Journal of Threatened
Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 November 2023 | 15(11): 24277–24279
ISSN 0974-7907
(Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print)
https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8502.15.11.24277-24279
#8502 | Received 01 May 2023 | Final received 20 June 2023 | Finally
accepted 21 October 2023
Chemical immobilisation
of free ranging Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanco (Gray, 1863) (Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae) with
Ketamine-Xylazine combination in Ladakh, India
Animesh Talukdar 1 &
Pankaj Raina 2
1,2 Wildlife Rescue and
Rehabilitation Centre- Leh- Under Department of
Wildlife Protection- Ladakh, Badamibagh,
Skara, Leh, UT-Ladakh 194101, India.
1 animeshtalukdar@rediffmail.com
(corresponding author), 2 pankaj.acf@live.com
Editor: Bahar Baviskar, Wild-CER, Nagpur, India. Date of
publication: 26 November 2023 (online & print)
Citation: Talukdar, A. & P. Raina (2023). Chemical immobilisation
of free ranging Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanco (Gray, 1863)
(Mammalia: Carnivora: Canidae) with Ketamine-Xylazine combination in Ladakh, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 15(11): 24277–24279. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.8502.15.11.24277-24279
Copyright: © Talukdar & Raina 2023. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
License. JoTT
allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any
medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of
publication.
Funding: Department of Wildlife Protection, UT-Ladakh.
Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.
Acknowledgements: The authors are grateful to the
chief wildlife warden, Department of Wildlife Protection, Ladakh
for the necessary permission to carry out these rescue operations. We specially
thank Parvez Ahmad, Kartik Thevar, Gulam Rasool, Nawang Thinles, & Sonam Nurbu for
their help in executing the rescue and release operations of the Tibetan
wolves. We also thank local people of Ladakh for their
help and support for the rescue operations. We are grateful to Dimpi A. Patel for her valuable comments on earlier drafts
of this manuscript. We also express our gratitude to the reviewers for their
valuable insights and contributions.
Abstract: The Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanco
is one of the two Critically Endangered species of Ladakh,
India. Six free-ranging Tibetan wolves were immobilized using ketamine and
xylazine mixture as part of the rescue operations. Dose rates of 4.92 ± 0.52
mg/kg body weight and 2.08 ± 0.29 mg/kg body weight for ketamine and xylazine
respectively provided good level of anesthesia for carrying out effective
capture. Drug induction was recorded at 4.4 ± 1.1 minutes with animal coming
into sternal recumbency by 5.6 ± 1.5 minutes and animals were approached at 6.2
± 1.7 minutes. Duration of anesthesia was 35.25 ± 6.07 minutes. Yohimbine
administered for reversal at the dosage of 0.125 mg/kg body weight provided
reversal effect with animal standing by 15.5 ± 4.2 minutes. The current
information suggests that xylazine and ketamine mixture is effective and safe
for capturing the free-ranging Tibetan Wolves for wildlife management
interventions.
Keywords: Chemical capture, immobilization,
induction, rescue, reversal, revival.
The Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanco
is the largest canid species in India with high conservation priority (Shawl et
al. 2008). In India, it is recorded from parts of Kashmir, Changthang
plateau of Ladakh and Spiti
valley of Himachal Pradesh at elevation range of 3,200–5,600 m (Khan et al.
2023). In Ladakh region, Tibetan Wolf is found in
both Leh and Kargil
districts and is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ species as per the IUCN Red
List. Tibetan wolf is protected and included in the Schedule I of India’s
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (Shawl et al. 2008). The ambient temperature in
the area ranges from -5 to -10°C.
Wild animal rescues involving
animal capture is an important wildlife management technique for managing wild
animals in distress with conservation implications as it supports management of
conflict situations (Nyhus 2016). Chemical
immobilization is a safe and effective strategy for capturing wildlife as it
causes minimal stress to wild animals (Neilsen 1999).
Limited reports are available on anesthetic doses for most of the wild species
in India for effective immobilization (Belsare & Vanak 2013).
Ketamine-xylazine drug mixture
has been effectively used for immobilization of wild canids (Muliya et al. 2016). We report successful chemical immobilisation of free-ranging Tibetan Wolf Canis lupus chanco
with ketamine-xylazine combination.
Methods
Ladakh is located between Longitudes of
32.25° to 34.63° N and latitudes of 75.6° to 78.36 0E at the western
part of India and falls under Trans-Himalayan region. The altitudinal range of
2,700–7,500 m and total area of Ladakh is 78,000 km2.
It has two districts — Leh and Kargil.
Six Tibetan Wolves (one female and five males) were captured from different
parts of Leh district of Ladakh
as part of the field rescue operations carried by the Wildlife Protection
Department, Leh, Union territory of Ladakh. All the animals in this study were captured either
due to displacement or distress.
