Electroencephalographic studies on the nape shooting of sheep.

The implications of shooting animals in the area of the occipito-atlantal junction was evaluated in three sheep by recording changes in the EEG activity. In one sheep, a shot which entered the occipito-atlantal junction and fractured the first cervical vertebra failed to produce insensibility. In contrast, a shot in another sheep which struck the occipital condyles of the skull resulted in loss of cortical evoked responses, the presence of high amplitude low frequency activity and ultimately all loss of brain activity. These results provide evidence that shooting through the vertebral column does not necessarily transmit sufficient percussive forces to higher brain regions to produce immediate insensibility. This has important implications for the humane destruction of animals, particularly, as in the case of cetaceans, where the occipito-atlantal junction or a high neck position is a recommended target area.