Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research

Abstract

Guidelines for use of wild mammal species are updated from the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) 2007 publication. These revised guidelines cover current professional techniques and regulations involving mammals used in research and teaching. They incorporate additional resources, summaries of procedures, and reporting requirements not contained in earlier publications. Included are details on marking, housing, trapping, and collecting mammals. It is recommended that institutional animal care and use committees (IACUCs), regulatory agencies, and investigators use these guidelines as a resource for protocols involving wild mammals. These guidelines were prepared and approved by the ASM, working with experienced professional veterinarians and IACUCs, whose collective expertise provides a broad and comprehensive understanding of the biology of nondomesticated mammals in their natural environments. The most current version of these guidelines and any subsequent modifications are available at the ASM Animal Care and Use Committee page of the ASM Web site (http://mammalsociety.org/committees/index.asp).

Chemical Immobilization of Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) With Ketamine-Medetomidine Mixture and Reversal With Atipamezole

“…Several research programs depend upon safe handling procedures under field conditions to mark, measure, vaccinate, or sample wild animals (Gannon and Sikes, 2007). The efficacy of chemical immobilization depends on the type of drug, dose, season, species, and characteristics including sex, age, and size of target animals (Jalanka and Roeken, 1990).…”

Therete mirabileof the tail, an effective site for sampling sterile blood from armadillos (Dasypodidae, Xenarthra)

“…With the method described here we showed that manipulation can be minimized and blood collection in fully conscious animals requires less than 1 min. Because of that, when collecting blood samples in armadillos in field studies, if the pain is minimal and quick, anesthesia is not recommended because the animal can be released immediately (Gannon & Sikes 2009).…”

“…To our knowledge, there are no studies about the injure impact of cardiac puncture in armadillos, although it has been demonstrated to be a detrimental procedure that can shorten the life in other species (Moore 1983), and therefore its application is controversial. On the other hand, the obligatory use of anesthesia generates another disadvantage of the method (Gannon & Sikes 2009) and makes its use inadvisable when a large population of samplings is required.…”

Serological survey of anti-Salmonella antibodies in coatis (Nasua narica) and raccoons (Procyon lotor) in southeast Mexico

“…Contact with domestic animals is limited but not impossible, particularly with free roaming feral cats, because there are no barriers limiting the access to the park. ANIMAL TRAPPING Animals were handled according to the American Society of Mammalogists recommendations (Gannon et al 2007) Coatis were captured by sedation with a dart shot using a blowgun at 2 to 4 meters away from the animal. Chemical restraints were performed with 40 to 100 mg/individual of ketamine chlorohydrate (Pisa-Agropecuaria, Guadalajara, JAL, Mx) and 2 to 4 mg/ individual xylazine (Pisa-Agropecuaria, Guadalajara, JAL, Mx).…”