Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
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Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Appendix E: Recommended Quarantine Procedures
Quarantine facility:
A separate
quarantine facility, with the ability to accommodate mammals, birds,
reptiles, amphibians, and fish should exist. If a specific quarantine facility is not present, then newly
acquired animals should be isolated from the established collection in such a manner as to prohibit
physical contact, to
prevent disease transmission, and to avoid aerosol and drainage contamination.
Such separation should be obligatory for primates, small mammals, birds, and reptiles, and attempted
wherever possible with larger mammals such as large ungulates and carnivores, marine mammals, and
cetaceans. If the receiving institution lacks appropriate facilities for isolation of large primates, pre-
shipment quarantine at an AZA or American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS)
accredited institution may be applied to the receiving institutions protocol. In such a case, shipment must
take place in isolation from other primates. More stringent local, state, or federal regulations take
precedence over these recommendations.
Quarantine length:
Quarantine for all species should be under the supervision of a veterinarian and
consist of a minimum of 30 days (unless otherwise directed by the staff veterinarian). Mammals: If during
the 30-day quarantine period, additional mammals of the same order are introduced into a designated
quarantine area, the 30-day period must begin over again. However, the
addition of mammals of a
different order to those already in quarantine will not have an adverse impact on the originally quarantined
mammals. Birds, Reptiles, Amphibians, or Fish: The 30-day quarantine period must be closed for each of
the above Classes. Therefore, the addition of any new birds into a bird quarantine area requires that the
30-day quarantine period begin again on the date of the addition of the new birds. The same applies for
reptiles, amphibians, or fish.
Quarantine personnel:
A keeper should be designated to care only for quarantined animals or a keeper
should attend quarantined animals only after fulfilling responsibilities for resident species. Equipment
used to feed and clean animals in quarantine should be used only with these animals. If this is not
possible, then equipment must be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant (as designated by the
veterinarian supervising quarantine) before use with post-quarantine animals.
Institutions must take precautions to minimize the risk of exposure of animal care personnel to
zoonotic diseases that may be present in newly acquired animals. These precautions should include the
use of disinfectant foot baths, wearing of appropriate protective clothing and masks in some cases, and
minimizing physical exposure
in some species; e.g., primates, by the use of chemical rather than physical
restraint. A tuberculin testing/surveillance program must be established for zoo/aquarium employees in
order to ensure the health of both the employees and the animal collection.
Quarantine protocol:
During this period, certain prophylactic measures should be instituted. Individual
fecal samples or representative samples from large numbers of individuals housed in a limited area (e.g.,
birds of the same species in an aviary or frogs in a terrarium) should be collected at least twice and
examined for gastrointestinal parasites. Treatment should be prescribed by the attending veterinarian.
Ideally, release from quarantine should be dependent on obtaining two negative fecal results spaced a
minimum of two weeks apart either initially or after parasiticide treatment. In
addition, all animals should
be evaluated for ectoparasites and treated accordingly.
Vaccinations should be updated as appropriate for each species. If the animal arrives without a
vaccination history, it should be treated as an immunologically naive animal and given an appropriate
series of vaccinations. Whenever possible, blood should be collected and sera banked. Either a 70 °C (-
94 °F) frost-free freezer or a 20 °C (-4 °F) freezer that is not frost-free should be available to save sera.
Such sera could provide an important resource for retrospective disease evaluation.
The quarantine period also
represents an opportunity to, where possible, permanently identify all
unmarked animals when anesthetized or restrained (e.g., tattoo, ear notch, ear tag, etc.). Also, whenever
animals are restrained or immobilized, a complete physical, including
a dental examination, should be
performed. Complete medical records should be maintained and available for all animals during the
quarantine period. Animals that die during quarantine should have a necropsy performed under the
supervision of a veterinarian and representative tissues submitted for histopathologic examination.
Quarantine procedures: The following are recommendations and suggestions for appropriate quarantine
procedures for jaguars:
Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
108
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Appendix F: Ambassador (Program) Animal Policy and Position
Statement
Ambassador (Program) Animal Policy
Originally approved by the AZA Board of Directors—2003
Updated and approved by the Board—July 2008 & June 2011
The Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) recognizes many benefits for public education and,
ultimately, for conservation in ambassador animal presentations. AZA’s Conservation Education
Committee’s
Ambassador Animal Position Statement summarizes the value of ambassador animal
presentations (see pages 42–44).
For the purpose of this policy, an Ambassador animal is defined as “an animal whose role includes
handling and/or training by staff or volunteers for interaction with the public and in support of institutional
education and conservation goals.” Some animals are designated as Ambassador Animals on a full-time
basis, while others are designated as such only occasionally. Ambassador Animal-related
Accreditation
Standards are applicable to all animals during the times that they are designated as Ambassador
Animals.
There are three main categories of Ambassador Animal interactions:
1. On Grounds with the Ambassador Animal Inside the Exhibit/Enclosure:
a.
Public access outside the exhibit/enclosure. Public may interact with animals from
outside the exhibit/enclosure (e.g., giraffe feeding, touch tanks).
b.
Public access inside the exhibit/enclosure. Public may interact with animals from inside
the exhibit/enclosure (e.g., lorikeet feedings, ‘swim with’ programs, camel/pony rides).
2. On Grounds with the Ambassador Animal Outside the Exhibit/Enclosure:
a.
Minimal handling and training techniques are used to present Ambassador Animals to the
public. Public has minimal or no opportunity to directly interact with Ambassador Animals
when they are outside the exhibit/enclosure (e.g., raptors on the glove, reptiles held
“presentation style”).
b.
Moderate handling and training techniques are used to present Ambassador Animals to
the public. Public may be in close proximity to, or have direct contact with, Ambassador
Animals when they’re outside the exhibit/enclosure (e.g., media, fund raising, photo,
and/or touch opportunities).
c.
Significant handling and training techniques are used to present Ambassador Animals to
the public. Public may have direct contact with Ambassador Animals or simply observe
the in-depth presentations when they’re outside the exhibit/enclosure (e.g., wildlife
education shows).
3. Off Grounds:
a.
Handling and training techniques are used to present Ambassador Animals to the public
outside of the zoo/aquarium grounds. Public may have minimal contact or be in close
proximity to and have direct contact with Ambassador Animals (e.g., animals transported
to schools, media, fund raising events).
These categories assist staff and accreditation inspectors in determining when animals are designated as
Ambassador Animals and the periods during which the Ambassador Animal-related Accreditation
Standards are applicable. In addition, these Ambassador Animal categories establish a framework for
understanding increasing degrees of an animal’s involvement in Ambassador Animal activities.
Ambassador Animal presentations bring a host of responsibilities, including the safety and welfare of
the animals involved, the safety of the animal handler and public, and accountability for the take-home,
educational messages received by the audience. Therefore, AZA requires all accredited institutions that
make Ambassador Animal presentations to develop an institutional Ambassador Animal policy that clearly