Animal Care

UWM IACUC Animal Transportation Guidelines

The Department of Transportation (DOT), US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and UWM Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) have established strict guidelines for transport of all live animals. As a shipper/transporter you are responsible for taking all the necessary precautions to ensure the well being of animals.

Prerequisite

There are certain requirements that apply to all transportation of live animals regardless of the final destination. The following is a summary of the more important requirements:

You must:

• Be an authorized user under a currently active protocol.
• Be knowledgeable in the transportation guidelines.
• Be familiar with the appropriate provisions of the UWM Occupational Health and Safety in the Care and Use of Research Animals.
• For transport of rabbits be familiar with Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 9, Chapter 1, Subpart C, Part 3-Standards, Subpart C, section 3.61-3.66.

Cages and other shipping containers must meet the minimum standard for size, ventilation, strength, sanitation and design for safe handling. Some transportation-related stress is inevitable, but it can be minimized by attention to those factors (contact 229-6016/2905 for assistance).

General Transportation Requirements

The IACUC Chair (or designee) is:

• Responsible for oversight of these animal transportation guidelines, and
• Can grant exceptions when it is considered in the best interest of the animal(s).
• The IACUC will resolve conflicts regarding animal transportation issues.

Plan all transportation of animals, including intra-institutional transportation, to:

• Minimize transit time and the risk of zoonoses.
• Protect against environmental extremes.
• Avoid overcrowding.
• Provide food and water when indicated.
• Protect against physical trauma.
• Physically separate the animals by species to prevent interspecies disease transmission and to eliminate anxiety and possible physiological and behavioral changes due to interspecies conflict.
• Avoid temperature extremes when animals are transported; special precautions or postponements are required when temperatures are below 450 F or above 850 F and may jeopardize the welfare of the animals.
• Exercise care in handling enclosures used to transport live animals. They must not be tossed, dropped, needlessly tilted, stacked in a manner which may reasonably be expected to result in their falling, or handled in any manner which may cause physical trauma or stress to the animals.
• Contact the UWM veterinarian or ARC staff (229-6016/2905) to verify that the animals removed from the housing areas can be returned. This is especially important for rodents, as rodents taken out of a barrier facility to a laboratory, or non-barrier space, cannot return to the barrier.
• If animal(s) will not be returned, either notify the ARC staff (229-6016), or mark the census sheet on the day the animals are removed. Per diem charges are calculated based on the animal housing period.
• Rats, mice and rabbits may be transported using your own vehicle; however you must fill out the Transportation Check-Off Sheet for Rats, Mice and Rabbits and return it to the ARC office in Lapham Hall B51 or mail to Engelmann Hall Suite 270 before transit.
• Please contact ARC staff at 229-6016/2905 for assistance on transportation of animals. Animals cannot be transported on UWM shuttles or buses, public transportation or private cabs.

Specific Transportation Requirements

Within UWM Campus

• Animals can only be transported to facilities (e.g. laboratories, study areas) outside of the ARC space for which the Investigator has an approval from the IACUC. Please note that housing rats or mice in your lab for more than 24 hours requires special permission from the IACUC.
• Transportation of animals must be done in a direct and timely manner, avoiding public areas if and when possible.
• The hallways are public and as such any movement of animals to a lab in these areas should be discrete and unobtrusive. Opaque or shielded transportation containers reduce animal stress.
• Rodents may be hand carried or transported in private vehicles between buildings on the UWM campus in filter-top housing cages. The cages should be placed in another container such as a laundry bag, box or in the transfer cart with a cover so there is secondary containment.
• Rabbits may be hand carried or transported in private vehicles between buildings on the UWM campus in appropriate carrying devices. See Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 9, Chapter 1, Subpart C, Part 3-Standards, Subpart C, section 3.61.
• Please do not place cages in the hallways outside of the laboratories. This practice may result in spread of disease to the healthy rodent populations and staff; lost cages also contribute towards higher costs. Return all empty cages to the ARC facility.

Between UWM and Institutions in the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area

At times it is necessary to transport animals between UWM and external facilities. In these instances the following requirements apply:

• An approved outside vendor must be used for the movement of all animals between institutions except for mice, rats, birds, rabbits and fish. The transportation must be pre-approved by the IACUC and described in the approved protocol addressing the mode of transportation, the number of animals transported, and the frequency of transportation.
• Rats, mice and rabbits may be transported using your own vehicle; however you must fill out the Transportation Check-Off Sheet for rats, mice and rabbits and return it to the ARC office in Lapham Hall B51 or mail to Engelmann Hall Suite 270 before transit.
• Animals may NOT be transported on any UWM shuttles/buses or any form of public transportation.
• There must be full coordination with the ARC supervisor of the facility receiving the animal(s) at the other campus site. This is important to ensure that animals are received properly and that appropriate facilities are available for housing.
• Newly transported animals should be given a period for physiologic, psychologic, and nutritional stabilization before their use. The length of time for stabilization will depend on the type and duration of animal transportation, the species involved, and the intended use of the animals.

Between UWM and Institutions located outside of the Milwaukee Metropolitan Area

Transfer of animals to locations outside of the Milwaukee Metropolitan area is subject to additional requirements, the extent of which depends on the location, as well as polices of, the receiving institution.

The complexity of shipping requirements changes significantly depending on:

• The location of receiving institution. As an example, shipping outside of the USA requires USDA/APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) certificate of veterinary inspection. Some States have specific quarantine requirements for some species.
• Transportation method, (for example, the airline's established company policy for the proper handling of the animals they transport).
• It is strongly recommended that ARC staff (229-6016/2905) be contacted as soon as possible to make the necessary arrangements.

Health Assurance Information

• Facilities receiving animals typically require health assurance information before they will accept the animals.
• To facilitate the export of animals from UWM, the ARC requests that investigators contact the ARC staff directly (229-6016/2905).

Confirming the Shipment

• The investigator will contact the receiving institution and provide them with the necessary health assurance information; these may be obtained from the ARC.
• Once the receiving institution agrees to accept the animals, the investigator will confirm the shipping address. For species requiring USDA Health Certificates, the ARC will issue the Certificate for the shipment.

Shipping the Animals

• The ARC will assist the investigator in making shipping arrangements.
• The ARC has contact information for commercial shipping firms that handle animals, shipping crates and miscellaneous items such as transport gel.
• To ensure the safety and well being of the animals, the ARC requires that animals not be shipped after Wednesday of a normal business week. Shipping later in the week may result in animals being left unattended over a weekend in an airport cargo containment facility.

Transporting Live or Dead Animals Containing Hazardous Materials

Transportation of hazardous materials in general poses special problems. This is significantly amplified (e.g. potential spread through excreta) when the material is contained in an animal. It is therefore important that appropriate precautions are incorporated both during the transportation and after the animals have arrived at their destination. Due to complexity of these requirements, the investigators planning to transport live animals containing radioactive materials or biohazards (e.g. human pathogens) or chemicals (e.g. carcinogens) from one location to another must contact University Safety & Assurances directly (or by calling 229-6339) for specific guidance.

Updated November 13, 2006 by SAK