Wildlife Guidelines

Guidelines of the American Society of Mammalogists for the Use of Wild Mammals in Research

Published in the Journal of Mammalogy in 2011 by Robert S. Sikes, William L. Gannon, and the Animal Care and Use Committee of the American Society of Mammalogists.

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General guidelines for use of wild mammal species are updated from the 2007 version approved by the American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) and expanded to include additional resources. Included are details on marking, housing, trapping, and collecting mammals. These guidelines cover current professional techniques and regulations involving mammals used in research. Institutional animal care and use committees, regulatory agencies, and investigators should review and approve procedures concerning use of vertebrates at any particular insitution. These guidelines were prepared and approved by the ASM, whose collective expertise provides a broad and comprehensive understanding of the biology of nondomesticated mammals in their natural environments.