Evaluation of rifle cartridge and shot placement for euthanizing feral swine (Sus scrofa) in traps

Abstract

Feral swine are a highly destructive invasive species around the globe. Wildlife managers commonly trap and euthanize feral swine with firearms to reduce their adverse impacts. The utility of euthanizing domestic swine with firearms has been considered when emergency situations arise such as in the event of a foreign animal disease outbreak in domestic swine. Similarly, the rapid depopulation of domestic swine facilities became necessary when the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted pork production in 2020. Evaluation of the effects of caliber, cartridge, size of feral swine, and shot placement on effectiveness and safety of the method is needed. We collected data from feral swine euthanized in traps on how those variables influenced the effectiveness in time to death and number of shots required and safety risks based on the occurrence of bullet pass-through (i.e., bullet exiting the pig). We tested three cartridges of two calibers (.22 long rifle, .22 Winchester magnum rimfire, and .308 Winchester) delivered from a rifle with three shot placements targeting the brain. From 570 euthanization events, we calculated an average time to death of 100.06 (SD = 29.24) seconds, with larger feral swine taking slightly longer. Most feral swine (73%) were euthanized with a single shot but averaged 1.28 (SD = 0.48) shots overall. Safety risks from pass-through shots were more common when using the .308 Winchester cartridge, and when rear and side shot placements were used. Overall, we recommend a .22 long rifle cartridge and frontal shot placement as an effective and safe option for euthanizing feral swine in traps, and likely for domestic swine of similar size and shot distances.