Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals (2006) / Chapter Skim
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3 Good Practices in the Transportation of Research Animals
3 Good Practices in the Transportation of Research Animals
Pages 33-64
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From page 33... ...
. Unfortunately, there is sparse scientific literature on the effects of transportation on most common research animals, but good practices for all research animals can be established by drawing some universal concepts from the available scientific literature and by understanding speciesspecific needs.
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From page 34... ...
. The use of performance standards allows researchers and shippers the flexibility to adjust their procedures to optimize animal welfare on the basis of the species being transported, the mode of transportation, and local environmental conditions.
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From page 35... ...
Then, after a longer period, the stress of transportation gradually increases, especially if feed and water are not consumed. For small species in extreme thermal conditions, the length of time that an animal remains at a plateau of stress response before the stress of transportation begins to increase can be rather short (minutes)
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From page 36... ...
Some studies have attempted to define post-transportation recovery times that are required for normalization of specific measures after transport. Physiological changes due to transportation and recovery times are outlined below for the major species of research animals.
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The only adverse effect, not present in all species, was increased latency in rebreeding after transportation. Livestock In cattle, as in other farm species, body temperature rises, heart and respiration rates increase, the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis (HPA)
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From page 38... ...
Small animals also produce more heat per unit of body weight than larger animals. The relationships between surface area, metabolic rate, and space required by mammals are defined by the following allometric equations: Surface area (m2)
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From page 39... ...
The goal is to identify the range of ambient temperatures over which an animal is able to maintain a physiologically normal core body temperature. In this section, the basic principles of thermoregulation in warm-blooded animals are discussed to provide the scientific basis of the committee's recommendations and to inform the professional judgment of researchers, staff, and institutional animal care and use committees in meeting performance standards.
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From page 40... ...
In some cases, lowest and highest tolerated ambient temperatures were determined in acclimated animals.
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From page 41... ...
GOOD PRACTICES IN THE TRANSPORTATION OF RESEARCH ANIMALS 41 Lowest Highest Tolerated Tolerated Ambient Ambient Temperatureb Temperatureb (°C) Reference (°C)
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From page 42... ...
shivering & Metabolism body temp) sweating Hypothermia & body thermogenesis Mostly nonshivering thermogenesis Thermoneutral Zone Hyperthermia (decreasing Nonshivering (rising Panting A B C D E F Ambient Temperature FIGURE 3-1 Graph representing relationship between metabolic rate and ambient temperature in homeotherms.
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From page 43... ...
. As ambient temperatures continue to fall, nonshivering thermogenesis is no longer adequate to offset heat loss and maintain body temperature.
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44 GUIDELINES FOR THE HUMANE TRANSPORTATION OF RESEARCH ANIMALS FIGURE 3-3 TNZ of various agricultural animals. Reprinted with permission from Taylor, R.W., and T.G.
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From page 45... ...
The range of ambient temperatures over which an animal can maintain its core body temperature is depicted in Figure 3-1 between B and E The lowest ambient temperature at which an animal can maintain its body temperature is generally much lower than its TNZ (see Table 3-1)
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From page 46... ...
However, upper limit of the safe range for transport of those animals is also based on the UCT of an animal's TNZ. Unlike humans, who can maintain their body temperatures above their TNZ through sweating, most research animals are nonsweating species and have a limited capacity for dissipating heat.
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From page 47... ...
The committee recommends that professional judgment be considered the final determinant of whether the ambient temperatures that animals will be exposed to during transportation are safe. Many factors must be considered if professional judgment is utilized, including humidity, stocking density, the characteristics of the transportation cage, plumage and hair coat, previous adaptation, metabolic and behavioral characteristics, physiologic status, food and water consumption, trip length, and potential temperature extremes.
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From page 48... ...
. Professional judgment must be used in determining safe transportation of research animals.
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From page 49... ...
insulation) Stress susceptible Colder High Warmer Very high genotypesa Surface cover Warmer Protective Warmer High (plumage and hair coat)
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From page 50... ...
Safe temperature ranges for transportation are more difficult to establish for poikilotherms such as reptiles and amphibians. In poikilotherms, a decrease or increase in body temperature of a few degrees is not a cause for concern.
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From page 51... ...
However, such transportation is often unavailable, particularly for nonrodent species, and other precautions and procedures, such as monitoring animal behavior, must be used to ensure the animals' welfare. As discussed above, when ambient temperatures change, animals use both physiological and behavioral mechanisms either to increase heat production or to promote heat loss and maintain a homeothermic state.
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From page 52... ...
Birds Piloerection Open-mouth panting Cutaneous vasoconstriction (paleness of skin of ears or feet) Shivering Drawing limbs close to body (curling up)
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From page 53... ...
Although smaller animals occupy less space than larger animals, they occupy more space per unit of body weight. Thus, 10 1-kg animals require more space than one 10-kg animal if other considerations are equal.
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From page 54... ...
Transportation space requirements for guinea pigs and hamsters mandated in the Animal Welfare Act also follow the trend line; although they are not obviously based on empirical data, those space requirements might be appropriate. The algorithm would be useful to people who are attempting to determine the transportation space needs for an uncommon species of research animal for whose transportation there are neither guidelines nor much practical experience.
