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The CCAC Publishes Revised Reptiles Guidelines
The Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC) has published the revised CCAC guidelines: Reptiles document with an accompanying frequently asked questions document. The guidelines have a one-year implementation timeline.
The CCAC guidelines: Reptiles document replaces the previous reptiles guidelines within the CCAC Guide to the Care and Use of Experimental Animals, Volume 2, and builds on the CCAC's general guidelines by providing additional guidance for the ethical care and use of reptiles in science. This document focuses on reptiles in laboratory facilities and those brought into facilities from the wild. For scientific activities involving reptiles in the wild, including short-term holding in the field, see the CCAC guidelines: Wildlife.
Because this group of animals includes a wide range of species that collectively occupy very diverse habitats in nature, the guidelines document provides general behaviours and physiological parameters to be used as a starting point. The guidelines note that behaviours must be considered within the context of the animal’s environment.
The CCAC would like to thank the experts who participated in the revision of this guidelines document, including the CCAC Translation Advisory Group for their comments on the French translation. Your insights and expertise are deeply valued, and we truly appreciate the important role you play in the development of our standards for the ethical care and use of animals in Canadian science.
Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to .