimethyl ketone • “Nighty-nite” • Air embolism

37. O2 CO2

38. Birds Sodium Pentobarbital Isoflurane, sevoflurane CO2 (+/- prior sedation) Anesthesia followed by cervical dislocation Reptiles Sodium pentobarbital Isoflurane, sevoflurane Anesthesia (inj.)followed by destruction of brain function (pithing, decapitation) Time to lethal effect of a chemical method may be prolonged and may require use of a secondary method to ensure death. Summary of Euthanasia Methods

39. Rodents, Bats, and Small Mammals Sodium pentobarbital Prior sedation may be required for restraint Isoflurane, sevoflurane Anesthesia followed by cervical dislocation Hoofstock (deer) Sodium pentobarbital Prior chemical or physical immobilization required for restraint Gunshot to the brain Penetrating captive bolt Summary of Euthanasia Methods

40. Additional Information • AVMA: www.avma.org • 2007 AVMA Guidelines on Euthanasia • AAZV: www.aazv.org • Guidelines for Euthanasia of Nondomestic Animals, 2006 • Animal Welfare Institute, NAL/USDA: www.nal.usda.gov • UFAW: www.ufaw.org.uk • HSUS: www.hsus.org • AHA: www.american-humane.org • USFWS Regional Permit Offices: www.usfws.gov • OSHA: www.osha.gov

41. Questions? Patrice.N.Klein@aphis.usda.gov patriceklein@hotmail.com (W) 301-734-0738