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From page 55... ...
(m2) Source Mice 0.053 0.024 0.09 0.008 Harlanb Mice 0.055 0.025 0.04 0.004 Jackson Laboratoriesb Mice 0.075 0.034 0.10 0.009 Harlanb Mice 0.077 0.035 0.07 0.006 Charles Riverb Gerbils 0.077 0.035 0.08 0.007 Charles Riverb Gerbils 0.110 0.050 0.11 0.010 Charles Riverb Gerbils 0.132 0.060 0.13 0.012 Charles Riverb Gerbils 0.154 0.070 0.18 0.017 Charles Riverb Rats 0.110 0.050 0.13 0.012 Charles Riverb Rats 0.110 0.050 0.10 0.009 Taconicb Rats 0.163 0.074 0.16 0.015 Harlanb Rats 0.165 0.075 0.16 0.015 Charles Riverb Rats 0.165 0.075 0.11 0.010 Taconicb Rats 0.218 0.099 0.19 0.018 Harlanb Rats 0.220 0.100 0.21 0.019 Charles Riverb Rats 0.220 0.100 0.12 0.011 Taconicb Rats 0.273 0.124 0.22 0.020 Harlanb Rats 0.276 0.125 0.27 0.025 Charles Riverb Rats 0.276 0.125 0.13 0.012 Taconicb Rats 0.328 0.149 0.25 0.023 Harlanb Rats 0.331 0.150 0.30 0.028 Charles Riverb Rats 0.331 0.150 0.15 0.014 Taconicb Rats 0.384 0.174 0.29 0.027 Harlanb Rats 0.386 0.175 0.18 0.017 Taconicb Rats 0.441 0.200 0.33 0.031 Charles Riverb Rats 0.494 0.224 0.35 0.032 Harlanb Rats 0.505 0.229 0.43 0.040 Harlanb Rats 0.551 0.250 0.44 0.041 Charles Riverb Rats 0.551 0.250 0.24 0.023 Taconicb Rats 0.606 0.275 0.29 0.027 Taconicb Rats 0.661 0.300 0.53 0.050 Charles Riverb Rats 0.717 0.325 0.36 0.034 Taconicb Rats 0.882 0.400 0.67 0.062 Charles Riverb Rats 0.882 0.400 0.49 0.045 Taconicb Rats 0.992 0.450 0.89 0.083 Charles Riverb Hamsters 0.110 0.050 0.11 0.010 Charles Riverb Hamsters 0.132 0.060 0.13 0.012 Harlanb Hamsters 0.176 0.080 0.13 0.012 Charles Riverb Hamsters 0.220 0.100 0.15 0.014 Harlanb Hamsters 0.287 0.130 0.17 0.015 Harlanb Guinea Pigs 0.549 0.249 0.27 0.025 Harlanb Guinea Pigs 0.769 0.349 0.33 0.031 Harlanb Guinea Pigs 0.772 0.350 0.27 0.025 Charles Riverb Guinea Pigs 1.210 0.549 0.44 0.041 Harlanb Guinea Pigs 1.323 0.600 0.44 0.041 Charles Riverb Guinea Pigs 1.764 0.800 0.53 0.050 Charles Riverb continued
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From page 56... ...
. Space allowances are to be tempered with professional judgment to accommodate strains, species, thermal conditions, special models, and protocol requirements.
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From page 57... ...
Small animals lose more heat, require more calories per unit of body mass, and become dehydrated more quickly than larger animals. Schlenker and Muller (1997)
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From page 58... ...
found that respiration, heart rate, blood sodium, osmolality, and chloride were significantly higher in nonwatered horses after 30 hours of transportation in hot conditions (indicating dehydration) , than in horses that had received water during similar transport.
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From page 59... ...
If social groups are transported, it is recommended that the groups be established before transportation where appropriate so that dominance orders will not need to be established during or after transportation. However, it has been found that rats adapt quickly to unfamiliar social environments (Sharp et al., 2005)
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From page 60... ...
Although an animal's stress response to human handling associated with transportation may not be completely ameliorated, the method of handling can reduce or exacerbate the stress response. Kannan and Mench (1996)
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From page 61... ...
To ensure animal comfort and safety, all plans for animal shipments must include instructions for emergency responses in accordance with the mode of transportation used. For example, Appendix B of the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations contains a section covering emergency responses.
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From page 62... ...
62 GUIDELINES FOR THE HUMANE TRANSPORTATION OF RESEARCH ANIMALS · Documentation; · Acceptance, handling, and delivery; · Loading and off-loading procedures and precautions; · Operator and government regulations; and · Emergency procedures. Personnel must also be trained in species-specific husbandry and environmental requirements of animals.
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From page 63... ...
The group recommended the establishment of a formal training program that would incorporate: · A time line for recurrent training; · A consistent standard and frequency of training for ground handling staff, especially for outside contractors that are used more frequently by smaller airports; and · A standard training program to minimize the amount of informal on-the-job training and thereby avoid omission of important considerations for safe animal care and transportation; this would also minimize delays in training during staff turnovers.
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