To catch a dog: animal welfare director Mario Spiteri demonstrates the latest in safe animal tranquilising hardware
It might look like an advanced piece of military hardware issued by the Pentagon for troops in Iraq, but this animal tranquillising dart-gun – the only one of its kind licensed for use in Malta – uses the same technology available in most ordinary pea-shooters.
But with an important difference: rather than peas or pellets, this airgun fires a dart-shaped syringe containing any of a number of tranquillisers approved by vets for sedating various animals.
In conjunction with a hand-held electronic range finder – similar to those used by architects and civil engineers – the user can calculate the precise distance to the target, so that the pressure of the compressed air can be accurately calibrated for optimal power.
A separate gauge on the rifle handle, coupled with a detailed manual, allows the user to make quick calculations of the dosage required, depending the type of animal and its estimated size and weight.
In years gone by, the task of restraining dogs and other animals normally fell to the police, who did not have the luxury of such sophisticated technology at their disposal. The previous dart-gun, now obsolete, was altogether less precise, and used metal darts instead of the lightweight plastic syringes used by Dartinject. Also there was no calibration of power for different distances, nor any precise way to calculate the proper dosage.
The results were not always optimal. In one case, a chimpanzee – escaped from a local private collection of exotic animals some years ago – was unintentionally killed when the tranquilliser dart penetrated its heart.
A dart-gun like this would almost certainly have saved the primate’s life, had it been available at the time. But still, there are some cases where the gun cannot be used, and others where the animal cannot be so easily darted.
As a rule, the gun is never used on cats, as alternative methods such as traps or drugged morsels of food tend to work just as well. Dogs, however, are another story.
“It is practically impossible to trap a dog in the same way as a cat,” director of animal welfare Mario Spiteri explains. “They always realise what’s happening...”
Having said that, most abandoned or stray dogs need very little coaxing or encouragement to allow themselves to be caught. The overwhelming majority will be quite happy to jump straight into the dogcatcher’s arms.
It is only potentially dangerous dogs that need to be sedated. Spiteri confirms that, in the few weeks this gun has been in service, some 40 problem dogs have so far been “darted” without any mishaps to date. Other than the side effects of the tranquilliser itself (which, in animals as in humans, may produce the occasional adverse reaction) the dart itself does not cause any lasting damage or even any visible wounds.
It has also been used on larger animals such as bulls and horses, and in one exceptional case, even a South American llama (a distant relative of the camel)... but Spiteri points out it is not ideal for use on animals destined for the abattoir, as the drugs may take several days to be removed from the animals’ system, possibly affecting the quality of the meat.
There are other restrictions, too. Hunters and/or bird trappers will be interested to know that the dart gun, while working very well on all types of mammals, is not advisable for use on avifauna. Birds are notoriously delicate creatures, and the required dosage difficult to calculate, so there is always a chance that the sedative may kill the intended recipient.
Weapons collectors and firearms enthusiasts will also be disappointed to know that the Dartinject is not a product sold on the market, and in fact is obtainable only from one Danish manufacturer, and only if certain conditions are observed.
Owing to its propensity for use in crime, the gun can only be purchased by government departments involved in agriculture and/or veterinary control, or at most by a country’s police force. Even then, only one person – in Malta’s case, Dr Spiteri – may be authorised to use the gun in any one territory.
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