Capture gun

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The Capture gun, also called a dart gun, is an invention which was refined by a team headed by Dr Tony Pooley and Dr Toni Harthoorn in Kenya in the early 1960's. Since then it has become the standard tool for capture of large and medium-sized animals to transport them safely.

It is also used in some jurisdictions to capture human criminals.

The original piston-operated medium-bore gun fired a tranquilizer dart which is a syringe which was loaded with a dose of barbiturate and/or other drugs, backed by a ball bearing which was separated from the drug mix with a wadding.

On impact with the animal the inertial momentum of the balls injects the drug into the animal, causing torpor and prostration within minutes. Because of the power of the drugs the handlers then have to move quickly to secure the animal for transport, monitor its vital signs, protect its eyes and ears, and then inject reversing drugs when needed. Many large animals are acutely sensitive to stress and can easily die without careful treatment. One major discovery by Dr Harthoorn's team was that different species, despite being of roughly equal size (for example the rhinoceros and the buffalo) needed very different doses and spectra of drugs to safely immobilise them. In some species the margin of error is very small indeed.

These days the capture gun is gas-fired and collapsible. Several models are available.