Effect of Indigenous Slaughter Methods on the Behavioural Response Bleeding Efficiency and Cardiac Arrest of Nguni Goats

摘要

Resource-limited farmers under communal farming environments slaughter goats for cultural beliefs and meat consumption using indigenous slaughter methods. These methods include transverse neck incision (TNI), piercing with a short spear on the suprasternal notch targeting the heart (SNP), and piercing with a short spear under-shoulder-blade chest-floor point-of-elbow (CFP) targeting the heart to induce insensibility and death. Unsatisfied animal welfare institutes consider these slaughter methods as cruel because goats are slaughtered while sensible; therefore, experiencing pain and suffering before death. In this study, we slaughtered castrates using the above-mentioned methods and collected behavioural responses before slaughter and while bleeding, the total blood expelled during bleeding, the time it took for the blood to be expelled, the time it took the goats to lose sensibility, and time to lose heartbeat. We found that goats slaughtered using CFP lost sensibility faster. We concluded that goats slaughtered using the CFP method experienced less pain and suffering during slaughter and died faster.