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APHIS’ Animal Care Report

United States Department of Agriculture • Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service

Summer 2001

It’s been a while since our last issue, but now the

Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s

(APHIS) Animal Care (AC) Report is back and

packed full of updates on our activities over the last

year. Thanks to additional funding from Congress,

the number of AC inspectors in the field has risen to

82 after reaching an all-time low of 64 in 1999. We

are also moving forward with plans to consolidate the

Central and Western regions, eventually closing the

AC offices in Sacramento and Fort Worth. This

consolidation will organize the AC into two regions

based at Raleigh, NC, and Ft. Collins, CO. AC is

already operating out of Raliegh in the East and

should complete its move to the new APHIS regional

hub in Fort Collins in June 2002.

This report includes information directly from our

inspectors in the field, highlighting the personal

actions and initiatives that make AC more than an

ordinary Federal program. In addition to words from

the field, we have some exciting information coming

from our headquarters office in Riverdale, MD,

including our new paperless filing option now

available over the Internet.

The APHIS AC Report is for you: the public, the

industry, and all parties interested in animal welfare

and the APHIS AC program. At this time, the report

is released both on our Web site

(www.aphis.usda.gov/ac) and via U.S. mail. In the

future, we intend to make this a paperless report that

will be available via e-mail and on our Web site. If

you would like to receive this report in the future,

please e-mail your name, organization, and e-mail

address to Jim Rogers at

jim.d.rogers@aphis.usda.gov. Also, if you would like

to see specific items in upcoming reports or send us

a comment, please feel free to e-mail Jim at the

above address.

Sincerely,

W. Ron DeHaven

APHIS Deputy Administrator for Animal Care

Stronger Policy on Confiscation of

Suffering Animals

On July 26, 2000, AC issued a memorandum to its

inspectors to reinforce AC’s responsibility to

confiscate suffering animals. The memo empowered

inspectors, in conjunction with their supervisors, to

relieve the suffering of animals through confiscation

when a facility does not take action on a prior

warning from AC. Shortly thereafter, AC personnel

initiated several confiscations:

• On Sept. 1, AC confiscated 15 large cats and 2

watusi cattle from an unlicenced exhibitor in

Pennsylvania.

• On Sept. 19, AC presented a letter of intent to

confiscate nearly 250 dogs to an unlicenced dealer

in Wisconsin. The owners agreed to surrender

most of the dogs to the American Humane

Association.

• On Sept. 20, AC presented an unlicenced dealer in

South Dakota with an intent to confiscate 51 dogs.

The owner chose to surrender the dogs to the

Sioux Falls Humane Society.

• On Sept. 27, AC presented an unlicenced dealer in

Kansas with an intent to confiscate 152 guinea

pigs and 30 rabbits. The owner agreed to

surrender the animals to the Wichita Humane

Society and the Ise Memorial Animal Shelter in

Lawrence.

• On Dec. 28, AC confiscated three tigers and two

lions from a licensed exhibitor in Iowa. This action

followed several animal deaths as well as

inspections showing lack of food, poor housing,

and inadequate sanitation. The animals were

relocated to a facility in Texas, and the exhibitor

surrendered his license.

The Latest on the AC Technology Front

Paperless Reporting for Researchers

AC is offering electronic filing of APHIS form 7023,

Annual Report of Research Facility, for fiscal year

2001 animal use. The Animal Welfare Act (AWA)

requires facilities to file that form no later than

December 1 every year. Instructions on how to

complete electronic filing will be mailed out by APHIS’

AC program by September 17.

“Electronic reporting will save facilities from

worrying about duplicate copies and relying on

regular mail to get their information to us,” said W.

Ron DeHaven, deputy administrator for AC.

“Because data submitted electronically will go directly

to our database, information will be more accurate,

and we will be able to save time and money by not

using resources to input the data.”
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USDA–APHIS–Animal Care

Headquarters Office

W. Ron DeHaven, D.V.M.

4700 River Road, Unit 84

Riverdale, MD 20737–1234

Phone: (301) 734–7833

Fax: (301) 734–4978

Eastern Region

Elizabeth Goldentyer, D.V.M.

920 Main Campus Drive, Suite 200

Raleigh, NC 27606–5210

Phone: (919) 716–5532

Fax: (919) 716–5696

Central Region

Walter Christensen, D.V.M.

P.O. Box 915004 (letters)

501 Felix Street, Bldg. 11 (packages)

Fort Worth, TX 76115–9104

Phone: (817) 885–6923

Fax: (817) 885–6917

Western Region

Robert Gibbens, D.V.M.

9580 Micron Avenue, Suite J

Sacramento, CA 95827

Phone: (916) 857–6205

Fax: (916) 857–6212

World Wide Web Home Page

www.aphis.usda.gov/ac

E-mail Address

ace@usda.gov

The Government Paperwork Elimination Act of

1998 requires Federal agencies to make all their

forms available for electronic filing no later than

October 21, 2003. “We had been working toward

electronic filing before that law was passed, so we

are well ahead of the game,” DeHaven added.

