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The IACUC’s Wild Classification

Lab Animal volume 51, pages 180–181 (2022)Cite this article

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The research portfolio at Great Eastern University (GEU), a medical school, is primarily biomedical research, with approximately seven Department of Environmental Biology scientists conducting field research activities involving wild species of animals. The collective expertise of GEU’s IACUC members qualifies the committee to review and approve proposed animal activities in support of its program; however, wildlife studies submitted for review and approval always created a unique challenge. Consequently, the IACUC decided to develop guidance documents, based on the regulatory requirements, to ensure consistency within the program and adherence to the federal standards and policies. The IACUC invited the IACUC Administrator and the GEU wildlife biologists to participate in the development of the relevant documents, which would then be voted upon and instituted as policies at GEU.

The Administrator initiated the process by providing a general summary on the regulatory expectations and specific information listed in the Animal Welfare Act Regulations (9 CFR Part 1.1 Definitions)1. They discussed the primary difference between a field study and field research and what determines the appropriate classification. For example, any activity that involves an invasive procedure, harms, or materially alters the behavior of an animal would be classified as field research and, consequently, require IACUC review and approval. IACUC members and the wildlife biologists agreed:

  • That the decision of whether an activity involving wild species was research or a field study had to be made by the IACUC;

  • That materially altering an animal’s behavior would require an action that affects an animal’s behavior more than momentarily; and

  • To apply the U.S. Government Principle IV2 (i.e., procedures that cause pain or distress in human beings may cause pain or distress in other animals) when determining if a procedure is considered invasive or harmful.

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References

  1. Animal Welfare Act Regulations 9 CFR Part 1.1 https://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/downloads/bluebook-ac-awa.pdf

  2. Public Health Service. PHS Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 2015).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Care & Use Office, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Lauren Danridge & Bill Greer

Authors
  1. Lauren Danridge
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  2. Bill Greer
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Correspondence to Lauren Danridge or Bill Greer.

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Danridge, L., Greer, B. The IACUC’s Wild Classification. Lab Anim 51, 180–181 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-022-01000-4

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