Fourteen red hartebeest (Alcelaphus buselaphus caama) were immobilised with etorphine hydrochloride (M-99) in combination with azaperone. Dosage rates were kept constant for comparative purposes. An inverse relationship between sympathetic stimulation and eventual immobilisation was demonstrated. Immobilisation time was influenced considerably by the specific site of injection. Hartebeest showed three types of reaction after darting, viz. complete restraint, semi-tranquillisation, and a state where animals required an additional dosage to produce the necessary sedation. Drugged individuals soon became separated from other members of the same species.Typical reactions included the occurrence of exaggerated feeding behaviour and the state of complete indifference to human presence. The unnatural behaviour of semi-tranquillised males occasionally led to aggressiveness on the part of females. Intramuscular injections of cyprenorphine hydrochloride rapidly reversed the narcotic effects of etorphine hydrochloride. Most hartebeest, fully recovered, were observed with their original herds within a day after immobilisation. Keywords: Alcelaphus buselaphus caama, Darting, Drug administration, Immobilisation, Recovery, Red hartebeest.