Clinical signs and duration of cyanide toxicosis delivered by the M-44 ejector in wild dogs

Sodium cyanide poison is potentially a more humane method to control wild dogs than sodium fluoroacetate (1080) poison. This study quantified the clinical signs and duration of cyanide toxicosis delivered by the M-44 ejector. The device delivered a nominal 0.88 g of sodium cyanide, which caused the animal to loose the menace reflex in a mean of 43 s, and the animal was assumed to have undergone cerebral hypoxia after the last visible breath. The mean time to cerebral hypoxia was 156 s for a vertical pull and 434 s for a side pull. The difference was possibly because some cyanide may be lost in a side Pull. There were three distinct phases of cyanide toxicosis: the initial phase was characterised by head shaking, panting and salivation; the immobilisation phase by incontinence, ataxia and loss of the righting reflex; and the cerebral hypoxia phase by a tetanic seizure. Clinical signs that were exhibited in more than one phase of cyanide toxicosis included retching, agonal breathing, vocalisation, vomiting, altered levels of ocular reflex, leg paddling, tonic muscular spasms, respiratory distress and muscle fasciculations of the muzzle.

Using passive acoustics and shore based surveys to investigate the use of Lundy Island’s near shore water by small odontocetes

The use of waters around Lundy by dolphins and porpoises was measured using summer shore-based watches and passive acoustic surveillance between July 2011 and July 2012. Common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) were the only cetacean species observed during shore-based surveys. C-PODs moored on the Ethel and MV Robert wrecks close to the Lundy coast showed a peak in delphinid vocal activity during August 2011. Passive acoustic detections of harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) were highest during ebb tidal phases and most often associated with the tidal rip at the south of the island. These findings show tidal and monthly influences on odontocete behaviour and highlight the value of continuous, passive acoustic monitoring for these highly mobile marine predators around Lundy.