Best practices for nuisance wildlife control operators in New York State

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Step three: Do it - Lethal techniques

Barbiturates

These drugs, such as sodium pentobarbital, sedate and can kill animals by interfering with the central nervous system. Barbiturates are the drugs vets use to "put animals to sleep." And that's not a bad description of what it looks like, because they usually work smoothly. Animals must be well restrained for the injection.

This isn't a practical method for most NWCOs because they don't have access to the drugs. Even DEC wildlife biologists and university researchers have difficulty securing barbiturates. These are dangerous drugs that can kill people, so their use is heavily regulated by the federal government. Only trained personnel registered with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (such as veterinarians) have access to barbiturates. You'd need a license, and in New York, also a certificate of need from the Department of Health to allow you to use hypodermic needles. There are strict security issues. And lots and lots of paperwork.

There are two possible ways that a NWCO might be able to use this method. First, you could transport the nuisance animal to a veterinary clinic, so the vet can inject it with barbiturates. But is that a great choice? Consider how the capture and transportation could stress the animal—would this cancel out the advantages of the use of barbiturates? Would your customers pay fairly for this service?

In rare cases, a NWCO partners with a veterinarian who agrees to supervise and take responsibility for the NWCO's use of barbiturates in the field. This is a significant liability risk for the vet, so few are willing or able to offer this assistance.

There are many practical limitations, because the NWCO must go to the vet's office before going out on each job that requires the use of the drugs. The vet would give you the amount needed to kill that animal. Could you fit this into your schedule in any reasonable way?

You must also consider how you'd dispose of the carcass, because barbiturates can persist in the animal's body. A predator or scavenger that feeds on an animal that was killed by barbiturates might also die.

Advantages of barbiturates

1. one of the fastest and most reliable humane killing methods for small animals
    
2. a gentler process that causes minimal distress
    
3. because barbiturates sedate animals, they may make the handling of a dangerous animal safer
    
4. Although the unconscious animal may gasp right before death, the technique minimizes the thrashing sometimes seen with other killing methods

Disadvantages

1. these drugs are not available to most NWCOs
    
2. these drugs can kill people and other animals
    
3. you'd need to get close enough to the animal to use a dart gun or hypodermic and that may not be possible or safe
    
4. requires special training and additional permit
    
5. the drugs may persist in the carcass and affect any animal that feeds upon it

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