A modified panel trap and immobilization technique for capturing multiple wild pig

A portable modified steel mesh panel trap was developed to reduce injuries that wild pigs (Sus scrofa) suffered when captured in simple square panel traps. We avoided use of physical restraint for immobilizations by using a drug combination of Telazol® and xylazine hydrochloride (HCl) that was injected with blow darts. Heart rates, respiration rates, and body temperatures were all lower for animals immobilized with Telazol and xylazine HCl compared to relatively few animals that were restrained for immobilization with ketamine HCl and xylazine HCl. We captured an average of 2.5 pigs per trap night, and in 343 captures only 11 animals were injured. There were no capture-related mortalities. Also, the trap was efficient at capturing multiple-animal groups, and there was no difference in the mean size of pig groups captured using a top-hinged gate (x̄ = 4.7, SE = 0.6) or a side-hinged squeeze gate (x̄ = 4.2, SE = 0.4).