Abstract
A survey of chemical immobilization of small Asian mongoose (Herpestes javanicus) on Okinawajima Island was conducted from June 2003 to August 2004. Pentobaribital sodium, medetomidine, ketamine or medetomidine-ketamine mixture was compared. Pentobarbital sodium (n=40) was found to be good for immobilization of mongoose over a wide dosage range (24.6mg/kg-66.7mg/kg). Medetomidine at three kinds of dosage (0.1mg/kg, 0.5mg/kg, 1.5mg/kg) and ketamine at a kind of dosage (70mg/kg) were not suitable due to unstable effect on immobilization when they were used alone. The mixture of medetomidine-ketamine in the ratios of 0.1mg/kg: 26.5mg/kg, 0.65mg/kg: 18.9mg/kg and 0.09mg/kg: 26.5mg/kg produced induction at 10.5±4.6, 5.2±2.3 and 5.2±2.2min, respectively. The mongooses (n=38) were administered atipamezole at the dosage of 0.2mg/kg, and achieved recovery at 28.3±18.6, 73.7±57.4 and 11.6±12.1min, respectively. It was concluded that a medetomidine-ketamine mixture of 0.9mg/kg: 26.5mg/kg was the most effective for the immobilization of mongoose.
