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of maintaining
genetically healthy, sustainable zoo and aquarium populations, AZA-accredited
institutions and certified related facilities may send animals to non-AZA organizations or individuals
(refer to #IV.5 above). These non-AZA entities (for instance, ranching operations) should follow
appropriate ranch management practices and other conservation minded practices to support
population sustainability.
9. Every loaning institution must annually monitor and document the conditions of any loaned
specimen(s) and the ability of the recipient(s) to provide proper care (refer to #IV.5 above). If the
conditions and care of animals are in violation of the loan agreement, the loaning institution must
recall the animal or assure prompt correction of the situation. Furthermore, an institution’s loaning
policy must not be in conflict with this AZA Policy on Responsible Population Management.
10. If living animals are sent to a non-AZA entity for research
purposes, it must be a registered research
facility by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and accredited by the Association for the Assessment &
Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care, International (AAALAC), if eligible. For international
transactions, the receiving facility must be registered by that country’s equivalent body having
enforcement over animal welfare. In cases where research is conducted, but governmental oversight
is not required, institutions should do due diligence to assure the welfare of the animals during the
research.
11. Reintroductions and release of animals into the wild must meet all applicable local, state, and
international laws and regulations. Any reintroduction requires adherence to best health and
veterinary practices to ensure that non-native pathogens are not released into
the environment
exposing naive wild animals to danger. Reintroductions may be a part of a recovery program and
must be compatible with the IUCN Reintroduction Specialist Group’s Reintroduction Guidelines
(
http://www.iucnsscrsg.org/index.php
).
12. Humane euthanasia may be employed for medical reasons to address quality of life issues for
animals or to prevent the transmission of disease. AZA also recognizes that humane euthanasia may
be employed for managing the demographics, genetics, and diversity of animal populations. Humane
euthanasia must be performed in accordance with the established euthanasia policy of the institution
and follow the recommendations of current AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (2013
Edition
https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf
) or the AAZV’s Guidelines on
the Euthanasia of Non-Domestic Animals.
B. Non-Living Animals and Specimens
AZA members should optimize the use and recovery of animal remains. All transfers must meet the
requirements of all applicable laws and regulations.
1. Optimal recovery of animal remains may include performing
a complete necropsy including, if
possible, histologic evaluation of tissues which should take priority over specimens’ use in
education/exhibits. AZA SSP and TAG necropsy and sampling protocols should be accommodated.
This information should be available to SSP Programs for population management.
2. The educational use of non-living animals, parts, materials, and products should be maximized, and
their use in Animal Program sponsored projects and other scientific projects that provide data for
species management and/or conservation must be considered.
3. Non-living animals, if handled properly to protect the health of the recipient animals, may be utilized
as feeder animals to support other animals as deemed appropriate by the institution.
4. AZA members should consult with AZA Animal Program Leaders prior to transferring or disposing of
remains/samples to determine if existing projects or protocols are in place to optimize use.
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5. AZA member institutions should develop agreements for the transfer or donation of non-living
animals, parts, materials, products, and specimens and associated documentation, to non-AZA
entities such as universities and museums. These agreements should be made with entities that have
appropriate long term curation/collections capacity and research
protocols, or needs for educational
programs and/or exhibits.
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DEFINITIONS
Acquisition: Acquisition of animals can occur through breeding (births, hatchings, cloning, and division of marine invertebrates =
“fragging”), trade, donation, lease, loan, transfer (inter- and intra-institution), purchase, collection, confiscation, appearing on zoo
property, or rescue and/or rehabilitation for release.
Annual monitoring and Due diligence: Due diligence for the health of animals on loan is important. Examples of annual monitoring
and documentation include and are not limited to inventory records, health records, photos of the recipient’s facilities, and direct
inspections by AZA professionals with knowledge of animal care. The level of due diligence will depend on professional
relationships.
AZA member institution: In this Policy “AZA member institutions” refers to AZA-accredited institutions and certified related facilities
(zoological parks and aquariums). “AZA members” may refer to either institutions or individuals.
