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Wildlife Field Studies and Research

The ÁÔÆæÖØ¿Ú’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) oversees all activities involving vertebrate animals, including wildlife studies conducted in the field and observational studies. 

• All wildlife studies involving vertebrates require UM IACUC review and approval, including observational studies  
• UM IACUC oversight applies regardless of USDA exemptions or location of the study. 

Field Study vs. Field Research 

• Field Study: Data collection and handling that does not affect or alter the animal's behavior, cause harm or include invasive procedures (e.g., visual counts, camera traps, bird banding, morphometric data collection). 
• Field Research (USDA): Activities that involve capture, handling, sedation, invasive procedures, or altering behavior. 

Field Research Examples: USDA Reporting and Oversight Required 

USDA Reportable Field Studies definitions

Invasive Procedures	Studies with major operative procedures:   Intra-cardiac blood collections  Arterial/venous cut downs for catheter placement  Surgical implantation of devices
Harm	Procedures in which animals may experience:  Death  Pain or distress  Trauma  Overheating  Behavioral stress  Physical harm  Unnecessary discomfort from handling
Materially altered behavior	Activities for research purposes that:  Use hormones or pheromones to change mating or migration patterns  Activities that cause repeated nest/den disturbance during breeding and rearing of young  Relocation of migratory animals beyond their natural migration routes