TRANSPORTATION OF LABORATORY ANIMALS

Monanki Podder¹, Dharma Sahu², Hirani Jamatia³ and Menalsh Laishram⁴

¹PG Scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, West Bengal University Of Animal And Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, Email- dr.monanki@gmail.com

²Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, Hariyana, Email- dr.dharmasahu45@gmail.com

³PG Scholar, Department of Animal Nutrition, West Bengal University Of Animal And Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, Email-hiranij1994@gmail.com

⁴Ph.D. Scholar, Department of Livestock Production Management, West Bengal University Of Animal And Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, Email-menalsh08vets@gmail.com

Corresponding author email- dr.monanki@gmail.com

What is laboratory animal ?-

Laboratory animals are distinguished from other animals by their intended use in research, teaching and testing. They posses specialized anatomical, genetic, physiologic or metabolic conditions that differ from other animals. Lab animal could potentially include a wide range of wild and domestic species used for food or fiber production or kept as pets, in practice, the term is generally applied to those animals with a defined health and genetic status and usually purpose bred for their intended uses in research.

Why transportation of lab animal is necessary–

Biomedical research are conducted in universities and commercial laboratories across the globe. Successful research depends on a reliable source of healthy laboratory animals. The best way of achieving this is through a global supply and transportation chain. Professional breeders with highly controlled environments produce disease free animals with special characteristics important in studying human diseases. Without the ability to transport laboratory animals from licensed commercial breeders and between research facilities, each research site would have to breed their own animals. This would be costly and would unnecessarily increase the number of animals for research.

Some of the factors which may impact on animals being transported are:

• Handling
• Separation from familiar conspecifics, possibly individual housing.
• Confinement in an unfamiliar transport container
• Loading and unloading
• Movement and vibrations during the journey, including acceleration and deceleration
• Physical stress due to maintaining balance (especially larger animals)
• Unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells
• Fluctuations in temperature and humidity
• Withholding of food, or voluntary abstention from eating or drinking
• Disruption of light:dark regime

Change is stressful to animals, and transport is an especially powerful stressor that should be regarded as a major life event and not undertaken unless absolutely necessary. Even where every possible effort has been made to minimise transport stress, plan journeys with care and ensure that all staff are properly trained and empathetic. To avoid the stress during journey the following points should be considered—

• The environmental conditions within the animal container
• The health and welfare of the animals, including their fitness to travel
• The design and materials of the containers, including provision for loading and removing animals with the minimum discomfort and inspection in transit
• The number of animals in each container and the space given to each animal
• The quality and quantity of substrate, nesting material, food and water (or alternative supply of liquid)
• The duration of the journey
• The number of stops or changes between vehicles, especially if unloading and reloading is required
• The type of vehicle(s) involved
• The experience, attitude and training of personnel handling and transporting the animals
• How animals will be helped to adapt and how their recovery from the journey will be monitored when they reach their destination

Legislation-

Import or export of animals must always fulfil the requirements of transport regulations in every country that the animals will pass through. All concerned should be aware of relevant legislation and avoid delays by ensuring that all the required documentation

is correct.

Some general guidelines regarding transportation of laboratory animals-

1. Animal should be selected from disease free colony .
2. The animal which are to be transported should be healthy.
3. Species should not be mixed and animals that are to be transported should be of same age group, this is important to avoid fighting and cross contamination.
4. Male and female animal should not be mixed unless they are litter mates or established breeding group.
5. Pregnant animal should not be transported.
6. It is of great advantage to select the animals several days before transport and cage them together. It will be helpful to develop a social order and become accustom to each other.
7. The standard designs of container either rectangular, cylindrical or circular type.
8. Materials used for making container are wood, metal, cardboard or plastic. Wood provide good insulation, less expensive and difficult to sterilize. Mice, hamsters, rats, guinea pig and rabbit can be transported in cardboard container for journey up to 12 hrs.
9. For germ free animals sterile environment and air supply is required.
10.   Excess food, water should be available half an hour before packing.
11.  Animals should be selected and grouped at least 24 hrs before transport.
12. Animals should be examined thoroughly 30mins before journey. The container should

also be examined before journey.

13. Proper levelling on the container is necessary. Level should show name, complete

address of the consignee and consignor, purchase order number, date and time of

packing, description of animal, indication if there is more then one box, instruction of

handling ,feeding and watering.

14. All the level should be printed in bold letter.
15. Certificate approved by the veterinary doctor is required.

Space requirement for transportation of lab animals-

Conclusions– Laboratory animals take a special role in research work. So, during transportation of lab animals, we have to take special care about the health status of the animals and also have to give proper care by following the above mentioned guidelines to reduce stress while transporting the animals.

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