title: Trap-effectiveness and response to tiletamine-zolazepam and medetomidine anaesthesia in Eurasian wild boar captured with cage and corral traps.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Capture, handling and chemical restraint are basic techniques often needed for research or management purposes. The aim of this study was testing a combination of tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) (3 mg/kg) and medetomidine (M) (0.05 mg/kg) on Eurasian wild boar (Sus scrofa). A total of 77 free-ranging wild boar were captured by means of portable cages and corral traps and then anaesthetized with intramuscular darts using a blowpipe. The individual response to chemical immobilization was characterized using anaesthetic, clinical, and serum biochemical variables. After the procedure, 14 of these wild boar were monitored for 20 days using GPS-GSM collars.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pre-release mortality during capture and handling (6.5%) was associated with severe trauma in corral traps. Capture specificity for wild boar was 96.3% and trapping effort was 16.5 days per captured wild boar. Mean induction period was 4.5 ± 2.2 min, hypnosis period enabling effective handling was 61.6 ± 25.4 min, and recovery period was 12.8 ± 12.1 min. No heart or respiratory failure due to added stress occurred and post-release monitoring by GPS-devices revealed no mortality due to anaesthesia. According to the best statistical model obtained, the main factor driving anaesthetic efficacy and stress indicators is trap type.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both cage and corral traps are efficient methods to capture wild boar. Cage traps are safer, as demonstrated by mortality rates as well as anaesthetic, physiological, and serum biochemical responses. This anaesthetic protocol is useful for prolonged handling of wild boar and allows sampling and collecting data for ecological and epidemiological studies.
authors.affiliation: Sanidad y Biotecnología, Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC; CSIC - UCLM - JCCM), Ronda de Toledo, Ciudad Real sn 13005, Spain. joseangel.barasona@uclm.es
authors.forename: José Angel
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Barasona
authors.forename: Jorge Ramón
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: López-Olvera
authors.forename: Beatriz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beltrán-Beck
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gortázar
authors.forename: Joaquín
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vicente
mesh_terms: D000758:Anesthesia / Q000662:veterinary*; D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D000818:Animals; D004338:Drug Combinations; D005260:Female; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D008297:Male; D020926:Medetomidine; D012149:Restraint, Physical / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D013030:Spain; D034421:Sus scrofa; D013992:Tiletamine; D015041:Zolazepam
chemical_list: D000778:Anesthetics, Dissociative; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; C006131:tiletamine, zolazepam drug combination; D013992:Tiletamine; D015041:Zolazepam; D020926:Medetomidine