Handling tool
Electric Livestock Prod
Shock stick for moving animals
What it is
A battery-powered stick that puts an electric shock into an animal's body. The animal moves to get away from the shock.
Where it sits in the system
It moves animals when other handling cues fail. It also substitutes for correcting the facility and handling problems that made them fail.
Welfare concern
The shock is aversive, painful, and frightening. Repeated shocks, and shocks to sensitive areas of the body, make it worse.
Worth being precise about
Used once in an emergency, a prod can protect a person or an animal from something worse. Routine use, repeated shocks, and sensitive-area use are a different matter, and they point to a handling system that is failing.
