Differentiating research from management in welfare review of wildlife activities

A common understanding and clear process to apply the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) to wildlife-related activities is crucial to promote animal welfare when conducting wildlife research and for streamlining review by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). Current interpretation of the AWA and United States government policies advise that wildlife research activities be reviewed for compliance by an IACUC; however, guidance regarding which wildlife activities are categorized as research and therefore subject to review and oversight is limited. In our opinion and experience, this lack of clarity creates a challenge, particularly for natural resource agencies that conduct a range of wildlife activities, to ensure that research is properly identified for IACUC review and differentiated from management activities that are exempt from review. To fill the gap in current guidance, we propose a decision-making model that clarifies research and management activities. We apply our model to case studies involving wildlife to highlight nuanced differences between the 2 types of activities. Wildlife agencies conducting potentially regulated activities could use this adaptable model, which has been successfully employed by the National Park Service IACUC, to clarify when the AWA might apply, streamline IACUC reviews, and promote welfare of wildlife.