Detailed information on capture, physical and chemical restraint protocols is provided in Chapter 9.
Sedation may be required for transportation, but should be based on an understanding of the species’ behavioural and physiological responses to confinement, handling and transport.
Marked differences were observed between eastern bettongs and eastern quolls transported from Tas. for reintroduction to the ACT. Despite almost identical trapping, handling and transportation protocols (with the exception that bettongs were administered diazepam IM and quolls were not), massive elevations in CK were observed in bettongs but not quolls on arrival in the ACT. Although macropods have a propensity to develop stress myopathy, many species have been transported successfully without the use of sedation. However, despite the lack of overt signs of myopathy there is likely benefit to the administration of sedative and/or short-acting neuroleptic drugs for handling and transportation of macropods. Many other marsupial species have also been successfully transported without sedation; however, translocated northern hairy-nosed wombats (Lasiorhinus krefftii) were calmer in crates and appeared to tolerate transportation better following the administration of diazepam at 1 mg/kg IM.Administration of analgesic drugs is indicated when animals have been darted for capture, sustained trapping- related injuries or been subjected to invasive sampling procedures during the CT process (see Appendix 4). A topical proprietary preparation containing lignocaine, bupiv- acaine, adrenaline and cetrimide (Tri-Solfen, Bayer, Pymble, NSW, Australia) has recently been used to provide analgesia and antisepsis following ear-tagging and collection of ear punch biopsies for genetic analysis during health evaluation of reintroduced eastern bettongs, eastern quolls and New Holland mice (Pseudomys novaehollandiae). Administration of vitamin E as a preventative measure for myopathy in macropods has been advocated, although there is no clear evidence to support this recommendation.
7.