Application of microwaves to animals

A method of stunning a subject animal for inducing unconsciousness and insensibility of the animal, the method comprising the steps:

• (a) providing an applicator to be located in use in the proximity of an application zone of the subject animal's head, the application zone comprising a region overlying part of at least one of the frontal lobe and the parietal lobe and occipital lobe of the subject animal's brain located beneath the subject animal's skull, the applicator including a microwave path along which microwave radiation travels in use and the mouth through which the microwave radiation emerges from the applicator, the mouth being sized to overlie the application zone of the animal's head;
• (b) locating the applicator in an operative relationship in proximity to a load that approximates the conformation and dielectric properties of the subject animal's head at the application zone;
• (c) generating low power microwave radiation and directing it through the microwave path of the applicator to emerge at the mouth and thence to be applied to the load;
• (d) detecting reflected power of the microwave radiation in the applicator during the application of the low power microwave radiation to the load;
• (e) adjusting the impedance of the applicator to change the impedance match of the applicator with the load;
• (f) repeating steps (c), (d), and (e) until an optimum impedance of the applicator that best matches with the impedance of the load is determined as indicated by a minimum reflected power being detected in step (d) of the multiple repetitions of steps (c), (d) and (e);
• (g) adjusting the impedance of the applicator to match the optimum impedance determined in step (f) so as to provide a calibrated applicator;
• (h) introducing the subject animal to a stunning station where the animal is to be stunned;
• (i) restraining the subject animal's head at the stunning station;
• (j) locating the calibrated applicator in the proximity of the application zone of the subject animal's head;
• (k) generating microwave radiation of a suitable power level and frequency and directing the radiation along a microwave path to the calibrated applicator so that microwave radiation passing through the applicator and emerging through the mouth thereby heats the animal's brain beneath the application zone;
• (l) detecting at a location upstream of the applicator reflected power of microwave radiation and, in response to the detected level of reflected power, adjusting the microwave power being delivered to heat the animal's brain;
• and
• (m) continuing the application of the microwave radiation to effect the heating for a period of time to raise the temperature of the parts of the animal's brain beneath the skull at the application zone, the period of time being sufficient to induce insensibility of the animal.