Animal Welfare Committee

Animal Welfare Committee

Vision: To assure that the highest standard of care is achieved for the animal collection at Moody Gardens.

Mission: The Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) will provide staff with a forum for addressing animal welfare concerns. The AWC will also be responsible for developing guidelines and protocols for husbandry and welfare at Moody Gardens in accordance with, but not limited to, AZA guidelines.

Goals:

·  To provide a safe forum for staff to convey animal welfare concerns.

·  To address animal welfare issues professionally and promptly.

·  To develop husbandry guidelines and protocols that directly relate to maintaining the highest level of care and welfare.

Committee Composition:

·  The Animal Welfare Committee will consist of both core members and rotating members

o  Core members are LS&EO Animal Care Managers, Veterinary Technician, Veterinarian, Quarantine Lead, and Administration representative.

o  Animal Husbandry Manager shall serve in an advisory role and shall provide a vote when necessary for quorum purposes.

o  Rotating members are staff members who will be chosen by staff vote from their respective areas and will serve a one-year term. To be eligible for this position the staff member is required to be employed by Moody Gardens for a minimum of 1 year. The terms will be staggered so as only one representative will roll off the committee at a time.

·  The Committee Chairperson and Vice Chairperson will be chosen by majority vote of the committee and will serve one-year terms. At the end of the chair’s term the vice chair will become the chair and a new vice chair will be chosen. If the Chair relinquishes the position during their term the vice chair will fill the role of chair and a new vice chair will be selected to fulfill the term. At the end of the term the committee will decide how to fulfill the subsequent positions.

o  The AWC Chairperson shall be responsible for scheduling and moderating quarterly meeting, assigning members for the investigation team and reviewing record keeping.

o  The AWC Vice Chairperson shall be responsible for monitoring the progress of the reported concern so that a conclusion/recommendation is reached within a timely manner.

·  Voting quorum consists of seven members with a minimum of two rotating members. Either the attending veterinarian or veterinary technician shall cast one of these votes.

Proactive Guidelines:

·  Information will be solicited from staff regarding the creation of guidelines and protocols. Once the Moody Gardens guidelines and protocols are created the committee will send them out to staff for a 30-day comment period. After the comment period appropriate changes will be made and sent to the committee for final approval. Once approved they will be posted on network.

·  Standards and protocols will be based on existing husbandry standards, natural history and experience with the particular taxa. Other professionals can and should be consulted to assure a broad range of information about the animals.

·  The committee may change standards and protocols when new information warrants alteration.

Reactive Guidelines:

Anyone may petition the AWC to investigate an animal welfare concern (concerns not limited to LS&EO staff). A petitioner may approach any member of the committee (known as the contact person for the rest of this document) to convey a concern. It is the responsibility of the contact person to get as much information as possible from the petitioner, relay that information to the committee, and keep the petitioner informed throughout the process.

·  All information is confidential and is treated with respect.

·  All concerns are given equal treatment and all are managed equally.

·  Concerns may not be brought to the committee anonymously. The petitioner must be identified to the committee; however, the petitioner will remain confidential to the remainder of the staff.

·  All concerns will be addressed in a timely matter.

o  The first notification to the committee will occur within 48 hours via email from the contact member. Within the same 48 hours the contact member will confirm with the petitioner that the committee has been apprised.

o  The committee shall make a recommendation within one week as to how to proceed with the concern. Resolution options include, but are not limited to: needs to be addressed on managerial level for husbandry related issues, an investigation will be pending, or the concern will be addressed in a committee meeting (define when the meeting will occur – immediately, at next quarterly, etc).

o  Resolution should be obtained during the one-week period unless special circumstances including life threatening concern to animal or collection that are not covered by immediate medical care, adjustments in husbandry protocols, etc, warrant further investigation. Petitioner will be notified by the contact member as to the status of investigation one week from initial contact and shall be provided with any additional information/timelines as relevant.

o  Email votes and discussions will be considered equal to meetings in import to the resolution or recommendation(s).

o  The contact person shall enter all concerns into the AWC Report and Resolution Log.

·  Investigations will be conducted by at least two persons, one of which is not affiliated with the area involved. All information regarding those investigations will be provided to the entire committee. Discussion of the two most suited investigators can be deliberated through e-mail or during meetings; however, the Committee Chair will make the ultimate decision. If the Committee Chair is unavailable this decision rests with the Vice Chairperson.

·  Guidelines for investigation include but are not limited to: 1) basic animal needs (appropriate food, access to water, shelter from the elements, species appropriate space, reproduction), 2) quality of life, 3) role of the animal in the collection, 4) questioning staff that work with the animal, and 5) contacting a minimum of 3 people from other institutions that work with the species in question with relevant questions.

·  If further investigation is warranted the petitioner may be asked to appear before the committee to give information regarding the concern. Representatives from other departments may be included in investigations if needed, but will not be included at the meeting to protect the anonymity of the petitioner.

·  The committee will then make recommendations based on the investigation. These recommendations are binding and will be abided. The petitioner will be notified of the committee’s findings through the contact member.

·  Follow up from the committee decision will be conducted from both the investigators and will be reported to the committee by e-mail or at the next meeting.

28 July 2008