Trauma

Trauma

Risk Factor

Injuries or death resulting from a violent force that results in compression, stretching, twisting or penetration of tissues.
Most common injuries or mortalities are from collisions with vehicles, trains, aircraft or power lines and transmission towers.
Other traumatic injuries and deaths also include wounds received through trapping or shooting, fighting with members of the same species, or wounds resulting from predators.

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Deer and other mammals are often struck by vehicles and often succumb to their injuries.

Breast musculature is often completely removed on depredated birds.

Distribution

Geographic:

Seasonality:

Mechanism of Action

The extent and severity of traumatic wounds will depend on the area of the body involved, the tissues damaged as well as the strength of the physical blow.
Secondary infections may occur through secondary bacterial infection of wound sites.
Internal injuries may be severe or fatal, particularly if they result in organ rupture.

Signs and Symptoms

Collisions with vehicles are often fatal although some animals can survive.
Victims of vehicle collisions are often found on or near roadways. Injuries may not be apparent as wounds may not be visible.
Shooting wounds may be fatal, although fragments of ammunition may become lodged in bone or rarely in tissue and become essentially inert.
Within-species fighting injuries are rarely fatal or serious. Gore wounds may occur in species with horns or antlers, while bite wounds on the neck and throat may be observed in wild dogs. Secondary infections, or organ or body cavity penetrations/ruptures may cause illness or death days or weeks after the original injury.
Injuries resulting from predator attacks may be found on the hind legs, neck, head and sometimes on the flanks. Hemorrhage underneath the skin at the site of the wound is common and may extend beyond the range of the wound itself.
Any animal with a pre-existing injury may be more susceptible to a predator.
Predators may receive wounds from large game defending themselves, e.g., head wounds or broken bones resulting from antler or kicking blows
Birds that have either collided with power lines are often found beneath or power lines or transmission towers. See also electrocution.

Meat Edible?

Unless another condition is present, meat from animals succumbing to traumatic injury is safe for human consumption.
Any traumatic injury will likely reduce the quality of meat.

Samples for Diagnosis

A full post-mortem will identify the cause of death of most traumatic mortalities. Portions of affected tissue can also be submitted.

Similar Diseases

Finding an bird dead beside or near power poles or power lines cannot immediately be assumed to result from electrocution as traumatic collisions with power lines also occur.