Data sharing: When specimens are transferred, the transferring and receiving institutions should agree on data that must be
transferred with the specimen(s). Examples of associated documentation include provenance
of the animal, original permits, tags
and other metadata, life history data for the animal, how and when specimens were collected and conserved, etc.
Dispose: “Dispose/Disposing of” in this document is limited to complete and permanent removal of an individual via incineration,
burying or other means of permanent destruction
Documentation: Examples of documentation include ZIMS records, “Breeding Loan” agreements, chain-of-custody logs, letters of
reference, transfer agreements, and transaction documents. This is documentation that maximizes data sharing.
Domestic animal: Examples of domestic animals may include certain camelids, cattle, cats, dogs, ferrets, goats, pigs, reindeer,
rodents, sheep, budgerigars, chickens, doves, ducks, geese, pheasants, turkeys, and goldfish or koi.
Ethics of Acquisition/Transfer/Euthanasia: Attempts by members to circumvent AZA Animal Programs in the acquisition of animals
can be detrimental to the Association and its Animal Programs. Such action may also be detrimental to the
species involved and
may be a violation of the Association’s Code of Professional Ethics. Attempts by members to circumvent AZA Animal Programs in
the transfer, euthanasia or reintroduction of animals may be detrimental to the Association and its Animal Programs (unless the
animal or animals are deemed extra in the Animal Program population by the Animal Program Coordinator). Such action may be
detrimental to the species involved and may be a violation of the Association’s Code of Professional Ethics.
“Extra” or Surplus: AZA’s scientifically-managed Animal Programs, including SSPs, have successfully bred and reintroduced
critically endangered species for the benefit of humankind. To accomplish these critical conservation goals, populations must be
managed within “carrying capacity” limits. At times, the number of individual animals in a population exceeds carrying capacity, and
while meaning no disrespect for these individual animals, we refer to these individual animals as “extra” within the managed
population.
Euthanasia: Humane death. This act removes an animal from the managed population. Specimens can be maintained in museums
or cryopreserved collections. Humane euthanasia must be performed in accordance with the established
euthanasia policy of the
institution and follow the recommendations of current AVMA Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (2013 Edition
https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Documents/euthanasia.pdf
) or the AAZV’s Guidelines on the Euthanasia of Non-Domestic
Animals.
Feral: Feral animals are animals that have escaped from domestication or have been abandoned to the wild and have become wild,
and the offspring of such animals. Feral animals may be acquired for temporary or permanent reasons.
Group: Examples of colonial, group-living, or prolific species include and are not limited to certain terrestrial and aquatic
invertebrates, fish, sharks/rays, amphibians, reptiles, birds, rodents, bats, big herds, and other mammals,
Lacey act: The Lacey Act prohibits the importation, exportation, transportation, sale, receipt, acquisition or purchase of wildlife taken
or possessed in violation of any law, treaty or regulation of the United States or any Indian tribal law of wildlife law. In cases when
there is no documentation
accompanying an acquisition, the animal(s) may not be transferred across state lines. If the animal was
illegally acquired at any time then any movement across state or international borders would be a violation of the Lacey Act.
Museum: It is best practice for modern zoos and aquariums to establish relationships with nearby museums or other biorepositories,
so that they can maximize the value of animals when they die (e.g., knowing who to call when they have an animal in necropsy, or
specimens for cryopreservation). Natural history museums that are members of the Natural Science Collections Alliance (NSCA)
and frozen biorepositories that are members of the International Society of Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) are
potential collaborators that could help zoos find appropriate repositories for biological specimens.
Non-AZA entity: Non – AZA entities includes facilities not accredited or certified by the AZA, facilities in other zoological regions,
academic institutions, museums, research facilities, private individuals, etc.
Reintroduction: Examples of transfers outside of a living zoological population include movements of animals from zoo/aquarium
populations to the wild through reintroductions or other legal means.