Dart Choices
Animal
Needle Length
Size Type
Lambs and 1 Year old ½” WB 0.5cc Motsumi
Ewe ¾” WB 1cc Motsumi
Bulls ¾”- 1” WB 1 -1.5cc Motsumi
Ewes - Transmitter ¾” DWB 1.5cc Motsumi
Bulls - Transmitter 1” DWB 1.5cc Motsumi
Note: Although some literature says that Nyala have though skin. I find the perennial area, the inside of the hind legs and lower abdomen very soft
and easily tears or penetrate. Lambs and young should only be darted from the side neatly into the muscle.
Nutrition - What you feed is what you get, severe
mortalities have been seen when we capture and the
BCS is below average. This also affects the post release
mortalities and adaptation. The need to make sure that
animals are in optimum condition before capture this
cannot be over emphasized. Nyala can be fed 14 days
before capture commences by placing lucerne and
pellets out at feeding sites. Species specific fencing can
be made around the site to keep out other species.
Personal Experience
I find that Nyala can range from a very easy species
to work with if the are in a proper camp system
to difficult species in the open areas of Northern-
Natal. They respond well to drugs and almost any
combination if the are treated in a stress-less manner.
The better condition the animal is in the more likely
it is to be a successful outcome. Mortalities is mostly
related to wild-caught unadapted animals that are in
a poor body condition. Personal communication and
experience have shown exceptionally high mortalities
from the false-bay area, due to lung worm problems
BCS Number Percentage
1 10 12.05%
1.5 33 39.76%
2 31 37.35%
2.5 9 10.84%
and dewormers???? ( I still need to confirm this on my
own.)
A case study from my own work showed on a 2400ha
farm where we experienced high mortalities due to
mal adaptation in the boma the underlying cause was
PEM.
We caught 63 Nyala using a helicopter. The average time
was 14 mins and 20 seconds per Nyala. This included,
finding the animal, darting, down-time and recovery.
Animals where darted 3-5 at at “run” before they
were woken up. Drugs used where Thianil, Captivon,
Azaperone, Xylaxine, Ketamine. Tranquilized with
Zuclopenthixol. Supportive drugs, Draxxin, Kyroligo and
Dectomax. Once a worker was at the Nyala a student
would immediately inject it with Yohimbine and carried
out using a stretcher with poles. They were woken up
in a trailer and moved to an on-site boma once we
caught about 15-20.
I evaluated 83 animals. About 2-3 weeks later in the
veld.
Percentage Percentage
51.8% 89.16%
2018
AUGUST
15