APA has long been a strong advocate for the ethical and humane care and use of nonhuman animals in research. The association has consistently supported efforts to improve laboratory animal welfare through the implementation of policies and regulations that both maintain the integrity of the scientific research and sustain the welfare of such animals.
The proposed regulation seeks to update the procedures for managing in a research context the care, housing, and transportation of birds that were not bred for use in a lab. Given that wild-caught birds may encompass many species of birds with different social, feeding, and enrichment requirements, the proposed regulation sought to instill performance-based standards. This approach means to allow onsite investigators and animal care professionals some flexibility in managing the needs of those birds. Read APA's comment online (PDF, 143KB).
For more information, contact Pat Kobor.