A person with responsibility for an animal may commit an offence if an act, or failure to act, causes an animal to suffer unnecessarily. Therefore, the need for euthanasia should be considered within any tactical plan at an incident involving animals. This decision will be influenced by a number of considerations including:
- The safety of the emergency responders or animal
- Welfare decisions, such as the severity of the animal’s injuries
- Views of the owner of the animal, which could be based on commercial rationale
Methods of euthanasia include:
- Chemical euthanasia
- Gun shot
- Captive-bolt stunner
Euthanasia can be carried out by:
- Veterinary surgeons
- Animal welfare charities
- Police firearms teams
Fire and rescue services will not make the decision about whether an animal is euthanised. However, from a safety and welfare perspective, the incident commander will need to be involved in the decision about where and how the animal will be euthanised.
To avoid distress to the public, or to prevent filming, it may be appropriate to screen off the area where the animal will be euthanised. This will also provide a degree of privacy to those carrying out the task.