Use of haloperidol and azaperone for stress control in roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) captured by means of drive-nets Gregorio Mentaberre * , Jorge R. López-Olvera, Encarnación Casas-Díaz, Ester Bach-Raich, Ignasi Marco, Santiago Lavín Servei d’Ecopatologia de Fauna Salvatge, Facultat de Veterinària, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain article info Article history: Accepted 2 November 2009 Keywords: Roe deer Haloperidol Azaperone Acute stress Drive-net capture abstract The physical capture of wild ungulates is performed for different purposes when anaesthesia in field con- ditions is not possible or advisable. The use of tranquilizers may contribute to improved welfare of cap- tured animals. We studied the effect of haloperidol and azaperone on the stress response of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) through the study of physiological, haematological and serum biochemical param- eters. Thirty one roe deer were drive-net captured and randomly injected with haloperidol (0.30 ± 0.04 mg/kg IM; n = 13), azaperone (0.43 ± 0.07 mg/kg IM; n = 11) or saline (0.5 mL IM; n = 7), and restrained for 3 h. The interindividual variability of heart rate was lower in the treated deer, suggest- ing a calming effect, and erythrocyte and biochemical parameters indicated vasodilation, splenic seques- tration, hemodilution, improvement of renal perfusion and a protective effect on muscle. These results support the suitability of using either azaperone or haloperidol in capture operations of roe deer, in order to reduce stress and prevent its adverse effects. Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction The capture of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), an expanding and non-endangered (least concern) species (IUCN, 2009), is performed for translocation, scientific or population re-stocking purposes. Drive-nets have proved to be suitable for routine capture opera- tions of roe deer (Meneguz et al., 1996; Montané et al., 2003), although keeping stress to a minimum is a need (Spraker, 1993). Catecholamines and corticosteroids released during the stress response, together with prolonged exertion, induce changes in hae- matological, serum biochemical and physiological parameters (Guyton and Hall, 2000). Those parameters, or a combination of them, have been used as indicators of stress in wild ungulates (Franzman and Thorne, 1970; Hyvarinen et al., 1976; Mautz et al., 1980; Rehbinder and Edqvist, 1981; Kock et al., 1987a, b; Cross et al., 1988; Hattingh et al., 1988, 1990; Brelurut et al., 1991; Gibert, 1991; Horalek and Jones, 1993; Diverio et al., 1996; Meneguz et al., 1994, 1996; DeNicola and Swihart, 1997; Marco and Lavín, 1999; Marco et al., 1997; Waas et al., 1999; López-Olve- ra et al., 2007). Animal welfare is improved when tranquilizers are used appro- priately (Ebedes and Raath, 1999). Montané et al. (2003) demon- strated the usefulness of acepromazine to reduce stress in roe deer. Haloperidol and azaperone (butyrophenones family) are short-acting neuroleptics which induce central dopaminergic and slight peripheral adrenergic blockade (Booth, 1988; Plumb, 2002). Both have been described as effective sedatives in small- and medium-sized antelope and deer species (haloperidol: 0.06– 0.45 mg/kg; azaperone: 0.05–2.83 mg/kg) (Arnemo et al., 1993; Swan, 1993; Ebedes and Raath, 1999; Read and McCorkell, 2002). In order to find other tranquilizers useful for the treatment of stress in the roe deer, we evaluated the effect of azaperone and hal- operidol on stress indicators of drive-net captured individuals. 2. Materials and methods Thirty one adult roe deer (15 males and 16 females), were cap- tured with 10 Â 10 cm mesh drive nets (Ziboni Ornitecnica, Bergamo, Italy) at the Valsemana Breeding Estate (10,000 ha. of subalpine forest with scattered meadows) in north-western Spain (42°46 0 N, 5°16 0 W). Capture operations (n = 7; March 2006– November 2007) were performed in early morning, to avoid heat, and under similar environmental conditions. Once trapped, deer were physically restrained, blindfolded and held in a 4x4 cm mesh sack nets (Ziboni Ornitecnica, Bergamo, Italy) until release 3 h later. Blood samples were collected (dispos- able 10-mL syringes with 21-G Â 1 in. needles) from the jugular vein at capture (time 0) and each hour thereafter for 3 h (times 1, 2 and 3). Two millilitres of each sample were placed in commer- cial tubes with anticoagulant (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid 0034-5288/$ - see front matter Ó 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.rvsc.2009.11.001 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +34 935868190; fax: +34 935812006. E-mail address: gregorio.mentaberres@uab.cat (G. Mentaberre). Research in Veterinary Science 88 (2010) 531–535 Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Research in Veterinary Science journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/rvsc