How effective is STUNNING?
Stunning is a process carried out on animals before being slaughtered or processed for food with the sole aim of minimizing the animal's pain and suffering before death.
Stunning renders the animal unconscious and insensitive to pain before being slaughtered. After stunning, the animal is bled to cause death. Although, the animal might have been dead before slaughtering.
It is believed that the Jewish and Islamic method of slaughtering "by cutting major blood vessels in the neck or thorax leading to a huge loss of blood which later result in unconsciousness then death" is bad and causes greater pain to the animal.
According to research,
Without stunning, the time between cutting through the major blood vessels and insensibility, as deduced from behavioural and brain response, it's up to 20 seconds in sheep, 25 seconds in pigs, 2 minutes in cattle, 2.5 or more minutes in poultry and sometimes 15 minutes or more in fishes.
There are mainly three(3) methods of stunning. Each method is specific for different species.
Electrical stunning uses an electrified pool of water in which poultry birds' heads are dipped in or an electrical stunning device passing sufficient current through the brain of the animal to interrupt normal brain activity and render the animal immediately unconscious.
An electrical stunning system requires the correct voltage, current and application time (as it will differ depending on the size of animal to be slaughtered) to be delivered for the stun to result in instantaneous and painless unconsciousness.
Percussive stunning is usually carried out using a captive bolt gun which fires a metal bolt that may or may not penetrate into the skull but cause an immediate state of unconsciousness.
A blow with sufficient force directly to the head will damage the nerves and blood vessels in the brain causing brain dysfunction/destruction and diminished blood circulation, resulting in immediate unconsciousness.
Gas stunning involves the use of gases to cause unconsciousness. Carbon dioxide is majorly used to suffocate the animals.
As the animal inhales the carbon dioxide gas, blood oxygen level decreases resulting in a loss of brain function and eventual brain death. Gas concentration must be maintained at maximum for a specified period of time to ensure they animal is irreversibly unconscious.
Critically looking at the two methods of slaughtering animals:
Is stunning truly more effective in reducing pain during death of animals?
Is the consumption of animal products processed from slaughtering after stunning safe for the health?
