Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
94
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
•
keeper reports
•
animal management protocols (e.g., species hand-rearing protocols, special care or
treatments, etc.)
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enclosure maps/trees
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enclosure/exhibit information (monitoring, maintenance, modifications, etc.)
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research
plans and published papers
Animal and Collection Records - Development
It is recommended that each zoo and aquarium develop written policies and procedures, applicable to all
staff involved with animal care, that:
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define the types of records that are required.
For example, daily keeper reports might be required from the keeper staff and weekly
summaries of activities might be required from the animal curator and senior veterinarian.
•
define the information that is to be included in each type of record.
Following the example above, the institution would state the specific types of information to
be recorded on the daily keeper report and the weekly summaries.
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define the primary location where each record can be found.
For example, if a zoo does not employ a nutritionist, the policy or procedures might state that
animal diet information will be found in keeper daily reports, curator-developed daily diets,
and/or veterinarian-prescribed treatment diets.
•
assign responsibility for the generation of each record type and set time limits for the their
creation.
For example, keepers might be held responsible for producing daily reports by the
start of the
next day and curators might be held responsible for producing weekly summaries by the
Tuesday of the following week.
•
define a process to review the accuracy of each record type and assign responsibility for that
review process.
For example, the identity of who will review each type of record, the date of reviews, and the
review/correction processes might be included in the policy.
•
define a process to identify official records and assign responsibility for the recording of, or linking
of, information into these records.
For example, the identity of who will be responsible for placing information into the official
records and the processes of how to identify official records might be included in the policy.
•
ensure entries in official records are never erased or deleted.
For example, if an entry is determined to be erroneous, rather than deleting it, the entry
should be amended and an audit trail should be created that identifies what data was
changed, who
made the change, the date it was changed, and the reason for the change.
•
ensure records relating to specific animals in the collection, including the records of non--animal
care departments, are permanently archived as part of the animal’s record.
For example, if your zoo or aquarium’s records retention
schedules differ from this
recommendation every attempt should be made to exempt these records from schedules
requiring their destruction.
Animal and Collection Records – Sharing of Information
Each zoo and aquarium should assess the ownership of their animal and collection records and
determine the rights of employees and outside entities to the information contained in them. It is
recommended that each zoo and aquarium develop written policies and
procedures for the
distribution and/or availability of the animal and collection records that:
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identify who has access to animal and collection records and under what conditions.
For example, animal care staff whose duties require a direct need for information about
specific animals or collection of animals should be identified as individuals who are
allowed access to any or specified records, regardless of who created them or when
they were created.
Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
95
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
•
assign responsibility for the distribution, archiving and retrieval of each record type.
For example, the recordkeeper or registrar might be held responsible for maintaining all past
and current transaction documents and the curator might be held responsible for maintaining
the daily keeper reports from his/her section.
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define a notification system that specifies what information will be provided in the notification,
who will
be notified, the date they will be notified by, and the mechanism that will be used to
ensure the notification is communicated appropriately.
For example, the shipment of an animal might require that written notice be made to the
senior keeper in the animal’s area, the curator, and the veterinarian at least 30
days prior
to the move, and identifies the animal by group or individual identification/accession
number, sex, and tag/transponder number, etc.
•
define where each record type (stored or archived) is available and what format (paper or
digital) it is in.
For example, all original animal transaction documents might be kept in the registrar’s
office in fire-proof file cabinets but copies of the Animal Data Transfer Forms are kept in
the appropriate keeper area.
•
define a system for obtaining necessary information such that the information is available
regardless of department and regardless of staffing issues
For example, keeper daily reports might be maintained in an
electronic database run on
the institution’s network, to which all animal care staff members have at least read-only
access.
Implementation of these Recommendations
Well-written, consistent data-recording protocols and clear lines of communication will increase
the quality
of animal records and should be implemented by all institutions, regardless of technical resources. While
the best option for availability of information is an electronic database system run on a computer network
(intranet) to which all animal care staff members have unrestricted access, the above recommendations
may also be adopted by zoos and aquariums without full electronic connections.