Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Ch 5: Step three: Do it - lethal techniques

Step three: Do it - Lethal techniques

Just as there is no magic pill solution to wildlife conflicts, there is no one killing technique that will work best for all species or in all situations. Some methods are not appropriate for young animals or diving or burrowing animals. Some work better with birds, or reptiles, or mammals. Some require additional permits, or more than an average level of skill, experience, or strength. They may be effective for some NWCOs and not others. And if rabies is an issue, you must select your method carefully.

Sometimes, protecting people will be your highest priority. You may need to kill an animal as quickly as possible. Even in such cases, do the best you can to provide the most humane death possible under the circumstances. Most people agree that a "humane death" is one that is as painless as possible. The ideal is to be quick. Either kill the animal quickly, or cause rapid unconsciousness, then rapid death.

How do animals experience pain?

You need to know just a little bit about how animals experience pain to understand how this works. A sensation triggers an impulse that travels along the nerve endings to the brain. The brain interprets this as—ouch!—pain. (The most important part of the brain involved in the sensation of pain is the cerebral cortex, which is in the front of the brain. Other parts of the brain are involved in the feelings of fear, anxiety, and discomfort.)

The brain must be working in order for the animal to experience pain. If you can break the circuit between the brain and the rest of the body, the message will not be delivered and understood; the animal will not feel pain.

Bottom line: no working brain, no pain.

That seems straightforward so far, doesn't it? Unfortunately, there is disagreement about which methods are appropriate to kill wildlife under field conditions. There hasn't been much research that's really relevant to the situations NWCOs encounter. And to make things even more difficult, some of the methods that are well-accepted for wildlife, such as shooting, cannot be used in all areas.

Next Section (Rationale for the methods)