Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Animals in Schools – why and how?

Biolive ConferenceWellington July, 2007

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

My background:

• Teacher of senior biology and science since 1993

• Ministry of Education representative on NAEAC

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

What’s NAEAC?• National Ethics Advisory Committee

• Approves Codes of Ethical Conduct at a national level

• Advises the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry on matters related to Part 6 of the Animal Welfare Act 1999

• Composition set out in the Act

• Meets quarterly

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Why bring animals into schools?

Animals are brought into the senior school for a variety of reasons:

For display and observation

For science, biology, equine, animal care, aquaculture and agriculture teaching

For teacher and student directed investigations

For individual investigations for Science and Technology Fairs, CREST Awards, Bright Sparks and other similar events

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

What are the benefits?

May provide students with the opportunity to:

• Learn to respect and appreciate animals as living things

• Observe and interact with animals• Learn about the needs of animals and how

these can and must be met• Observe the life history of an animal• Identify and investigate the range of

environmental, physiological and behavioural factors influencing living animals

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

What’s stopping some of us?

• Some teachers are concerned by the legal implications of the Animal Welfare Act 1999, and have stopped using animals in their teaching as a result.

• All teachers do need to be aware of how the Act applies to animals in schools.

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Animal Welfare Act 1999

•This act governs the welfare of animals in New Zealand.

•This Act is underpinned by two principles:

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

The 5 Freedoms

All animals must have the freedom to experience these things:

1. Proper and sufficient food and water

2. Adequate shelter

3. The opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

3. Appropriate physical handling

4. Protection from, and rapid diagnosis of, injury or disease

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

The 3 Rs

• Replacement – replacing animals with other alternatives such as computer simulations

• Reduction – good experimental design to ensure no more and no fewer animals are used than are needed to meet the objectives of an investigation

• Refinement – minimising pain and suffering by refining techniques such as pain relief and anaesthesia

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

What is an animal?It seems obvious…but the Animal Welfare Act (1999) applies only to:

Vertebrates

•amphibians eg frogs

• reptiles eg lizards

•fish - bony and cartilaginous

•birds

•mammals eg cats, dogs, goats, horses…

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

… And also to some specified invertebrates:

• Octopus• Squid• Crabs• Lobsters• Crayfish (including freshwater crayfish)

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

It also includes any live:

• Mammalian foetus

• Bird embryo in an egg

• Reptilian pre-hatched young in the last half of its period of gestation (development)

• Marsupial pouch young eg possums

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• The Act does not include human beings

• The use of dead animals for dissection purposes is not covered by the Act, therefore it does not require ethical approval. Animals used for this purpose must be obtained from reputable sources

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

What are the implications of the Act for teachers?

• Activities such as those described will need ethical approval before they can be carried out

• This can be accessed through the NZASE website:

http://www.nzase.org.nz/ethics.html

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

NZASE Animal Ethics Committee

Their 3 main roles are to:

• approve/decline applications for the ethical use of live animals

• monitor this use

• report annually to NAEAC on the approved use of animals in schools

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• A student initiated activity (such as a Science fair project) can receive a one year approval.

• A teaching programme activity such as a Year 13 Biology animal study for A.S. 3.1 or an Animal Care course may be granted approval for up to three years.

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

How do I know if I need approval?If you (or your student) are interfering with the;

• normal behaviour

• body structure

• workings of any of the live animals covered by the Act…

In any of the following ways:

• depriving it of usual care

• altering its diet or exercise regime

• subjecting it to enforced activity, unusual restraint, abnormal nutrition or surgery

• exposing it to any drug, chemical, biological product, parasite, radiation, electricity, or abnormal environment

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

… then you will need

ethical approval

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Which of the groups below includes your animal?

Will you be doing any of the following?

YES I will require Animal Ethics Committee approval.

Do I need Animal Ethics Committee approval for my investigation?

Yesanimal ethics approval may be required

No ethical approval is not required

land-based and/or aquatic vertebrates mammals amphibians birds fish reptiles octopus squid crab lobster crayfish

shellfish insects snails spiders worms

Exposing it to any chemical or biological product or changed environment.

Restricting or changing its normal activity

Depriving it of its usual care

Changing its diet or exercise routine

Any investigation involving animals (vertebrate or invertebrate) that may be a NZ endangered species requires animal ethics approval.

Follow the chart below and mark your pathway in red pen.

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

How to apply:

• Application forms can be obtained from the NZASE website http://www.nzase.org.nz/ethics.html

• Also on the website are some really helpful exemplars showing the sort of detail needed in your application

• If in any doubt, email NZASE at animalethicscommittee@rsnz.org

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• The application process is quite straight-forward

• If an application is turned down, the committee will give advice about why this has happened, and are happy to help with any questions which arise

• An application may also be conditionally approved – in this case the committee will explain how the procedure needs to be changed to meet the approval conditions

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

Keep in Mind…

• Even when dealing with animals outside the Act, the 5 Freedoms and the 3 Rs should be considered.

• This is part of teaching our students to respect all living things.

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• A useful guide is the 1999 publication from the Ministry of Education Caring for Animals - a guide for teachers, early childhood educators and students.

Does your schoolhave one of these?

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• If not, the online version can be accessed on TKI:

http://www.tki.org.nz/r/science/caring

_for_animals/

Allison Dodds Queen's High School, Dunedin

• With thanks to Barbara Benson, UOCoE, for her help in preparing this presentation