Killing methods of land animals and fish

Land Animal killing methods

1. Electrical: Application of electrical current across the brain or the heart of the animal.
2. Electrified water bathing: Electrical waterbath stunning is the most common method used in commercial slaughterhouses. After shackling (restraining), the birds’ heads are immersed into an electrified waterbath, causing the current to run through the head and body and thus inducing unconsciousness.
3. Animal bleeding (exsanguination): This is a method involving direct throat cutting or heart (main vein and/or artery) cutting (by insertion of special sharp stick near the heart).
4. Gas asphyxiation: Application of carbon dioxide, argon, and nitrogen gases.
5. Mechanical: Application of captive bolt pistol to the head of the animal.
6. Conventional firearm shooting is used to fire a bullet into the brain of the animal.
7. Pithing: Pithing is used to immobilize or kill an animal by inserting into its brain a needle or metal rod.
8. Double pithing: It destroys the spinal cord, and reduces the reflex kicking which occurs at stunning, and so contribute to the safety of the slaughter man. This method is also used when dealing with diseased animals in the case of epidemic or notifiable disease.

NOTE: Permission to use photos

On Wed, Jul 10, 2019 at 12:57 PM Lizz DeFeo <Lizz@woodstocksanctuary.org> wrote:

Hi Nick,

Apologies, I’ve gotten sidetracked. You have permission to use any photography from www.woodstocksanctuary.org with credit given.

Would you please send me the photos you want to use from the website? I just want to make sure they are up to date and ok to use.

The other photo site is https://www.weanimalsarchive.org/

A full archive available for public use, credit required with use.

Let me know any other questions you may have!

Sincerely, 

Lizz DeFeo (She/Her)

Marketing & Communications Manager

Woodstock Farm Sanctuary

Office: 845-247-5700 x113

2 Rescue Road, High Falls, NY 12440

woodstocksanctuary.org

Fish killing methods

1. Electrical: Produces immobility without loss of consciousness.
2. Carbon dioxide narcosis: Involves filling a water tank with carbon dioxide. This produces acidic pH, and injuries the brain of the fish. Then, the fish are immobilized within 2-4 minutes while it remains conscious. After that, the fish are killed.
   Used for: salmons and trout.
3. Ice chilling: Involves insertion of the fish into an ice cold water tank, where the fish is chilled and eventually die of anoxia in about an hour time.
   Used for: salmons and trout.
4. Mechanical: Conventional firearm shooting is used to fire a bullet into the brain of the fish.
   Used for: large fishes.
5. Bleeding: The fish is cut in highly vascular body regions (areas of major blood vessels) while remain conscious. The time that takes for the fish to lose consciousness is 15 minutes or more. It has been observed that some fish remain sensible for 40 minutes after evisceration.
6. Suffocation in air: When this method is used, the fish is exposed in air and it may take more than an hour before they died.
7. Percussive stunning: Hit the fish’s head with a wooden or plastic club one or two times. This can make the fish unconscious or sometimes kill it directly.
8. Pithing: Is a technique used to immobilize or kill a fish by inserting into its brain a needle or metal rod and destroy the brain of the fish. If the operator misses the brain, the fish is suffering a lot.
   Used for large species of fish, such as tuna, and salmon.

Methods used in research laboratories for killing animals and fishes

Pithing: Is used in research laboratories to immobilize an animal while the animal remains living due to respiration through the skin without cerebral control, allowing it to be dissected while observing such living physiology as its beating heart and expansion and contraction of its lungs without causing unnecessary pain.