Rob Jackson, [21 Aug 2024 at 14:35:41]: Good day, does anyone have safe elephant euthanasia protocols, where the elephant will be darted and then euthanased? We are unable to shoot it, before burying or burning it. I will use potassium iodide to stop the heart. My concern is residual opioid, and secondary ingestion by wildlife. Is there any benefit to keeping the animal sleeping with non-opioid drugs for an extended period to reduce tissue serum concentration of the opioid? Jacques ODell, [21 Aug 2024 at 17:10:04]: Hi Rob This is a question I have also thought about extensively - not just in elephants but in all large wildlife where it was immobilised with potent opioids and then a decision is made to euthanaze. It has been discussed at workshops and congresses before that removing a ‘chunk’ of meat from around the dart site is probably good practice. I have no proof of whether this will work but to me it seems logical. I have yet to give it a try, but I will do so the next time I am in such a situation: Keep the animal immobilised (on the original immobilizing drugs) for as long as possible - 45min for etorphine. Then give a good bolus of ketamine IV. Wait 5 min. Give naltrexone IV. Hope and pray the animal doesn’t get up. Wait 2 min. Give IV potassium chloride (KCl) to euthanise. Cut out dart site. I think this should result in a very low risk to scavengers. Best will obviously be to bury etc., but we know this is not always possible. Good luck Roy Bengis, [21 Aug 2024 at 17:34:02]: In other species, not elephants, once immobilising drugs are wearing off, you can give Scoline IV or IM at a dose of 1 -2 mg per kg. This is highly and rapidly effective in ruminants and carnivores. Scoline is broken down rapidly in a carcass, and also has no effect when taken orally – it is broken down to succinic acid and choline, 2 normal metabolic components in mammals. This is however not advised in elephants, porcines and primates. Rob Jackson, [21 Aug 2024 at 18:07:14]: Thank you. I had thought about naltrexone before, but does it not just displace the etorphine and not inactivate it? Or once displaced, is it more rapidly excreted, so this can be a good result? Jacques ODell, [21 Aug 2024 at 18:16:00]: Dr Bengis, yes, I believe Scoline has its place and although it may not be the most humane (especially on its own) for euthanasia for the individual, our roles as wildlife vets also involve the entire ecosystem, and this needs to be taken into consideration. Yes, naltrexone would displace etorphine and thus allow for more rapid metabolism of the etorphine/thiafentanil. My idea however is not to increase the metabolism, as a few minutes is not sufficient to do so. My thinking is rather - should a scavenger consume some etorphine, let it also consume some of the naltrexone… Roy Bengis, [21 Aug 2024 at 18:25:59]: Hi Jacques, I agree, thanks for that. Where I found it very useful was darting problem predators that were within a small populated camp /village, where shooting a free projectile (read bullet) is a no-no. Down times of predators darted with Scoline was less than 3 minutes. Rob Jackson, [21 Aug 2024 at 20:39:20]: Thank you
