The Ornithological Council and partners, including the National Academies, to hold workshop on the unique welfare challenges of wildlife research

The Ornithological Council is working with the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research and other partners to hold a virtual workshop about animal welfare and wildlife research on Feb. 9-10. 

The Institute for Laboratory Animal Research (ILAR), within the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine, publishes The Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, which is widely applied to research conducted or funded by the federal government. That guidance document is a suitable standard for biomedical research, but it has little information relevant to wildlife research beyond general principles and is therefore not well suited to wildlife work, particularly fieldwork. 

Discussion topics during the two-day online workshop will include perspectives on animal welfare considerations; laws, regulations, and permits associated with fish and wildlife; wild animal population concerns; the role of veterinarians in wildlife research; restraint and handling of animals in the field; and transition of wild animals to captive settings.

The OC’s Executive Director, Laura Bies, serves on the workshop planning committee. The OC is also partnering with ILAR in other ways to assist them in broadening their guidance to better include the realities of wildlife research. Dr. William Bowerman, current vice chair of the OC, was selected earlier this year to serve on a new ILAR Standing Committee on Animal Care and Use. That committee will be undertaking a revision or expansion of the The Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, and the February workshop will inform those efforts. 

You can learn more – and register for free – at the workshop website.

About the Ornithological Council

The Ornithological Council is a consortium of scientific societies of ornithologists; these societies span the Western Hemisphere and the research conducted by their members spans the globe. Their cumulative expertise comprises the knowledge that is fundamental and essential to science-based bird conservation and management. The Ornithological Council is financially supported by our member societies and the individual ornithologists who value our work. If the OC’s resources are valuable to you, please consider joining one of our member societies or donating directly at Birdnet.org. Thank you for your support!