Patent ID: 8894474

Claim:
A method of stunning an animal for inducing unconsciousness and insensibility enabling processing or handling of the animal, the method including the steps of: introducing a live subject animal to be processed or handled to a stunning station and locating the animal in a generally confined position, locating an applicator in contact with an application point on the animal's head immediately overlying the frontal portion of the subject animal's brain, the applicator having a coupling conformation to couple microwave radiation through the applicator to the head and to the frontal portion of the brain of the subject animal, generating microwave radiation of a suitable power level and frequency and directing that radiation through a waveguide to the applicator at an operative end of the waveguide to thereby heat the frontal portion of the brain of the subject animal, detecting reflected power of microwave radiation in the waveguide and, in response to the level of reflected power, tuning the waveguide so as to reduce the reflected power being detected by changing the impedance of the waveguide and applicator to better match the impedance of the head and thereby increase the transfer of microwave power to the head, and continuing the application of the microwave radiation to effect the heating for a period of time to raise the temperature of the frontal portion of the brain, the period being sufficient to induce insensibility.