Is Reading (including Monopoly's railway) Brands on a "Critter" similar to deciphering Tattoo Branding?

 There's a record of George Washington, the first president of the United States, having branded his cattle using the brand G W on either the shoulder or the hip of cattle.

 And here we thought G W was a Brand for a Jean manufacturer.

Branding Critters (1972)

 

BC Government Database search Criteria:  Why Brand

File Name:  captm120-05 (Marking Procedures)

Branding

Hot branding has been used in a number of instances to imprint identification numbers on the horns and skin of wild mammals. This method produces third-degree burns which lead to the production of visible scar tissue. Because of the pain associated with this procedure, this method is not commonly recommended.
Freeze branding (cyro-branding) appears to be more acceptable than hot branding for marking wildlife because it is less painful and the possibility of infection is minimized. This technique, which was originally developed for the identification of livestock, has been used with varying results in several wildlife species.

Tattooing

Tattooing is a common method of identification and has been used successfully in many species. Tattoos have been applied to the inside of the lip, the ear, and the thinly-haired area of the groin. The location and proper application of the tattoo will influence its future readability. In most cases, the animal must be recaptured or examined after death in order to read this type of mark.

Toe, Ear and Tail Clipping

Techniques that involve the removal or damage of tissue, such as toe, tail, or ear clipping are forms of mutilation. These procedures may have adverse effects on the behaviour and survival of wild animals and their use in marking free ranging wild species cannot generally be condoned. It is strongly recommended that alternative marking techniques be used in field research. However, in those few instances where removal of tissue is not judged to impair the normal activities and survivability of the marked animal and does not cause bone damage, pain or severe blood loss (e.g. ear notchings of small rodents), these marking techniques can be utilized. When toe or tail clipping are felt to be the only methods that can meet the requirements of a particular study, their use should be appropriately reviewed and approved by a review or animal care committee before implementation.
The removal of toes must never be performed on animals that use them for activities such as burrowing (ground squirrels) or climbing (red squirrels), or on animals where important bone structures have to be removed. When toe clipping is used is used as a marking technique, no more than one toe per foot should be removed.