All the animals were chemically immobilised using a combination of xylazine hydrochloride
(2 mg/kg) (XYLAMED, 100 mg/ml, Bimeda, Cambridge,
Ontario) and ketamine hydrochloride (5 mg/kg) (KETAMINA, 100 mg/ml, Biowet Pulawy, Poland or
VETALAR, 100 mg/ml, Parke Davis & Co., P O Box qq8 GPO, Detroit, Michigan
48232, USA). The drug mixture was administered remotely using air pressurised syringe projector (Dan Inject model-JM Syringe
projector). Following completion of necessary procedures, yohimbine (0.125
mg/kg) (20 mg/ml; YOHIMBE, 20 ml, Equimed USA) was
administered intramuscularly for drug reversal.
Results
All the animals were weighed for
accurate body weights after induction and drug dosages were calculated
retrospectively. Actual body weight, drug dosage, induction (first sign of
induction), time of complete loss of consciousness and total duration required
for carrying out field procedures was recorded. Initial signs of drug effect
included decreased mentation and progressive ataxia followed by recumbency.
Drug induction was rapid and smooth in all the animals. The mean ± standard
deviation for actual body weight, actual dose rate of ketamine, actual dose
rate of xylazine, induction, approach time, total time for carrying out field
procedures were 29.22 ± 5.31 kg, 4.92 ± 0.52 mg/kg, 2.08 ± 0.29 mg/kg, 4.1±1.1
minutes, 5.6 ± 1.5 minutes, and 35.25 ± 6.07 minutes, respectively. All the
physiological parameters remained well within the normal range for other canid
species during the entire procedure (Malmsten 2007)
with no adverse effect observed from any of the animal captured (Table 1).
Following completion of field
procedures, the animals were administered yohimbine (0.125 mg/kg) and the
sequence of recovery events were recorded. Different parameters recorded for
signs of recovery were ear and eye movement time, head raising time and
standing time after reversal. The mean ± standard deviation for ear and eye
movement time, head raising time and standing time after reversal were 11.75 ±
2.6 minutes, 13.25 ± 2.87 minutes and 15.5 ± 4.2 minutes, respectively.
None of the cases showed any
signs of extrapyramidal signs and all the recoveries were smooth.
Discussion
Since there are limited studies
on immobilisation of Tibetan Wolf, its immobilisation is a challenge when there is requirement for
such intervention. The combination of ketamine hydrochloride and xylazine
hydrochloride (4.92 ± 0.52 mg/kg body weight and 2.08 ± 0.29 mg/kg body weight,
respectively) was found to be effective for chemical capture of Tibetan wolf in
field emergencies. However, Chakraborty & Das (1994) documented use of 10
mg/kg of ketamine and 1.33 mg/kg of xylazine mixture to be effective for immobilisation of Tibetan Wolf in captivity. The dose rate
of xylazine and ketamine in the present study are like those documented by
Miller & Fowler (2014) for Gray Wolves.
Since there is a lack of existing
information on the physiological parameters of Tibetan Wolves, we were unable
to make direct comparisons with our results. Nevertheless, the recorded rectal
temperatures throughout the entire procedure were found to be within the normal
range observed (Malmsten 2007) though the respiratory
rate (12–19 per minute) and heart rate (69–98 per minute) was higher compared
to values of Indian Gray Wolf as reported by Muliya
et al. (2016).
Conclusion
We conclude that the ketamine and
xylazine anesthesia @ 4.92 ± 0.52 mg/kg, 2.08 ± 0.29 mg/kg, respectively
was effective for immobilization of Tibetan Wolves and yohimbine @ 0.125 mg/kg
act as excellent reversal drug against xylazine. The drug combinations used in
the study has been referenced for free ranging Tibetan Wolves and their
physiological parameters, which can help in managing emergency rescue
situations for free ranging Tibetan Wolves. The study was based on smaller
sample size. A larger sample size would be advantageous to make the results
more rigorous and insightful.
Table 1. Mean ±SD and range for physiological
parameters observed in Tibetan Wolf Canis
lupus chanco chemically immobilized with ketamine
and xylazine drug combination.
|
Parameters |
Unit |
Mean ± SD |
Range |
|
Rectal temperature on approach |
0F |
102.28 ± 0.82 |
101–103 |
|
Rectal temperature after 10
minutes of approach |
0F |
102 ± 0.4 |
101.5–102.5 |
|
Rectal temperature after 20
minutes of approach |
0F |
102 ± 0.5 |
101.5–102.5 |
|
Respiration rate on approach |
/Minute |
19.6 ± 7.3 |
12–19 |
|
Respiration rate after 10
minutes of approach |
/Minute |
20.2 ± 5.76 |
12–30 |
|
Respiration rate after 20
minutes of approach |
/Minute |
17.25 ± 4.99 |
14–26 |
|
Heart rate on approach |
/Minute |
66.25 ± 10.9 |
58–82 |
|
Heart rate after 10 minutes of
approach |
/Minute |
76 ± 16.57 |
62–100 |
|
Heart rate after 20 minutes of
approach |
/Minute |
73 ± 10.39 |
64–82 |
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