IMMOBILIZATION OF HIMALAYAN TAHR WITH A XYLAZINE–KETAMINE MIXTURE AND REVERSAL WITH ATIPAMEZOLE UNDER FIELD CONDITIONS

• Published in: Journal of wildlife diseases Vol. 42; no. 3; pp. 633 - 639
• Main Authors: Dematteis, A., Menzano, A., Tizzani, P., Karmacharya, B., Meneguz, P. G., Lovari, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Wildlife Disease Association 01.07.2006; Wildlife Dis Assoc
• Subjects: Adrenergic alpha-Agonists - administration & dosage; Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists - administration & dosage; Anesthesia; Anesthetics, Combined; Anesthetics, Dissociative - administration & dosage; Animals; atipamezole; CONSERVATION MEDICINE; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Female; Heart Rate - drug effects; Hemitragus jemlahicus; Himalayan tahr; Imidazoles - administration & dosage; Immobilization - methods; Immobilization - veterinary; Injections, Intramuscular - veterinary; ketamine; Ketamine - administration & dosage; Male; Nepal; Respiration - drug effects; reversal; Ruminants - physiology; Time Factors; xylazine; Xylazine - administration & dosage; Nepal
• ISSN: 0090-3558; 1943-3700
• DOI: 10.7589/0090-3558-42.3.633

Twenty-nine free-ranging Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) were darted in the Sagarmatha National Park (Nepal) using different combinations of xylazine and ketamine. Animals in Group 1 (n=4) received a mean xylazine–ketamine dose of 2.77±0.99 mg/kg xylazine plus 3.32±0.19 mg/kg ketamine in males and 2.39±0.10 mg/kg xylazine plus 4.29±0.17 mg/kg ketamine in females. Animals in Group 2 (n=25) received a mean xylazine–ketamine dose of 1.70±0.41 mg/kg xylazine plus 3.06±0.74 mg/kg ketamine in males and 1.82±0.29 mg/kg xylazine plus 3.29±0.52 mg/kg ketamine in females. No anesthetic-related mortality was recorded. Anesthesia was reversed by a standard dose of 11 mg/animal of atipamezole administered by intramuscular injection. Although all anesthetic dosages immobilized free-ranging tahr successfully, a quick and smooth recovery was obtained (11.1±5.6 min) only with the dosages of Group 2.