Conference: A walk on the wild side: a conference on IACUC oversight of wildlife research. Albuquerque, NM, Oct 26-28th

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Use of vertebrate animals in research and education in the United States is regulated such that institutions receiving federal funds must maintain a Letter of Assurance regarding compliance with these regulations. Oversight of animal use when research involves wild and free-ranging native species, however, often leads to lively debate among IACUC members and others as well because the animal welfare act and its implementing regulations were written primarily for application to captive animals used in the biomedical arena. Available guidelines, reference materials and examples, including the Guidelines to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals published by the Institute of Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR) of the National Research Council and the American Veterinary Medical Association?s Guidelines for Euthanasia, give only scant coverage to wildlife and consideration of the settings in which field research is conducted. This conference aims to foster dialogue and education among researchers, IACUC members, and government officials responsible for oversight of animal research. These discussions will lead to more meaningful and appropriate application of animal welfare laws in the context of wildlife research and, in turn, to improved care and use of wild animals in wildlife research. These outcomes strike at a central tenet of every study that uses animals?a respect for the animals used in research and a desire to treat them ethically and humanely. The conference will convene speakers and participants from the various sectors that interact in the animal welfare arena: wildlife biologists, IACUC members, veterinarians, government officials from relevant agencies (primarily the Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare of the National Institutes of Health and the USDA APHIS Animal Care program), and key private organizations such as AAALAC International, PRIM&R, and the Scientists Center for Animal Welfare.