Uw River Falls

In the United States, Slaughter Establishments Are Legally Required to Cause an Immediate Loss of Consciousness for All Animals With a Single Stun. Despite This Legal Requirement, This Does Not Always Occur, and Animals Suffer as a Result. for Cattle, Multiple Recommendations for Stun Placement Exist But Some of Them Have Never Been Scientifically Evaluated for Certain Types of Cattle. Additionally, There Are Various Types of Captive Bolts That an Establishment Can Use for Stunning and There Has Not Been a Formal Comparison Between the Bolt Travel Distance for These Devices. the Overarching Goal of This Work Is to Evaluate and Refine Captive Bolt Stun Placements and Device Selection for the Pre-slaughter Stunning and On-farm Euthanasia of Cattle. the Objectives of This Work Are (a) Determine the Anatomy at Various Recommended Captive Bolt Placements for Fed Holstein Cattle, Cull Jersey Cows, Fed Bos Indicus Cattle, Fed Wagyu Cattle, and Holstein Breeding Bulls; (B) Determine the Expected Bolt Travel Distance for Various Captive Bolt Devices and All Powder Cartridges That Are Approved for Use With Each Device. We Expect to Determine the Optimal Captive Bolt Placement for Each Class of Cattle Listed Above, as Well as Understand the Capacity for Bolt Travel Distance of Multiple Captive Bolt Devices. to Communicate Our Findings, We Will Provide Presentations at Relevant Conferences and at Least 5 Peer-reviewed Scientific Journal Articles Will Be Published. This Research Will Allow for Stun Placement Guidelines, as Well as Guidelines for On-farm Euthanasia, to Be Updated and Only Include Recommended Placements That Will Target the Areas of the Brain Responsible for Consciousness. Additionally, the Anatomy at Those Placements Will Be Descripted So That Appropriate Captive Bolt Devices Can Be Selected for the Type of Cattle and Placement. This Will Reduce the Risk to Harm to Animals and People as the Result of Failed Pre-slaughter Stunning and On-farm Euthanasia.