Darting, as is done with animals, is NOT immediate. The medicine has to get into the blood stream and circulate. Moreover, the dosages are best determined by body weight and can be affected by adrenaline, activity, and so on. It often takes more than one dart to bring an animal down, as placement of the dart is critical -- a shot into muscle, such as a hip, will work far more slowly than one into a vein.

What is never discussed on nature programs is the death rate. It depends upon a lot of factors of course but up to one third of darted animals die from the darting.

Tasers -- the "stun guns" that fire a barb into someone and then jolt them with a huge amount of electricity -- were discussed early on after the events of Sept. 11. I think they were ruled out because they have a very limited range and are quite inaccurate beyond a few feet. The other type of "stun guns" need contact to work.