Animal control agencies are often called upon to rescue or contain animals at large. Citizens imagine that an officer will arrive within moments with a tranquilizer gun and apprehend the animal. There are several reasons this doesn't happen. 

	Animal Control Agency response times are slow because officers are on other calls that are also urgent.
	Tranquilizer Guns and training are expensive and the drugs needed for their use must be dispensed through a DEA license. Many agencies don't have a trained operator on hand 24-7.
	Tranquilizer Guns require operators to be closer to an animal than a normal ballistic trajectory requires because bullets go much farther than a dart. The dose of medication will change the trajectory and distance.
	Drugs take time to affect so darts should only be used in an area makes it possible to find the animal if the animal takes off when darted.
	Estimating the amount of drug is based on appearance of the animal from a distance. Estimates can result in an animal less controllable than desired or in danger of respiratory arrest.
	Medications used in darts renders any meat from an animal inedible for a couple of months.
	Darts inject on impact. If a dart is fired and misses, it MUST be located because persons coming in contact with the dart may be injected.
	Since darts inject on impact, operators of tranquilizer guns do not work alone. A partner with antidote must be present to monitor the operator in case of accidental injection while handling the dart.

Tranquilizer guns are useful if the animal is in sight, contained geographically, and trained personnel are available. But they can be a nightmare if any of the necessary components is NOT part of the scenario.

 Tranquilizing drugs in food poses some of the same problems. 

	Dosages must be calculated for the specific animal and his condition based on an estimate at a distance.
	The animal must be hungry and the bait must be eaten in its entirety.
	The animal must be contained geographically so that he can be followed until the drug takes effect.
	Animals often regurgitate when under stress, reducing effectiveness of any drug ingested in food.

Other methods for trapping nuisance or dangerous animals are many. All have their advantages but most are less restrictive than tranquilization.