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

Appendix II

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 YOUjudy.b.franco@pfizer.com