Humane slaughter - Gracey's Meat Hygiene - page 144

field so avoiding the stress of transport. A .22 calibre rifle
has been recommended for use at short range or a
.32 calibre 'humane killer, but not placed directly against
the head. The recommended sites include the following:

1 Frontally, using the intersection point of the lines from
the base of each ear to the opposite eye and firing hori-
zontally into the forehead
2 Firing through the skull just behind the base of the
antlers in the direction of the animals muzzle
3 For reindeer with large antlers in a lateral position
(temporal region) under the base of the antlers, between
the outer canthus of the eye and the base of the ear

Slaughter of ostriches
Ostriches are slaughtered at 9 or 10 months of age for
meat and at approximately 14 months of age to obtain
optimal leather quality. The most common methods of
slaughter are percussive penetrative captive bolt and
low-voltage electrical stunning.
While the penetrative captive bolt stuns ostriches
effectively, it is not known whether this is produced by
physical destruction of the neural tissue, bleeding of the
brain or concussion. Parts of the skull overlying the
hemispheres were found to be very thin (especially in
Emus), and it is not known whether sufficient energy to
produce concussion could be generated. The recom-
mended sites are as follows:

Figure 7.7 Device for electrical stunning of rabbits.

electrical stunning although penetrative captive bolts
have been used.
Electrical stunning is carried out using a handheld or
wall-mounted V-shaped spiked electrode. The rabbit is
supported by the operative in one hand while the other
guides the rabbits head into the V-shaped electrode so
that contact is made between the outer corners of the eye
and the base of the ears thus spanning the brain. The
impedance across rabbits' heads due to their fur is con-
siderable, between 300 and 1500 Ohms, so it is difficult
to recommend minimum voltages to deliver the current
required for an effective stun. However, extrapolation
from other species suggests that 400 mA should be used.
Operator safety must be considered as the rabbits are
held throughout stunning (Fig. 7.7).
For percussive penetrative captive bolt stunning, the
rabbit is restrained in sternal recumbency to allow accu-
rate positioning of the pistol at right angles to the skull
with the muzzle positioned slightly paramedial on the
animal's head between or as close to its ears as possible.
Gaseous stunning of rabbits would remove the inevi-
table stress which occurs when they are handled pre-
stunning in the abattoir environment. However, it has
not been scientifically investigated whether the induc-
tion phase might cause the animal pain or distress or,
indeed, the correct exposure time/concentrations
required to give a reliable stun.

1 The intersection point of two lines drawn between the
base of the ears and the contralateral eyes
2 Placing the penetrative captive bolt on the crown with
the bolt pointing in the direction of the throat

With both sites, the head has to be restrained to allow
for accurate operation of the pistol. Following an effec-
tive stun, the bird collapses and enters a tonic followed by
a violent clonic phase which may compromise operator
safety and make it difficult to bleed the ostrich quickly.
Electrical stunning of ostriches is carried out using
scissor-like tongs with spiked electrodes, applied between
the eye and ear for 3-6 seconds delivering on average
500 mA (500 V). Due to the duration of the stunned state
(25 seconds), it has been recommended that a short stun-
to-stick interval be used or that birds should be killed by
a current of long duration, for instance, over 6 seconds. A
damp hood placed over the ostrich's head in the lairage
has been found to greatly assist in the handling of the
bird and accurate placement of the electrodes.

Other methods of slaughter
In Spain, parts of Italy, Mexico and some South American
countries, cattle were traditionally slaughtered by the
neck-stab or evernazione method, in which a short dou-
ble-edged knife ( puntilla ) is plunged into the occipito-
atlantal space at the nape of the neck, severing the medulla
oblongata. This effectively immobilises the animal without

Slaughter of rabbits
Traditionally, rabbits were slaughtered by a percussive
blow to the head using a wooden baton or a metal pipe.
In commercial abattoirs, the main method used is