Colin Murdoch, Inventor of the Tranquilizer Gun, Born (1929)

It is an essential tool of wildlife conservation.  It is the only effective way to collect data from living animals.  It is the only safe way to capture, mark and release live animals.  It is one of the first scenes in most wildlife television shows.  It is the tranquilizer gun.  And we owe it to pharmacist, veterinarian and inventor Colin Murdoch.

New Zealand commemorative stamp honoring the inventions of Colin Murdoch

Murdoch was born on February 6, 1929, in Christchurch, New Zealand (died 2008).  He wasn’t a particularly good student, hampered by dyslexia, but he was always good with his hands—he was also ambidextrous—and loved both nature and technology.  He recounted that he had vivid dreams in which ideas for inventions would appear, rotating around in three-dimensions.  He kept a notepad by his bed to draw out the inventions when he woke.

When he was ten, Murdoch developed a unique way to make a controlled explosion.  He built a gun that used his technique, and he hunted small game with it for many years.  During World War II, he gained experience repairing guns for family and neighbors, because new guns were not available.  His extensive knowledge of guns would prove useful later.

He trained to become a pharmacist, following in his father’s footsteps.  After World War II, New Zealand suffered from a shortage of skilled professionals, including veterinarians in a livestock-oriented country.  So, Murdoch began serving other animals as well as humans—and added “veterinarian” to his professions.

He became concerned with the high rate of infections when doctors reused glass syringes—spreading the various diseases they were attempting to cure.  So in 1956, he invented the disposable plastic syringe, now the standard way to give injections.  He is credited with saving millions of lives for this single invention.

His work with animals, both domestic and wild, convinced him that a better way was needed to capture and restrain animals.  Drawing on his knowledge of firearms and hypodermic needles, he adapted an air pistol to fire a large feathered hypodermic dart that could inject a tranquilizer into an animal without having to capture it.  The dart’s velocity could be varied to match the size and distance of the animal, reducing injury to the target.  Patented in 1959, the gun was an instant success and is now a standard tool of wildlife management.

Colin Murdoch in Africa with tranquilized zebra

Murdoch also realized that the tranquilizing drugs used at the time—curare and nicotine—often caused death of wild animals because of their excessive physiological response to being darted.  So, he worked on adapting dosages to individual species and conditions, and he developed new chemicals that were safer and more effective.  He also developed the strategy of introducing an antidote for the tranquilizer as soon as possible to reduce impact on the treated animal.

In all, Murdoch held more than 40 patents for his inventions and was broadly honored for his contributions.  A later invention—loved and hated by us all—is the child-proof cap for medicine bottles.  He was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2000.

So, whenever you see an ear tag on a deer or watch a documentary about capturing and re-locating elephants or rhinos, give a little shout out to the man who made it possible—Colin Murdoch.

References:

Derby, Mark.  2010.  Inventions, patents and trademarks—Farming inventions.  Te Ara, the Encyclopedia of New Zealand.  Available at:  https://teara.govt.nz/en/postage-stamp/25400/murdoch-tranquilliser-gun.  Accessed February 4, 2018.

Nzedge.com.  Colin Murdoch—Dreamer for Millions.  Available at:  http://www.nzedge.com/legends/colin-murdoch/.  Accessed February 4, 2018.

The Telegraph.  2008.  Colin Murdoch.  The Telegraph Obituaries, 13 Jun 2008.  Available at:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/2125667/Colin-Murdoch.html.  Accessed February 4, 2018

This Month in Conservation

September 1
Martha, the last Passenger Pigeon, Died (1914)
September 2
President Roosevelt Dedicated Great Smoky National Park (1940)
September 3
Wilderness Act passed (1964)
September 4
Fort Bragg, Home of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers, Established (1918)
September 5
UNESCO Established First World Heritage Sites (1978)
September 6
Alcide d’Orbigny, French Naturalist, Born (1802)
September 7
Edward Birge, Father of Limnology, born (1851)
September 8
UN Millennium Declaration ratified (2000)
September 9
First “Bug” Found in Computer (1945)
September 10
Henry Hardtner, Father of Southern Forestry, Born (1870)
September 11
World Wildlife Fund Began Operations (1961)
September 12
Canyonlands National Park Established (1964)
September 13
Walter Reed born (1851)
September 14
Marc Reisner, Author of Cadillac Desert (1948)
September 15
Darwin reaches the Galapagos Islands (1835)
September 16
Ed Begley Jr., Environmental Advocate, born (1949)
September 17
Edgar Wayburn, Wilderness Advocate, Born (1906)
September 18
Grey Owl, Pioneering Conservationist in Canada, Born (1888)
September 19
Urmas Tartes, Estonian Nature Photographer, born (1963)
September 20
AAAS Founded (1848)
September 21
Assateague Island National Seashore Created (1965)
September 22
Peace Corps becomes law (1961)
September 23
Rose Selected as U.S. National Flower (1986)
September 24
President Kennedy Dedicated Pinchot Institute (1963)
September 25
Pope Francis Addressed the UN on the Environment (2015)
September 26
Johnny Appleseed Born (1774)
September 27
“Silent Spring” Published (1962)
September 28
National Public Lands Day
September 29
Steinhart Aquarium opens (1923)
September 30
Hoover Dam Dedicated (1935)
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