Killing by cutting the throat

Chinchillas (referred to as “rodents” in the regulations) may be killed by cutting the throat (decapitation), which involves rapidly separating the head from the body using a sharp tool. Mink must not be killed using this method. See the excerpt from the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and guidelines (SJVFS 2012:27) on slaughter or killing of animals, ref. no. L22, below.

Chap. 9(5), L22

Rabbits, rodents, ferrets, poultry and other birds, as well as reptiles and amphibians, may be killed by means of decapitation.” … “Animals with a body weight in excess of 150 g, as well as reptiles and amphibians, must be unconscious when they are killed.
Rabbits, rodents and ferrets with a body weight of 1 kg or above must not be killed by means of decapitation.”

For practical reasons, this is not a method used in the case of pelting as it damages the fur. This method must be preceded by stunning if the animals weigh more than 150 grams. This is because cutting the throat does not involve stunning and so individuals may experience pain until the blood loss renders them unconscious.

For animals of less than 150 grams, unconsciousness occurs within a few seconds and so the Swedish Board of Agriculture has decided that these do not need to be unconscious before the throat is cut. The Swedish Board of Agriculture has set the limit for cutting the throat to one kilo, this being justified by the fact that there is a risk of cutting the throat correctly to be impossible in individuals with a body weight of more than one kilo. This is because larger individuals have more powerful neck muscles and skeletons.

However, killing by means of decapitation may be useful in the case of young individuals that are sick or injured and that need to be killed quickly.
The chinchilla must be held firmly. The tool must be sharp so that the throat is cut instantaneously. The cut must be made quickly and without hesitation for successful results. Cervical dislocation

Chinchillas (referred to as “rodents” in the regulation) may be killed by means of cervical dislocation (mink must not be killed using this method), provided that they do not weigh more than one kilo and that they are unconscious if they are more than 150 grams in weight. This must be done by dislocating the cervical spine in a manner which ruptures the blood vessels in the neck and the animal dies immediately. See the excerpt from the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and guidelines (SJVFS 2012:27) on slaughter or killing of animals, ref. no. L22, below:

Chap. 9(7), L22

The following species may be killed by means of cervical dislocation

• Rodents and rabbits in a situation other than slaughter, with a body weight of no more than 1 kg. Animals with a body weight in excess of 150 g must be unconscious when they are killed.

It is important to grip the chinchilla’s head and the base of its tail firmly and for the tug on the neck to take place without hesitation. Ideally, the chinchilla is placed on its stomach on a table and the head is held fixed against the table by means of pressure on the neck. Hesitation may involve failure of the attempt to kill, with unnecessary suffering for the animal.

It is necessary to check that the animal has died following cervical dislocation. In the event of successful cervical dislocation, bleeding takes place beneath the skin which can be felt with the fingers. To further ensure that a chinchilla killed by means of cervical dislocation is actually dead, it is appropriate to exsanguinate or decapitate the animal.

Killing by means of a blow to the head

Young mink less than 14 days old and chinchillas weighing less than one kilo may be killed by means of a blow to the back of the head. Hold the animal firmly so that there is no risk of it escaping or moving when the blow is struck. The animal must be held against a firm surface and it must be struck with a hard object. It is also possible to hold onto the back legs of the animal and strike its head against a hard, solid object. The precision and force of the blow must result in immediate unconsciousness

Chap. 9(8), L22

A blow to the back of the head may be used to kill a small number of

• lambs, kids, piglets, puppies, kittens and young mink and foxes,
  if the animal is less than 14 days old
• ratite chicks and poultry, and
• rabbits, rodents, ferrets, reptiles, amphibians and other birds, if the animal weighs no more than 1 kg

The blow must be dealt with such force and precision that it results in immediate unconsciousness and death.
Killing can be further assured by means of cervical dislocation.

Killing by means of a shot to the head

Mink and chinchillas (referred to as “rodents” in the regulation) may be killed by means of a shot to the head using either a firearm or a captive bolt stunner followed by exsanguination. A licence is required for the possession of weapons, along with a hunting licence or similar. Killing by means of a shot to the head is not a method used routinely. Instead, it is used in individual cases when an injured animal needs to be killed quickly. See the excerpt from the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s regulations and guidelines (SJVFS 2012:27) on slaughter or killing of animals, ref. no. L22; see below for a description.

Chap. 9(11), L22

Rodents, ferrets, reptiles and rabbits may be killed by means of shooting with a weapon. When killing with a firearm, the loading and ammunition of the weapon must be suitable for the species and the size of the animal.
The animal must be shot so that the brain is hit and injured in a manner which causes the animal to lose consciousness immediately. The animal must not regain consciousness.
If a captive bolt stunner is used, the animal must be exsanguinated immediately after the animal has been shot.
The effect of a shot from a rifle is dependent on the capacity of the weapon, the choice of ammunition and the precision of the shot. Well aimed free projectiles which penetrate the brain with sufficient force cause injuries which result in the shot animal immediately losing consciousness and dying. Non-lethal shots may be fired, however, as well as shots which do not cause unconsciousness. This may result from incorrectly aimed shots that fail to damage the vital parts of the brain. Weapons with free projectiles must damage the brain stem in order to cause unconsciousness and death.

The choice of weapon and ammunition type is determined by the size of the animal. Hollow-point bullets and soft-point bullets are designed to expand when they strike the target, which causes greater damage to the brain. Before firing the shot, it is very important to ensure that the animal is still. If the animal were to move when the shot is fired, the shot may be aimed incorrectly and hence cause unnecessary suffering . Another attempt must be made if there is any doubt at all as to whether the animal has been killed.

When carrying out stunning with a penetrating captive bolt, the captive bolt must penetrate through the skull and cause damage to specific parts of the brain. To achieve unconsciousness, the bolt and the force of the shot must affect the brain stem, which is a continuation of the spinal cord up into the head. The brain stem is the centre for a range of vital functions such as respiration and circulation, and it also acts as a “switching centre” for signals between the cerebrum and the cerebellum. If the force of the bolt does not damage the brain stem, there is a risk of the animal not being stunned sufficiently, i.e. showing signs indicating consciousness and awareness. Central parts of a dog brain. Illustration:

Rlawson at en.wikibooks.

Photo not available at the moment!

280p-Hjarna-3-wikipedia1.jpg

Phineas Gage (1823-1860), a railway foreman in Vermont in the US, ended up with a rod through his head in 1848. He survived but underwent massive personality changes. He was able to speak a couple of minutes after the accident, and later he was able to walk to the carriage in which he travelled a kilometre or so, sitting upright, in order to get help.
Illustration: Roy Baty at en.wikipedia.

For killing or stunning to succeed, the shot also needs to provide what is known as a “contrecoup effect”. This means that the blow to the forehead causes shaking of the head, resulting in the lower and rear parts of the brain colliding with the inside of the skull and starting to bleed. Therefore, this can cause damage and bleeding in and around the brain stem

Shaking the brain triggers massive cerebral haemorrhage at the base of the brain
(the contrecoup effect).
Illustration:
Patrick J. Lynch, medical illustrator, Creative Commons Attribution 2.5 License 2006.

If a captive bolt stunner is used, the animal must be exsanguinated immediately after having been shot as the exsanguination is what causes the animal to die.