AC is moving forward on other electronic

information projects as well. In FY 2000, AC made its

Web page accessible to the visually disabled, being

the first APHIS program to do so as required by the

1998 amendments to the Rehabilitation Act. AC

inspection reports conducted after October 1, 2001,

will be publicly accessible through the APHIS E-FOIA

Web page. Reports will not be available for 21 days

while they are processed and reviewed by the

regional offices. The first reports will be available in

late October, assuming no technical issues arise.

Paper copies of new reports and previous reports will

still be available through AC’s regional offices.

In the future, all AWA facilities will also be able to

submit APHIS forms 7003/7011, Application for

License/Registration, electronically to apply and

renew licenses or registration under the AWA.

If you have questions about reporting information

or access to inspection data, contact your AC

regional office or send an e-mail to

ace@aphis.usda.gov.

The AC Report Goes Electronic

Right now, APHIS’ AC Report is posted on the AC

Web site as well as sent to subscribers via the postal

service. At this time, AC is working to achieve a

paperless report. This will help cut costs and speed

up the distribution of information. We are asking

current subscribers and others interested in receiving

the AC Report to e-mail their name, organization, and

e-mail address to Jim Rogers at

jim.d.rogers@aphis.usda.gov Our goal is for the

report to be completely electronic by this time next

year. This will include continued posting of the report

online, a mass e-mail of the report, and an automatic

process for subscriber registration.

Meetings and Inspector Training

Elephant Management

In July 2001, AC sponsored a 4-day elephant

management course in San Diego. The course was

held at the San Diego Zoo, the San Diego Wild

Animal Park, and a private elephant facility called

Have Trunk Will Travel.

Twenty APHIS veterinarians and AC inspectors

attended the course, which consisted of classroom

work and field trips to the involved facilities, as well

as hands-on experiences with elephants. The course

covered such diverse topics as protected and free

contact, methods of housing and training elephants,

diets for elephants, foot care, natural history,

breeding and conservation of wild and captive

elephants, veterinary care, and other related

subjects.

This is the fifth elephant management course to be

sponsored by AC since 1998. The other courses

were held in Seattle with the Point Defiance Zoo and

Aquarium and the Seattle Zoo, in San Diego with the

San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park and Have Trunk

Will Travel, in Tampa and Orlando with Busch

Gardens, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Ringling

Brothers’ elephant breeding facility, and in Ft. Worth

with the Fort Worth Zoo, the Caldwell Zoo in Tyler,

and the Cameron Park Zoo in Waco.
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Inspection Report Database

As of summer 2001, all 82 AC Inspectors have

completed training on AC’s upgraded licensee and

registrant database. The upgraded database will

allow inspectors in the field to transmit their

inspection reports electronically. This eliminates the

need to mail inspection reports to the regional office

and speeds up the review process. The upgraded

database will be fully activated in October 2001.

USDA Has Strong Presence at AVMA Conference

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) was

represented by four program areas at the 2001

conference of the American Veterinary Medical

Association (AVMA) July 14–17. AC and Veterinary

Services staffs, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection

Service, and USDA’s National Agricultural Library’s

Animal Welfare Information Center all sent

representatives.

“Veterinary professionals are very important to AC

in getting the word out about our programs,” said Dr.

DeHaven. “Small animal practitioners can pass on

information to their clients about safe airline travel for

their animals, and specialists in research can educate

their clients or facilities about compliance.” Other

practitioners include the attending veterinarians for

regulated facilities, who need to stay up to date on

policies and regulations.

AC provided information on several topics,

including pet travel, licensing and regulation under

the AWA, general information about the Horse

Protection Act, and AWA compliance inspections.

Compliance: The Right Stuff

On September 14, 2001, the California Biomedical

Research Association, the California Society for

Biomedical Research, and APHIS AC will present a

1-day conference at the University of California at

Davis entitled Compliance: The Right Stuff. The

conference is cosponsored by the National Institutes

of Health’s (NIH) Office of Lab Animal Welfare

(OLAW) and will include speakers from public,

private, and Government interests. Topics to be

discussed include

• The Association for Assessment and Accreditation

of Laboratory Animal Care Site Visit Process—

How To Be Sure You’ve Got the Right Stuff

• APHIS–AC’s Role in Ensuring Facilities Have the

Right Stuff

• Models of AC and Use Programs in Universities

and Industry

• Current Compliance Issues From the Perspective

of NIH–OLAW

The conference will include plenary sessions and

informal workshops that allow participants to ask

tough questions and get honest feedback. For

registration materials and information, contact the

California Biomedical Research Association at (916)

558–1515, or via e-mail at achilcott@ca-biomed.org

In the Field: AC Inspectors Across the

Nation

“Jimmy” Gets a New Home

After spending many years in an enclosure at an

unlicenced pet store in Connecticut, “Jimmy” a

capuchin monkey, is in a new home at a licensed

facility in Florida. Connecticut AC Inspector Jan

Baltrush worked closely with Jimmy’s owner, various

rescue groups, AWA licensees, and USDA’s lawyers

to relocate the animal as a condition for moving

forward with Jimmy’s owner on settlement

negotiations. Despite the APHIS case against the

owner for unlicenced exhibition, and Baltrush’s

recommendations for enforcement action, the owner

trusted her and requested that she check out

possible homes for Jimmy. After researching the

possibilities and providing the owner with the best

information, he took Baltrush’s advice and moved

Jimmy to a much better situation down South.

