The Göttingen Mini-pig is a popular laboratory animal, that is used i.a. in experimental surgery and anaesthesia. For ethical and scientific reasons it is mandatory to minimize the stress the laboratory animals are exposed to. The presented stress-free experimental anaesthesia induction (ZESTRANI) is based on innovative means to achieve adequate analgesia using different substances appropriate for the animal's state of consciousness. Markedly lower heart rates and mean arterial pressures are seen when the ZESTRANI-method is used as compared retrospectively to the previously used "conventional" anaesthesia induction. With the ZESTRANI method no "fight or flight"-reactions are seen.