The Soothed Steer

Wild-eyed with fright, a herd of 33 Brahman steers bellowed into Kansas City, Mo. last week on their way to a feeding lot to be fattened for market. After an emergency call for help to K.C.'s Jensen-Salsbery Laboratories, the steers were as contented as cows in clover. The reason: Jensen-Salsbery's new animal tranquilizer made of ethyl isobutrazine (trade name: Diquel).

The cattle industry has long looked for a way to soothe cattle on the way to market. Distraught cattle pick fights with their neighbors, fret off as much as 10% of their valuable weight during the journey, cost the industry up to $1 billion a year. Shot full of Jen-Sal's tranquilizer, a steer will put up with almost anything for as long as three days, will walk up the abattoir healthy and hefty.

The tricky problem of getting a hypo needle full of the stuff in the stern of an edgy steer was solved by a .50-cal. carbondioxide-powered rifle remodeled to fire a needle-nosed cartridge containing the tranquilizer. Accurate up to 50 yds., the needle whumps about an inch into the steer's rump and carbon-dioxide gas forces happiness into the beast. Cost per jag: $1.

The Food and Drug Administration has approved the drug for routine use before shipment, but still bans it immediately before slaughter on the chance that some of the steer's contentedness might be passed on to the customer.

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