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Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
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1
Introduction

Over the last 10 years, the biomedical research enterprise has undergone tremendous growth. The amount of federal funding for biomedical research has more than doubled since 1995, and the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and contract research sectors have all seen double-digit growth (PhRMA, 2005). That growth has been accompanied by parallel increases in research infrastructure, including an increase in the numbers of animals used in biomedical research. The humane transportation of research animals has been a priority, but there are concerns that the rapid increase in the numbers of animals transported, the increasing use of genetically modified animals that may have medical considerations, the complexity of permitting and inspection of research animals, and the dwindling availability of transportation services are adversely affecting the quality and ease of transportation in the United States.

Because of those concerns, the National Center for Infectious Diseases of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health asked the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research of the National Research Council to convene a committee to address problems associated with the transportation of research animals. The detailed charge to the committee is as follows:

A committee will be formed to address current problems encountered in the transportation of research animals and make recommendations to rectify these problems to the benefit of the research community and the

Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
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animals themselves. The committee will focus on all species used in biomedical research and all possible modes of transportation. Specifically, they will address: animal welfare concerns during transportation; availability of quality transportation services for animals, or lack thereof; overlaps or gaps in regulatory oversight; permitting issues; transportation of tissues/specimens; regulatory burden reduction; and potential biosecurity concerns.

The Committee on Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Laboratory Animals, convened in April 2004, includes experts in veterinary medicine, biosecurity, stress and its psychophysiological effects, research animal logistics and regulatory issues, transportation modeling, research animal welfare during transportation, and the development of transportation guidelines. The committee met three times to deliberate and develop its report. During two of the meetings, the committee held workshops to solicit information from interested parties and the public. In addition, people could provide comments to the committee through the National Academies project website.

Transportation of research animals in the United States may be divided into two major categories: animals transported from a commercial breeder to a research facility, and animals transported between research facilities. It has been reported (White, 2004) that the large commercial rodent breeders transport in excess of 1.5 million containers of animals a year within the United States. Of those shipments, 45% go to for-profit customers and 55% to nonprofit customers. Most (about 92%) of the shipments are made by ground transportation and the remainder by air. The large commercial rodent breeders have established truck routes and either use an in-house fleet of environmentally controlled vehicles or have a standing relationship with shipping companies that specialize in research animal transportation. It is estimated that 70% of containers arrive at their destination in less than 24 hours, 16% in 24–48 hours, and 14% in more than 48 hours (White, 2004).

Commercial breeders’ experience with transportation failures is relatively small. The large commercial rodent breeders estimate that only 0.035% of containers experience a problem during transportation, defined as a customer complaint or rejection of shipment: 0.03% of containers shipped by ground transportation and 0.04% of containers shipped by air transportation experience problems (White, 2004).

The importation and exportation of animals to this country are also of interest to this committee. Data on importation and exportation are not available for the majority of research animals, but the importation of nonhuman primates is tracked through the CDC Division of Global Migra-

Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
×

tion and Quarantine because of the concern about zoonotic diseases (a detailed discussion of the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine is found in Chapter 2). The majority of nonhuman primates imported into the United States over the last 4 years were cynomologus macaques. Currently, about half the shipments of nonhuman primates into the United States occur through Los Angeles; most of the rest go through San Francisco and Chicago (CDC, 2005c).

Many options are available for transportation of animals between research facilities. A single company might handle the door-to-door delivery of the animals. Most often, when a single company, known as a carrier, is used, the company will pick up a shipment of animals, consolidate the shipment with other shipments, fly or truck the consolidated shipment with its own fleet of vehicles along established shipping routes, and deliver the shipment to its destination. Occasionally, researchers will use a carrier to ship animals to another institution, unaware that, if the destination is not near an established shipping route or if there are not enough shipments to consolidate, the carrier might subcontract the delivery to a third-party carrier. It is also possible to have a specialty courier pick up, transport, and deliver a shipment of animals in a dedicated vehicle.

Sometimes it is necessary to use two or more transport companies. In that case, a company known as a freight forwarder or handler will pick up a shipment, deliver it to a third-party carrier, which may consolidate shipments and ship to an intermediary destination, and then pick up the shipment from the third-party carrier and deliver it to its destination.

Little information is available on the transportation of research animals between research institutions within the United States. Public records on such transportation are not maintained. Because of the lack of relevant data, the committee could not draw any conclusions about the quality of this type of transportation. The committee chose to identify some of the issues that an individual researcher should consider when making arrangements for the transportation of animals between research facilities (see Table 1-1). To further assist individuals, the committee also identified characteristics of good shippers (please refer to Table 4-3 in Chapter 4).

Many companies can coordinate or directly transport shipments of research animals in environmentally controlled trucks (AAALAC International, 2003). In addition, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) maintains a list of registered carriers (trucking or airline companies that transport animals) and handlers (companies that pick up shipments and deliver to a third-party carrier for transportation) on its website at:

http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications.html

Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
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TABLE 1-1 Checklist of Issues to Consider When Arranging Transportation Between Research Facilities

Shipping Container

  • Is the shipping container appropriate for the expected conditions?

  • Does the container comply with USDA standards set for warm-blooded vertebrates except rats, mice, and birds?

  • Does the container comply with International Air Transport Association standards if transport includes air travel?

Shipping Company

  • Will the same company be transporting the animals during all legs of the journey, or will a third-party carrier or subcontractor be used for some legs?

Environmental Conditions

  • Are environmentally controlled vehicles used for all segments of ground transportation?

  • If environmentally controlled vehicles will not be used, or air travel is involved, does the shipping company have contingency plans for maintenance of the animals if the ambient temperature is below or exceeds acceptable ranges?

  • Does the shipping company have standard operating procedures for ensuring that animals are not exposed to extreme environmental conditions during transfer between vehicles and at the end destination?

Training

  • Does the company provide specialized training for all employees involved in transportation of animals?

  • If a third-party carrier or subcontractor is involved in the transportation, are they also trained?

Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
×
Page 7
Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
×
Page 8
Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
×
Page 9
Suggested Citation:"1 Introduction." National Research Council. 2006. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/11557.
×
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Arranging the transportation of animals at research facilities is often an ordeal. There is a confusing patchwork of local, national, and international regulations; a perceived lack of high-quality shipping services; a dearth of science-based good practices; and a lack of biosafety standards. It’s a challenge —and an impediment to biomedical research. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals identifies the current problems encountered in the transportation of research animals and offers recommendations aimed at local and federal officials to rectify these problems. This book also includes a set of good practices based on the extensive body of literature on transportation of agricultural animals, universal concepts of physiology, and a scientific understanding of species-specific needs and differences. Good practices were developed by the committee to address thermal environment, space requirements, food and water requirements, social interaction, monitoring of transportation, emergency procedures, personnel training, and biosecurity. Guidelines for the Humane Transportation of Research Animals is an essential guide for all researchers, animal care technicians, facilities managers, administrators, and animal care and use committees at research institutions.

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