TASER Announces Wildlife Management Stungun

cylonlover writes "At this week's SHOT Show in Las Vegas, TASER introduced its TASER Wildlife Electronic Control Device (ECD) that has been developed as an alternative tool for less effective methods of animal control used by wildlife professionals like chemical or acoustic repellents. The wildlife specific model is a three-shot, semi-automatic that can deliver a pulse from up to 35 feet (10.6 m) away and is designed for use on large animals like bears and elk."

Don't Tase Me Bro

[Cryogenic Specter]

Bears? Really? I may be wrong, but it's my understanding that after you let go of the trigger the person (or in this case, animal) is fine. It seems to me like this would just really piss off a bear and I don't know that they would run away or come after you. I want to see a video of this experiment! :)

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[wiedzmin]

PETA will be all over this if you try to actually test it on an animal. You'll need some volunteer sumo wrestlers.

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[savvysteve]

Should it be Don't Tase Me Bear?

Re:Don't Tase Me Bro

[Locke2005]

My dog accidentally got across the electric fence. She yelped like a little puppy and ran several miles away. I had to drive around in the car to find her and coax her to come home. I suspect this would have a similar effect on bear, it would have a very strong aversion to approaching you in the future. That's the way instincts work.

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[nut]

Anecdotal evidence is not proof of a rule. If you kick a dog it might run or it might turn and bite you.

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[orphiuchus]

Anecdotal evidence is not proof of a rule. If you kick a dog it might run or it might turn and bite you.

That depends on if its a black dog or a grizzly dog.

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[Amorymeltzer]

Depends where you hit 'em. Bears tend to be large and pretty hefty. Still, I've used electric bear fences whilst backpacking to great effect. The jolt is really quite (excuse the pun) shocking, but it's something your average human can withstand for a dozen or so seconds (all the males would take turns seeing how long we could hold on for, all the females shake their heads at the stupidity). When bears go around sniffing for food, though, they follow their nose. Their wet, highly sensitive nose. You s

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[Locke2005]

Right, that's why porcupines became extinct many years ago because sticking quills into bears' noses when they are trying to eat you only pisses the bears off!

sooo it's smart?

[pbjones]

so can I buy one to protect me from 'bears' and accidentally use it to TASER a shop owner?

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[flaming error]

Yes, so think twice if you ever see a bear approaching you on horseback.

The Mighty TASER

[ObsessiveMathsFreak]

A Taser is not some kind of sophisticated ray gun or phaser. It's an extended range cattle prod. People tend to forget this.

The primary purpose of all tasers is to make money for the TASER company. People _really_ tend to forget this. TASER pushes like hell for your police forces to carry cattle prods around with them for use on human beings. It publishes promotional and supportive material and research, and lobbies against all naysayers.

Now, you may be inclined to think that tasers are a "good idea". Some

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[sjames]

Tasers would be great iff they were used exclusively as a less lethal alternative in situations where the officer would otherwise resort to using his gun. Unfortunately, that isn't how they are used at all. Quite rapidly they get used in situations where the baton might be justified. Shortly thereafter because pulling the trigger repeatedly on a taser doesn't feel as brutal as beating someone with a stick, they end up getting used when the baton would seem excessive. Eventually you end up with people being

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[Amorymeltzer]

Tasers have a place in riot control and other situations where officers inherently must use violence.

A lot of the areas where tasers have been rolled out are places where violence is high. Quiet suburbia may opt for them to avoid having guns around, but most are i dangerous neighborhoods, where officers are (comparatively) regularly discharging their weapons. In almost all cases, taser use has done two things:

1. Dramatically reduced the number of deaths and injuries amongst both officers and civilians
2. Dramatically increased the number of incidents involving use of force.

Which is a problem. Rolling out

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[Nutria]

taser adoption means our law enforcement officers are carry around human-cattle prods to zap people into compliance.

As opposed to... what?

• Batons? Rodney King.
• Pepper spray? Ineffective.