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          Animal Health and Welfare
          Wildlife ResearchWildlife Research

  Wildlife research encompasses the study of ecology, management, and conservation involving  wild mammals, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and invertebrates. When conducting this type of research, it's important for scientists to understand how it impacts wild animals, their environment, and their welfare.  Use the resources and guidelines below to learn how the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of animal use) can be incorporated into wildlife research and how to conduct various procedures and techniques while considering animal welfare. From an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) standpoint, it's key to understand the IACUC's role in oversight of wildlife research as well as how to review wildlife study protocols. Find information below that addresses these topics.

  Laws and Regulations
    
    Research with Free-Living Wild Animals in Their Natural Habitat and the Animal Welfare ActUSDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) provides guidance on the Animal Welfare Act's definition of "field study".

    Read APHIS' Tech Note [pdf, 2 pages]
      
              Frequently Asked Questions: Public Health Service (PHS) Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory AnimalsNIH's Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare (OLAW) answers questions regarding wildlife research and field studies under the PHS Policy.

    View OLAW's FAQs
      
              Animal Welfare Challenges in Research and Education on WildlifeThis 2022 workshop held by the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) discusses laws and permits associated with wildlife research as well as restraint and handling of animals, transition of wild animals to captive settings, and other topics.

    Watch ILAR's Workshop for Free


  3Rs Alternatives in Wildlife Research
    
    The results below are from literature searches on using the 3Rs in wildlife research and evaluating wildlife research protocols. If you want to find literature on these topics for a certain species, you can build upon these search strings by including animal keywords in the search string. To learn more about building and editing search strings, visit AWIC's alternatives literature searching page or, if you need help finding information, contact us.

  NAL's Collections
  

      Towards more compassionate wildlife research through the 3Rs principles: moving...
      Animal welfare from mouse to moose—implementing the principles of the 3rs in wi...
      A unique application to the IACUC for studies of wild animals in or from natura...
      Does the Animal Welfare Act apply to free-ranging animals?See all 114 results
      
              PubMed
  

      A Review of Non-Invasive Sampling in Wildlife Disease and Health Research: What...
      Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Considerations for the Use of Wildl...
      The ethics of wildlife research: a nine R theory.
      Incorporation of the principles of the Three Rs in wildlife researchSee all 105 results

  Wildlife ResearchThe National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement & Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) provides examples of how the 3Rs: replacement (e.g. computer modeling), reduction (e.g. sharing data) and refinement (e.g. non-invasive sample collection) can be used in studies involving wild animals.

    View 3Rs Examples
      
              3Rs Principles in Wildlife ResearchDr. Miriam Zemanova, ecologist and wildlife geneticist, uses her site to share peer-reviewed studies that have implemented non-lethal or non-invasive methods that could be used as guidance for applying the 3Rs in wildlife research.

    Read 3Rs Wildlife Studies


  Guidelines for Using Wildlife Species in Research and Testing
    
    2016 Guidelines of the American Society of Mammologists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research and Education
              Journal of Mammalogy; academic.oup.com.
Information on current professional techniques and regulations involving the use of mammals in research and teaching including details on capturing, marking, housing, and humanely killing wild mammals.


      Guidelines for the Use of Fishes in Research
              American Fisheries Society.
These 2014 guidelines provide general recommendations on field and laboratory activities, such as sampling, holding, and handling fishes; information on regulations and permits; and advice concerning ethical questions, such as perceptions of pain or discomfort that may be experienced by experimental subjects.


      Guidelines for the Use of Live Amphibians and Reptiles in Field and Laboratory Research [pdf, 42 pages]
              American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists.
These 2004 guidelines address various groups of reptiles and amphibians and provide guidance on techniques that are known to be humane and effective in field research.


      Guidelines to the Use of Wild Birds in Research
              The Ornithological Council.
These 2022 guidelines address techniques relevant to birds and are formulated with consideration to animal welfare and research needs.


      Guidelines on the Care and Use of Wildlife [pdf, 70 pages]
              Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC).
These 2023 recommendations are for various procedures such as capture, restraint, handling, translocation, holding, and euthanasia of wild animals in research, management, teaching, and testing.Page Content Curated By
    

      Animal Welfare Information Center (AWIC)
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