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Case Study

Tissue damage in Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) caused by pneumatic weapon in imaging and ballistic studies

Lucyna Dmowska ¹ , Bartłomiej J. Bartyzel ², Sławomir Paśko ³, Grzegorz Bogiel⁴, Michał Borusiński⁴

¹Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Environmental Sciences, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw, Poland

²Department of Morphological Sciences, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Institute of Veterinary Medicine, Warsaw University of Live Sciences - SGGW, Warsaw, Polska

³Virtual Reality Techniques Division, Institute of Micromechanics and Photonics, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland

⁴Toolmark and Ballistic Department, Central Forensic Laboratory of the Police Research Institute, Warsaw, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 21(2), 2022, 35‒42
2. DOI: 10.21005/asp.2022.21.2.05

Abstract. The widespread availability of legal pneumatic weapons is commonly abused to hurt animals. Determining the shotgun based on animal injuries is complex and requires the knowledge of gunshot wounds and animal tissues. In this study, a detailed gunshot wound analysis was conducted on bird carcasses. An attempt was made to examine damaged soft and hard tissues in Japanese quail. A ballistic device of low energy was used. It was found that the shot of an average velocity of 83 m · s^–1 thoroughly penetrates a bird carcass of an average mass of 205.5 g. A head or a neck shot with the same velocity can lead to immediate death. The shot velocity of 110 m · s^–1 generates enough energy to move a carcass. These prove how dangerous the weapon is when used to harm small animals. Further studies may contribute to creating a model of bird injuries produced by various shots and result in strict law on possession of low-energy pneumatic weapons in Poland.

Keywords: pneumatic weapon, birds, Japanese quail