The ILAR Roundtable presents: A Workshop on the Transportation of Laboratory Animals
Judy Franco, ILAR Roundtable Member
ILAR Roundtable on Science and Welfare in Laboratory Animal Use
• Roundtable of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences• Engages scientific and laboratory animal care and use community
on a variety of pertinent topics• Members include academic, industry, government, and non-profit
partners
Year 1June 2014: Reproducibility of research with animals and animal modelsSeptember 2014: Transportation of Laboratory Animals
Year 2April 2015: Performance StandardsFall 2015: TBD
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals
• September 3 – 4, 2014 in Washington, DC
• Discussed best practices, lessons learned, and current problems facing the industry
• Included U.S.-based and international speakers for a balanced and inclusive discussion
• 70 in-person attendees• Over 250 via webcast
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals Summary - 1
• Air and Ground Transportation• Both similar and vastly different challenges
• Variable by species and type of shipment• Ground transportation is needed before and after air
transports• Highly regulated--cannot make any assumptions about
requirements• Species requirements, • Method of transportation • Health status of the animal
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals Summary - 2
• Interactive journey planning exercise – over 2 hours• Demonstrated the complexity of the shipping process• Multiple parties with Specific Roles: cosignor, consignee,
animal shippers, airlines, ground transporters, governments.
• Proactive comprehensive journey planning and importance of contingency planning
• Ultimate responsibility rests with the shipper • responsible for the health and safety of the shipped animals
• Alternatives to shipping live animals• Ship frozen embyos or sperm in lieu of live animals
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals Summary - 3
• Establishment of Health status and fitness to ship• Maintaining health during transport and receipt
• Selection of shipping crate• Handling of shipping crate; especially at time of
unpacking; including disinfection • Handling of animals upon receipt; quarantine as
necessary• Additional health considerations when shipping
• Unweaned animals• Genetically modified • immunosuppressed
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals Summary - 4
• Species-specific presentations-- nonhuman primates, dogs and ferrets, mice, rats, small mammals and fish• Different cage, temperature, feeding, watering, etc.
requirements for each and every species• Must have a deep understanding of your species and
their health needs• Specific training required for handling various species• … and the specific government/federal/regulatory
requirements
Workshop on Transportation of Laboratory Animals Summary - 5
• Regulatory presentations by World Animal Health Organization; US Customs and Border Patrol; US Fish and Wildlife Service; CDC; USDA; and State-Level Presentations• Requirements differ for each of the above
• Ex: permit required for shipping animals, but also required if woodchips are included as bedding and/or if vegetables are included as a food source
• Each organization is attempting to get more “local” as well as streamlined with other agencies
Next Steps
• A “Journey Checklist” has been created with heavy input from our USDA partners – will be posted on the Roundtable website shortly.
• The workshop summary will be released in the next couple of months. Will be available on the Roundtable Website and via the National Academies Press
http://nas-sites.org/ilar-roundtable/
ILAR CHECKLIST – DRAFTCAROL CLARKEILAR CHECKLIST.OXPS
SUMMARY OF WORKSHOPBILL WHITELAB ANIMAL TRANSPORTATION TAKE HOME POINTS.DOCX
Appendix I
Transportation Workshop Committee Members• Carol Clarke (Co-Chair)• William J White (Co-Chair)• Susan Burst Silk• Robert C. Dysko• Judith B. Franco• Dianne Garnes• Bruce Kennedy• David M. Kurtz• C. Ford Morishita
THANK [email protected]