Scientific study in commercial slaughterhouses of rabbits

This study compared the assessments of four observers in 16 slaughterhouses on the most valid and feasible indicators of consciousness in two stages. Immediately after stunning, the refined list of indicators consists in tonic-clonic seizure, breathing, spontaneous blinking and vocalisations. During bleeding, the refined list includes breathing, spontaneous blinking and vocalisations. Sometimes more than one indicator of consciousness is observed in the same rabbit. Caution with righting reflex should be taken ant it should only be considered indicator of consciousness when the rabbit is breathing and/or blinking. Some factors that contribute to effective stunning are: stun-to-stick interval of less than 5 s, using current above 200 mA and frequencies not above 50 Hz, and wetting the rabbits' heads. The more these key factors are present in a SH, the higher the odds of effective stunning in rabbits.