Disclosed are an animal stunning apparatus and method for inducing rapid unconsciousness and insensibility. The apparatus includes a stunning station (10) in which a live subject animal is located in a confined position and an applicator (60) contacts an application point (51) on the live subject animal&rsquos head (50) immediately overlying a frontal portion of the animal&rsquos brain and couples microwave radiation to the head, A microwave generator (75) generates microwave energy of a suitable power level and frequency, and a waveguide (76) directs the microwave radiation to the applicator (60). An auto-tuner (90) in the waveguide uses a directional coupler (91) to detect forward and reflected power and to tune in real time the impedance for matching the load and optimising effective power transfer. A switch (78) discontinues the application of microwave radiation which is heating of the frontal portion of the brain after a period of time sufficient to have raised the temperature of the frontal portion of the brain of the subject animal to thereby induce the unconsciousness and insensibility. Effective measures for optimising the microwave absorption include special constructions of the applicator (63, 66) and sensor switches (67), (68) to minimise microwave leakage. The period can be sufficient only to rapidly induce insensibility, and is insufficient for the insensibility induced to be irreversible, and insufficient to cause significant heating of deeper brain tissues and including the brain stem.
