1. Introduction

The inventory and/or management of free-living wild mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians may require their capture and handling for the application of marking or telemetry devices, the collection of genetic material, the identification of specific characteristics as well as for other purposes. The following Guidelines present a standardized approach to the justification and ethical considerations research and operational wildlife workers should consider when planning and performing the capture and handling of any wild animal. It is to be considered as a dynamic document as procedures and techniques change and improve.

1.1 Treatment of Wild Animals in Research

The humane treatment of all wild vertebrates in the field is essential for scientific as well as ethical reasons. Animals that are traumatized from the actions of researchers are less likely to exhibit normal behavioural, physiological and ecological responses than untraumatized animals. In addition, they are less likely to survive due to an increased susceptibility to predation and subsequent injury. The disturbance of animals or microhabitats may compromise research data by altering observations and animal survival. It is important that animals that are captured and marked are returned to the wild without injury to resume normal activities, and that habitats essential for these activities are not damaged during the course of research activities.

1.2 Ethical Considerations when Using Wild Animals in Research

When handling wild animals for scientific purposes, researchers should maintain the highest standards in their work and conduct their activities in accordance with a basic Code of Ethics.

Researchers or investigators should:

1. Be familiar with the current literature and seek the advice of experienced peers before initiating a research project.
2. Uphold all regulations pertaining to the species with which they are working.
3. Ensure the safety and welfare of the animals they study and handle, and treat all study animals with care and respect.
4. Avoid or minimize distress and pain and reduce risks of injury or death to the study animal(s)
5. If they occur, promptly treat all injuries to research animals in the most appropriate and humane manner.
6. Reassess experimental methodology whenever an injury or mortality occurs.
7. Maximize the research potential of animals which are handled or sampled during the course of a study.
8. Use the smallest number of study animals necessary to satisfy the goals of the investigation.
9. Assess the impact of their research on study populations and the environment, and minimize such impacts.
10. Continually assess their methodology to ensure it is consistent with sound research design.
11. Receive constructive criticism from colleagues and be willing to offer honest and constructive assessment of the work of others. This includes providing feedback of any instances of mistreatment of animals.
12. Ensure that data generated from their work is accurate and complete.
13. Publish any innovations in capture, handling or research techniques.
14. Train and supervise all research assistants to follow the same ethics and standards as the primary investigator.

1.3 General Considerations for Use of Wild Animals in Research

1. Before initiating any field research or handling exercises, the investigator should correctly identify the species to be studied and determine whether or not it is suitable to answer the question(s) posed by the study. The investigator should also become familiar with current knowledge pertaining to the study species, including, where applicable, its response to disturbance, its sensitivity to capture and restraint, and its requirements for captive maintenance, if it is to be held for any length of time.
2. The investigator is encouraged to have the study design conform to Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) standards and to use peer and institutional animal care committees when available.
3. The investigator must have full knowledge of all local, provincial and federal regulations pertaining to the animals under study, and must obtain all necessary permits that are required for carrying out the proposed studies. Researchers working outside Canada should be aware that regulations may vary with each country and must ensure that they comply with all wildlife regulations of the country in which their research is being conducted. Work with many species is regulated by the provisions of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
4. Prior to the removal of animals from the wild, the investigator should make every effort to ascertain the population status (abundant, threatened, rare, etc.) of the taxon to be studied. In general, members of endangered or threatened taxa should not be removed from the wild except in collaboration with conservation efforts, nor imported or exported, except in compliance with applicable regulations. This statement should not be interpreted as discouraging the study and/or collection of uncommon species, because these activities may help to determine why a species is rare or uncommon. The committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) provides information on threatened species.
5. Although the number of research specimens required for each study will vary greatly, researchers should minimize the number of study animals used. Certain types of study will entail the collection of large numbers of specimens, (e.g. diversity over geographic range or delineation of variation of new species) although in most cases this will represent a relatively small percentage of the total population. The use of an adequate sample size in the study will help to prevent any unnecessary repetition or waste in the future. Consultation with statisticians or epidemiology references may help to determine an appropriate sample size.
6. Special consideration should be given when study animals have dependent young. As a general principle, the removal or disturbance of study animals from the wild during sensitive periods, such as breeding and egg-laying periods, should be avoided, unless justified for scientific reasons.
7. When study animals are being trapped or collected, they should not be exposed to excessive or extended handling, conspecific aggression, predation, adverse weather, or temperature extremes. Trapping and handling equipment should be routinely inspected, maintained and repaired as necessary. Traps should be monitored as often as is considered appropriate for each trap type and species involved. At the end of each collecting period traps should be properly closed or removed.
8. Even at field locations, the living conditions of captive research animals should maintain them in an adequate state of health and well-being. Captive conditions should satisfy the standards of hygiene, nutrition, group composition and numbers, refuge-provision, and protection from environmental stress, that are considered to be appropriate for the species in question. The housing, feeding and non-veterinary care of the animals should be directed by the investigator who should be knowledgeable in the proper care, handling, and research use of the species being maintained.
9. Any procedure that may cause more than momentary or slight pain or distress to research animals should be performed with appropriate sedation or analgesia, except when justified for scientific reasons.
10. Any research animals that will suffer from severe or chronic pain as a consequence of a research procedure should be euthanized at the end of the procedure or, if appropriate, during the procedure.
11. Methods of euthanasia should be consistent with recommendations of the CCAC Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals Volume 1, American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Panel on Euthanasia (Smith et al. 1986) and Guidelines for Euthanasia, J. Longair et al. in Chemical Immobilization of Wildlife Training Manual 1996, unless deviation is justified for scientific reasons.
12. In the case of accidental mortalities, it is desirable to save specimens for use in ancillary studies or for deposition in museum collections.
13. Investigators should be aware of, and prepared to avoid, the potential risks of a variety of transmissible diseases and parasites to other animals and humans, as well as other hazards associated with the handling of wild vertebrates. To this end, animal care review of the proposed study, where appropriate, should include a veterinarian, experienced with wildlife disease.