A 12-gauge shotgun, loaded with either a solid 28 g lead slug or buckshot consisting of nine individual lead pellets with a total mass of 28 g, was used to shoot the heads of one dead common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) and five dead long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melaena) varying in length from 2.5 m to 5 m. The dolphin and the smallest pilot whale were shot with both projectiles from the dorsal surface of the head. The projectiles penetrated the head and dorsal surface of the skull, but not the base of the cranium. This site using buckshot was not effective in the larger animals. Two whales between 3 and 4 m in length were shot with buckshot through the lateral side of the head caudal to and above the eye, without penetration of the contralateral side of the head. It is concluded that shooting smaller cetaceans with a shotgun can be effective and safe. Further work is required to develop more suitable projectiles for cetaceans up to the size of mature pilot whales.
The isolated heads of a Friesian bull and three large, Large White pigs were shot from various aspects with a 12-gauge shotgun using both a single 28 g solid lead projectile and buckshot, the latter consisting of nine individual lead pellets with a combined mass of 28 g. The sites of impact to the skull included the conventional frontal region, an occipital site and immediately behind the ear. A live mature Large White sow was shot with buckshot in the depression just caudal to the right ear, resulting in immediate insensibility and death. The damage caused to the isolated heads indicated that similar effects could be expected if the heads had been part of intact living animals. It is suggested that buckshot (nine lead pellets with a combined mass of 28 g) fired from a 12-gauge shotgun may be suitable for the emergency slaughter or euthanasia of a wide variety of domestic livestock and other species of animal.
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