Zephyr - Livestock Welfare
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1. BA The Zephyr t L The Zephyr was originally created by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs QMAFRA with the Zephyr RS version created specifically for stunning rabbits in abattoirs A modified version the Zephyr E was designed for euthanasia purposes using a longer bolt with a conical bolt head The Zephyr E has been shown to be effective for euthanasia of turkeys and piglets up to 9 kg Zephyr E Gun in the non fired position with the bolt head re Zephyr E gun in the fired position exposing the conical nylon cessed in the barrel bolt head The Zephyr E is powered by a standard air compressor capable of achieving 120 PSI For use the Zephyr E is attached to an air compressor with an airline pressure of 120 PSI The number of shots that can be fired before recharging the compressor is dependent on the tank size and specifications of the air compressor The Technique To ensure safe and effective use a sling or hammock restraint device is recommended When the legs are placed through the 4 leg holes the piglet is cradled keeping it calm and motionless Proper Positioning An X can be made from the top base of the ear to the inside corner of the opposite eye to help ensure proper placement of the Zephyr E The barrel of the Zephyr E should be placed flush with the forehead of the piglet Handle the gun using your dominant preferred hand while placing the other over the shoulders of the2. piglet Once properly positioned on the forehead pull the trigger twice in a rapid fire sequence When properly placed the two shots on the forehead should cause immediate unconsciousness followed by death in a single step Monitoring Signs of Consciousness Brainstem and spinal reflexes can be used to monitor whether or not the animal was rendered unconscious by the Zephyr E Immediately following Zephyr E application touch around the eye or eye lashes followed by touching the cornea coloured surface of the eye An unconscious animal will not blink Any natural blinking or blinking provoked by touch indicates a conscious animal and the technique should be immediately reapplied The pupil dark centre of the eye can also be monitored to determine unconsciousness and brain death The pupil of a conscious animal will constrict when light is shown into the eye and dilate when the light source is removed whereas the pupil of an unconscious animal will remain non responsive to light When the animal has achieved full brain death the pupil will be fixed and fully dilated K O k a 4 Example of a CONSCIOUS piglet Blinking in response to touching the eye lashes In addition testing for jaw tone and a response to a nose prick can be used to test for consciousness An unconscious animal will lack jaw tone often having an open mouth and limp tongue For the nose prick test pinch or prick a sensitive area of the nose A cons
3. cious animal will jerk their head away in response to the pain whereas an unconscious animal will exhibit no response Testing for jaw tone Testing the nose prick response What to Expect As soon as the trigger is pulled the piglet will go immediately into convulsions These are involuntary leg spasms and they DO NOT indicate consciousness For piglets clonic spasms paddling leg motion occur first followed by tonic spasms rigid extension of the legs In weaned piglets around 7 kg and above tonic extension may briefly occur before the clonic convulsions On average all leg spasms stop within 3 5 minutes Although the onset of convulsions does indicate a severe brain injury they do not guarantee unconsciousness therefore the reflexes mentioned above should be monitored throughout the convulsions to make sure the animal is rendered unconscious If possible check the eye reflexes immediately following Zephyr E application and periodically throughout the convulsions until the spasms have stopped and the animal is completely limp and motionless At this point the pupil should be fixed and fully dilated indicating complete brain death Although the heart may continue to beat for several minutes on average 6 minutes the animal is progressing towards death and has no chance at recovery Prior to disposing of the animal feel for a heartbeat to ensure that the heart has stopped beating and full cardiac arrest has occurred we y
4. continues to beat for greater than 15 minutes a secondary step may be required As long as the animal shows no signs of consciousness ie no blinking or pupillary response it can be exsanguinated to cause cardiac arrest In all cases make sure to check back before disposing of the body to ensure the heart has stopped Feeling for a heartbeat For more information or to order National Pork Board s and Swine Innovation support the research of testing the humaneness of the Zephyr gun AA Fx Foo ONTARIO PORK Pork Funding provided in part by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs checkoff Swine Innovation Porc
5. s Tonic leg spasms Rigid Troubleshooting Consciousness Following Zephyr E application if the piglet displays signs of consciousness ex blinking vocalizations responsive pupil an additional shot should be fired on the forehead of the piglet Ensure that the gun is properly positioned the barrel is flush with the surface of the forehead and the compressor is set to 120 PSI Gasping If the piglet displays a gasping behaviour an additional shot behind the ear is recommended Gasping does not indicate a conscious animal but the gasping may progress to rhythmic breathing which is a sign of returning to consciousness The barrel should be pressed firmly behind the ear directed towards the back of the skull The additional shot behind the ear targets the brainstem and will immediately knock out the respiratory centres of the brain The gasping should stop immediately following the shot It is recommended to fire this extra shot behind the ear once the convulsions have become less vigorous when you can safely place and fire the gun Prolonged Heartbeat Occasionally even though a piglet has progressed through the convulsion period with no signs of consciousness the heart will continue to beat for a prolonged period of time greater than 10 min If the beats are faint or irregular the heart will likely stop on its own within a few minutes so it may be preferred to wait and check the heartbeat again in a few minutes If the heart
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