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Animal Welfare Challenges in Research and Education on Wildlife, Non-Model Animal Species and Biodiversity Proceedings of a Workshop (2022) / Chapter Skim
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Session Seven: Transition of Wild Animals to Captive Settings and Housing Challenges
Pages 75-82

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From page 75...
... Field biologists often have little control over individuals available for study and how those individuals interact with their environments, she said, in contrast to laboratory studies that are conducted in artificial environments and benefit from the ease of controlled experimental manipulation, which is usually required to demonstrate causality between different variables. The clear complementarity of field and laboratory studies suggests that researchers could attempt to integrate these two settings whenever possible, but she recognizes that for many of the natural systems that field biologists study, this is not a practical possibility, explained Lacey.
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From page 76...
... Biologists need to be prepared to gather information and share information in a way that is not required of biologists studying more traditional laboratory animal models, Lacey said. Lacey provided examples that touch on both forms of communication drawn from her own research program.
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From page 77...
... Lacey suggested that researchers attempting to establish captive populations of exotic species need to be prepared to do extra work to demonstrate what is best for their animals. This strategy does not reduce the regulatory burden of housing exotics, but the process of establishing captive populations will likely proceed more smoothly and more efficiently.
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From page 78...
... Romero stated that biologists might be able to complete 5 or 10 years of studies in just a few days where they could not trap the animals at all for another 4 or 5 years. Romero said that trying to explain this to IACUCs and getting those sample sizes approved is often difficult; and bringing those animals into captivity is also of concern to a lot of the animal care facilities because capturing animals is different from ordering purpose-bred animals, Romero explained.
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From page 79...
... He added that it is the difference between experiments that test hypotheses versus describing populations that often take place with wildlife studies and coping with these different kinds of sample sizes is often a challenge for IACUCs. Additionally, bringing wild animals into captivity can create unanticipated challenges, Romero noted.
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From page 80...
... COMPLIANCE CHALLENGES FOR CAPTURING, TRANSFERRING, AND KEEPING WILD BATS IN CAPTIVITY FOR RESEARCH AND TEACHING Michael Smotherman, professor of biology at Texas A&M University, neurophysiologist, and behavioral ecologist with more than 10 years on the IACUC, discussed compliance challenges for capturing, transferring, and keeping wild bats in captivity. Smotherman briefly discussed the capture and transport of wild bats; primary enclosures and space needs, specifically related to bats; heterothermy and how it influences regulations for temperature and humidity control in facilities; and managing torpor and hibernation and how they influence keeping bats in captivity while experimenting on hibernating bats.
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From page 81...
... Most species, including neotropical fruit bats, utilize a facultative daily torpor and may undergo seasonal hibernation, but only if temperatures remain low for an extended period. During daily torpor, bats become inactive, and they lower their body temperature to meet ambient temperatures; this influences surveillance and monitoring.
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From page 82...
... Lastly, Smotherman noted biosecurity and surveillance will be challenging with socially housed flying mammals, but a well-designed primary enclosure and a good personnel training program mitigates many problems, as shown in Box 7-2. BOX 7-2 Compliance Challenges with Wild Bats in Captivity 1.
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Key Terms

  • wild bats
  • captive populations
  • exotic species
  • field biologists
  • bringing wild

  • establishing captive
  • laboratory studies
  • animal care
  • regulatory burden
  • captive conditions

  • establish captive
  • keeping wild
  • laboratory animal
  • romero noted
  • red nest

  • body weight
  • flight cage
  • compliance challenges
  • captive colonial
  • captive environment

  • captive population
  • stressful captive
  • animal models
  • smotherman illustrated
  • extra regulatory

  • body temperatures
  • traditional laboratory
  • romero emphasized
  • laboratory animals
  • wildlife studies


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