| Summary Information |
| Diseases / List of Physical / Traumatic
Diseases / Disease summary |
| Alternative
Names |
See also: Hook and Line Injuries, Foreign Body Ingestion |
| Disease Agents |
- Snares, set legally or illegally.
- Discarded fishing line.
- Netting used to protect plants, pea or runner-bean netting, cricket
nets, tennis nets, discarded netting etc.
- Tin cans, particularly if the lid is not completely removed.
- Yoghurt pots and similar containers.
- Discarded baler twine, string etc.
- Hair and wool which may become entangled around limbs
- Plastic 'four-pack' (UK) or 'six-pack' (USA) drinks can containers,
- Plastic rings from necks of drinks bottles, plastic bags and any other
object with a loop discarded into the environment.
- Plastic objects are particularly hazardous as they do not break down in the environment.
- 'Tamper-proof' rings from the necks of drinks bottles may lodge around the head of
birds. These frequently have sharp plastic 'teeth' on the inside, making it difficult for
the bird to dislodge.
- Badly fitting leg rings on birds can also cause injury.
N.B. Objects may be divided into two broad categories:
- Snares and other loops which are fixed to a solid object and which may pull tighter as
the animal attempts to escape.
- Objects which are not fixed to any solid object but which may cut into the animal due to
sharp edges or because they remain at a fixed size while the animal grows.
(B36.51.w51,
B228.9.w9,
B259.w9, B337.3.w3,
P8.3.w1, V.w5, V.w6,
V.w26) |
| Infectious Agent(s) |
-- |
| Non-infectious
Agent(s) |
-- |
| Physical Agent(s) |
|
| General
Description |
Clinical signs:
- Snare, other line or other object visible caught around the head, neck,
body or limb.
- In juveniles, the entangled part of the body may be constricted as the
animal grows.
- Objects caught in the mouth or round the bill may interfere with eating,
drinking and preening.
- Snares and other loops attached to a fixed object may cause severe injury
to underlying structures.
- Linear skin and tissue damage underlying the site of the snare/entangled object.
- Skin damage may or may not be evident at the time of initial presentation.
- Deeper tissues may or may not be visible and visibly damaged at the time of
presentation.
- In longer-standing snare/entanglement wounds secondary Myiasis may be present.
(B36.51.w51,
V.w5, V.w6).
In Hedgehogs:
- Entanglement in netting (cricket nets, tennis nets, netting for
runner beans etc.) is common.
- Often get caught in plastic rings (from e.g. "four-packs"),
or ends cut off plastic pipes.
- Often get yoghurt pots, tin cans and similar food containers caught
on their heads while scavenging for food. A leg may also get
caught in a tin, for example between the rim and the partially-opened
lid.
- A tangled leg may be partially or totally severed.
- The throat may be damaged.
- Juveniles may be wasp-waisted due to a constricting object around
which they are still growing.
(B228.9.w9,
B259.w9, B337.3.w3)
In Badgers:
- Snare injuries are common
- These may involve the limbs, head and neck, or abdomen.
- Pressure necrosis of underlying tissues may not be visible for several days after the
initial injury.
- Animals from which a snare have been removed must be kept for several days for
observation, not released immediately
- (J60.2.w3)
- It is illegal to use a snare on badgers in the UK therefore cases should be reported to
the local police station, National
Federation of Badger Groups and RSPCA
on their Snaring
Incident Report form (provide link and check the name of the form).
- It is vital that the badger is caught and secured within an enclosed area before the snare is removed, often requiring
general anaesthesia. Releasing the snare before the badger is contained must be avoided
because this could allow it to escape before
examination for underlying wounds is possible. It is also critical that the technique of
capture does not allow the badger to escape with the snare still attached to its
body. (V.w26)
|
| Further
Information |
Animals from which a snare have been removed must be kept for several days for
observation, to ensure that no tissue breakdown caused by pressure necrosis develops at
the site of the snare constriction, not released immediately (J60.2.w3, V.w26)
Treatment:
- Simply removing the object may be all that is required if the underlying
structures are not damaged.
- Where a snare or another object acting as a snare is involved, it is important that the
animal not released immediately after removal of the snare as damage to tissues underlying
the snare (from pressure necrosis) may not be visible initially. Keeping the animal for
several days is advisable.
- If a snare or a line or piece of netting or other object acting as a snare is removed in
the field it is important to ensure that the animal is securely captured before the snare
is removed and that it does not escape with the snare still around the animal.
In Badgers:
- It is illegal to use a snare on badgers in the UK therefore cases of snaring should be
reported to the local police station, National
Federation of Badger Groups and the RSPCA
on their Snaring Incident Report form (see the Appendix of B152 - Problems with
Badgers - full text available). (V.w26)
- It is vital that the badger is caught and secured within an enclosed area before the snare is removed, often requiring
general anaesthesia.
- Releasing the snare before the badger is contained must be avoided because this could
allow it to escape before examination for
underlying wounds is possible.
- It is also critical that the technique of capture does not allow the badger to escape
with the snare still attached to its body.
- Animals from which a snare have been removed must be kept for several days for
observation, to ensure that no tissue breakdown caused by pressure necrosis develops at
the site of the snare constriction, not released immediately (J60.2.w3, V.w26)
- Fluid therapy for dehydration may be required dependent on the duration of the period
trapped in the snare. (V.w26)
In Hedgehogs:
- Remove the entangling object. This may require the use of wire
cutters or similar. (B259.w9)
- Keeping the hedgehog for several days (seven to ten days) is recommended to
monitor for the development of pressure necrosis which may not be
evident initially.
(B151, B284.6.w6,
B337.3.w3)
- Amputation may be required due to limb damage, or the ligature may
itself amputate a leg. (B151,
B337.3.w3)
Prevention:
- Entanglements can be prevented by responsible disposal of rubbish (trash), particularly
plastics.
- Four-pack or six-pack containers should have each ring cut through or broken before
being thrown away, even into a rubbish bin (trash can), as should bottle neck rings that
have become detached from the bottle.
- Tin cans should have the lids cut off fully before being
discarded. These and yoghurt pots etc. should be fully emptied and
if possible rinsed before being thrown away to decrease their
attractiveness to scavengers.
- (B36.51.w51, V.w5)
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| Techniques linked to this disease |
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| Host taxa groups /species |
[N.B. Miscellaneous / Traumatic Diseases tend to be
under-reported and the majority are likely to affect all species, given exposure to
the related disease agents/factors.] |