Persistence Pays Off

The territory of Veterinary Medical Officer Robert

Brandes, D.V.M., covers not only part of Florida but

also Puerto Rico, where he travels four or five times a

year to conduct inspections. One of the facilities he

inspects in Puerto Rico is a large, federally funded

primate research center. Funding issues,

administrative red tape, hurricanes, and inertia

worked together to produce noncompliance in many

of its facility and animal care areas. In tandem with

NIH and Puerto Rican officials, Brandes was able to

bring to light several noncompliant items and,

working with the facility, was able to initiate solid

changes that will help ensure the well-being of the

primates on site. As of the last inspection, the

primate center had

• Built new group housing for primates, including

large natural-grass enclosures;

• Paved all dirt roads with asphalt;

• Hired additional full-time employees and

veterinarians;

• Made its enclosure sanitation system operational;

• Bought and begun using additional cleaning

equipment and supplies;

• Resurfaced and repainted most concrete

enclosures and committed to fixing all of them;

• Constructed a new perimeter fence around the

entire facility; and

• Bought a new truck to transport primates.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color,

national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual

orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases

apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require

alternative means for communication of program information

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s

TARGET Center at (202) 720–2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office

of Civil Rights, Room 326–W, Whitten Building, 1400

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250–9410 or call

(202) 720–5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity

provider and employer.

Improved Conditions for Imported Birds

With an invitation from APHIS’ Veterinary Services

program, Florida Veterinary Medical Officer Sylvia

Taylor, D.V.M., used her knowledge of birds and

animal welfare to help Veterinary Services plan

renovations to the Miami Animal Import Center.

Veterinary Services regulates the importation of all

pet birds into the United States to prevent the

introduction of highly contagious poultry diseases

such as exotic Newcastle disease. All pet birds of

non-U.S. origin imported into the United States

(except from Canada) are required to have a USDA

import permit and a current health certificate issued

by the government of the exporting country and to

undergo a 30-day quarantine in a USDA animal

import quarantine facility. Taylor worked with the

Miami port veterinarian and inspected the current

holding site, making numerous recommendations to

improve conditions for birds being held in the 30-day

quarantine.

AC Aids U.K. Vets During Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Outbreak

During the recent outbreak of foot-and-mouth

disease (FMD) in the United Kingdom, AC responded

to the that country’s request for emergency veterinary

assistance. AC sent 15 Veterinary Medical Officers

from all over the United States. These veterinarians

each spent 30 days in the U.K., working with both

local veterinarians and other vets from around the

world to contain and eradicate FMD. The following

AC veterinarians participated: Ray Flynn (Colorado),

Betsy Lyons (Hawaii), Harvey McKelvey (Idaho),

Michael Smith (California), Denise Sofranko (New

Mexico), David Kelly and Ellen Magid (North

Carolina), Nasry Faltas (New Jersey), Ron Zaidlicz

(New Hampshire), Clem Dussault (Vermont), Robert

Brandes and Sylvia Taylor (Florida), Norma Harlan

(Pennsylvania), Michelle Williams (Alabama), and

Kurt Hammel (Michigan).

AC Inspectors Respond to the Houston Flood

AC Inspector Charlie Currer and Veterinary

Medical Officer Earnest Johnson both from Texas,

were in constant contact with their licensed and

registered facilities to offer assistance with the

damage and destruction caused by last June’s

tropical storm and flood in Houston. Currer worked

directly with the Texas Gulf Coast Disaster

Preparedness Committee to assist with cleanup and

repairs.

Regulatory Update

The items listed below are under consideration and

not yet published in the Federal Register, were

published in the Federal Register and are open for

comment, or were previously open for comment and

are now under review by the Department.

Notices

• Final policy on training and handling of potentially

dangerous animals (under review)

• Nonhuman Primate Environment Enhancement

Policy (under review)

• Submission of Itinerary by Traveling Exhibitor and

Prairie Dog Supplier (under review)

• Current List of Designated Qualified Person (DQP)

Programs and licensed DQPs (published 7/01/01)

Proposed Rules

• Animal Welfare: Marine Mammals; Nonconsensus

Language and Interactive Programs (being

drafted)

• Horse Protection (under review)

• Regulate Only Wholesale Dealers of Hunting,

Breeding and Security Dogs (reviewing

comments)

• Identification of Unweaned Puppies and Kittens

(under review)

• Regulation of Rats, Mice, and Birds (pending)

• Removal of the Acclimation Certificate

Requirement (being drafted)

• Amend the Definition of Exhibitor (under review)

• Incorporate AVMA Standards for Euthanasia

(under review)

• Veterinary Medical Records (under review)

• Minimum Age for Exotic Canids and Felids (on

hold)

• Scar Rule (under review)

• Define Pain, Distress, and Distressful Procedure

(under review)

Final Rules

• Revisions to Licensing Requirements (under

review)