Animal Care

1. Animal Care

2. Overview • Some people are troubled by the use of animals in research. Each individual must make decisions about the kind of research he/she wishes to perform.

3. Overview • Some people are troubled by the use of animals in research. Each individual must make decisions about the kind of research he/she wishes to perform. • Ethical issues are complex. Not much consensus among professional ethicists. • New Zealand granted basic rights to five great ape species in 1999. Their use is now forbidden in research, testing or teaching.

4. Overview • Some people are troubled by the use of animals in research. Each individual must make decisions about the kind of research he/she wishes to perform. • Ethical issues are complex. Not much consensus among professional ethicists. • Legally, federal and state laws recognize and regulate the ownership, care, and use of many kinds of animals.

5. Laws Regulating Care and Use of Animals • Migratory Bird Treaty Act - 1918 • U.S., Canada, Mexico, Russia, Japan • Under the Act, taking, killing or possessing migratory birds or eggs is unlawful.

6. Laws Regulating Care and Use of Animals • Animal Welfare Act, 1966 • prohibits sale or use of stolen animals • prohibits animal fighting ventures (e.g., dogs) • requires humane care of animals used as pets, in exhibits (zoos, circuses), on farms, in research • Enforced by US Dept. of Agriculture • Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) • Criminal penalties for violation • Covers most birds & mammals, but not rodents

7. Laws Regulating Care and Use of Animals • Marine Mammal Protection Act, 1972 • Protects marine mammals, including research animals and performing dolphins, killer whales, etc. • Enforced by Natl. Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Protected Resources • Endangered Species Act, 1973 • Protects endangered and threatened species • Enforced by US Dept. of Interior • Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)

8. Laws Regulating Care and Use of Animals • Health Research Extension Act, 1985 • Covers ALL live vertebrates used in research • Rules were developed by Inter-agency Research Animal Committee • Rules are summarized in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, plus a large body of additional literature. • Enforcement is by National Institutes of Health • Penalties are mostly grant-related, not criminal

9. Laws Regulating Care and Use of Animals • Great Ape Protection and Cost Savings Act, 2011 • U.S. and Gabon are only two countries still using apes in research. • This act would prohibit their use in invasive research (observation allowed) • Also establishes a sanctuary for experimental apes

10. Issues covered in the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals(by National Research Council) • Institutional oversight committees • Animal housing and management • Veterinary care • Euthanasia

11. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) • More commonly called “Animal Care Committee” • All institutions that use animals in research must have an IACUC, or if not, must have their projects approved by an IACUC at a neighboring institution. • IACUC oversees compliance with regulations and evaluates proposals to use vertebrate animals.

12. Animal Care and Use Committee • Makeup • Vet, practicing scientist, nonscientist, someone not affiliated with the institution, at least one other person (5)

13. Underlying principles • Use of animals can benefit society • But it should be done so as to minimize distress • Mostly an ethical issue • But also, a distressed animal produces unreliable experimental results • The decision to approve a proposed use of animal subjects involves weighing: • The amount of unavoidable distress • The potential societal benefit

14. Justification for using animals • I. Why is this the right animal model? • A. Research should be undertaken with a clear scientific purpose. • B. There should be a reasonable expectation that the research will: • 1. Increase knowledge of the processes underlying the evolution, development, maintenance, alteration, control, or biological significance of behavior • 2. Increase understanding of the species under study • 3. Provide results that benefit the health or welfare of humans or other animals.

15. Justification for using animals • II. Does an animal need to be used? • i.e., are there alternative models? • III. What is the minimal number of animals needed?

16. Animal acquisition • I. Bred in the laboratory • II. Licensed dealer • A. Animals not bred in the facility are to be acquired lawfully. • B. The USDA and local ordinances should be consulted for information regarding regulations and approved suppliers. • II. Field collections • A. Animals taken from the wild should be trapped in a humane manner and in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations.

17. Animal acquisition • III. Endangered species or taxa • A. Should be used only with full attention to required permits and ethical concern

18. Transportation Issues • I. Proper packaging • II. Timely shipping • III. Appropriate care upon arrival • Once the animals arrive: • Adequate Veterinary Care • Consultation with the principal investigator to minimize pain and distress.

19. What is “distress”? • Pain, suffering, fear • Assumptions that: • Invertebrates experience distress less than vertebrates. • “Lower” vertebrates experience distress less than more advanced ones, because simpler brains have less capacity to remember past events and to conceptualize and anticipate future events.

20. PI Responsibilities • A. Minimize pain and distress • 1. Appropriate pain relieving drugs • Unless withholding such drugs is justified for scientific reasons, in writing, by the principal investigator and will continue only for the necessary period of time. • 2. Not include the use of paralytics without anesthesia. (This is a flat prohibition). • 3. Animals that would otherwise experience severe or chronic pain or distress that cannot be relieved will be painlessly euthanized.

21. PI Responsibilities • A. • 4. The animals living conditions will be appropriate for their species in accordance with standards that will contribute to their health and comfort. • 5. Medical care for animals will be available and provided as necessary by a qualified veterinarian. • 6. Activities that involve surgery must include appropriate provision for pre-operative and post-operative care of the animals in accordance with established veterinary medical and nursing practices

22. PI Responsibilities • A. • 7. All survival surgery will be performed using aseptic procedures, including surgical gloves, masks, sterilized instruments, and aseptic techniques. • 8. No animal will be used in more that one major operative procedure from which it is allowed to recover unless: • a. Justified for scientific reasons by the principal investigator, in writing. • b. Required as routine veterinary procedure or to protect the health or well-being of the animal as determined by the attending veterinarian.

23. PI Responsibilities • B. Ensure that personnel conducting procedures on the species being maintained or studied are appropriately qualified and trained in those procedures. • C. Humane methods of animal maintenance and experimentation. • 1. The basic needs of each species of animal. • 2. Proper handling and care for the various species of animals used by the facility • 3. Proper pre-procedural and post-procedural care of animals. • 4. Aseptic surgical methods and procedures.

24. PI Responsibilities • C. • 1. The concept, availability, and use of research or testing methods that limit the use of animals or minimize animal distress • 2. Proper use of pain relieving drugs for any species of animals used by the facility. • 3. Methods whereby deficiencies in animal care and treatment are reported, including deficiencies reported by facility employees

25. Housing Standards • I. Heating, cooling, and temperature • II. Ventilation • III. Compatible groupings • IV. Exercise • V. Food and water • VI. Psychological well-being

26. Disposal • The return of wild-caught animals to the field can carry substantial risks • To the formerly captive animals and to the ecosystem. • Animals reared in the laboratory should not be released • In most cases, they cannot survive or they may survive by disrupting the natural ecology. • Proper (humane) euthanasia