SOUTH AUSTRALIAN WILDLIFE ETHICS COMMITTEE
APPLICATION TO UNDERTAKE STANDARD FAUNA SURVEYS IN SOUTH
AUSTRALIA
This form is to be used for standard vertebrate monitoring and baseline surveys only.
Please refer to Guidelines for Vertebrates Surveys in South Australia for reference to
standard surveys.
Please complete this form and ensure that all applicants have signed the declaration. Scan and email the
completed application electronically by Word or PDF format to: DEWNR.AnimalEthicsCommittee@sa.gov.au.

If you have any questions please contact the Executive Officer by email at the address above or
telephone: 08 8222 9435.
Office Use
Only
Project
Number:
Date
Received:
Revision
Number:
Title of Project
Name of Primary Applicant
Summary of Animals
Required
Procedure Types
(Refer Q8)
Pain Classifications
(Refer Q9)
Expected date for animal
use to begin?
Expected date for animal
use to end?
Project duration?
Does this application relate
to a previously approved
Protocol?
Yes
No
Yes
No
If so, give previous approval
number(s)
Have reports on these
projects been lodged?
Does this project involve
any of the following:
Funds Source
(Grant ID is applicable)
Honours Student
Masters Student
PhD Student
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Approval to share
information
By submitting this application I give approval for this application and any
information relating to it to be shared by South Australian Animal Ethics
Committees and the Animal Welfare Unit within the Department of
Environment, Water and Natural Resources for the purposes of
administration, approval and monitoring.
Yes
Is there any actual or potential interest, including financial interest or other
relationship or affiliation by any research/team member involved in the
project that may affect judgements and decision regarding the wellbeing of
the animals involved? See Australian code for the care and use of animals
for scientific purposes (The Code) Clause 2.7.4 [xxi]
Declaration of interest
Yes
No
If yes, outline the potential and any steps to be taken to ensure the ethical
integrity of the project.
Primary Applicant
Reminder: All Honours/Masters and PhD studies must be approved by an AEC. The applicant must be the
degree candidate supervisor.
Name (include title)
Applicant's Institution and
Department
Contact details
(including After Hours)
Email
Phone
Mobile
Correspondence to
Co-applicant/s
If semi-permanent pitfall traps are to remain in the ground after the expiry of this approval please
nominate the landholder or a company representative who will be responsible for routine checks and
maintenance of these traps between survey events.
Name (include title)
Institution and Department
Email
Contact details (including
After Hours)
Phone
Mobile
2
Other Applicant/s
Name (include title)
Institution and Department
Contact details (including
After Hours)
Email
Phone
Mobile
Name (include title)
Institution and Department
Email
Contact details (including
After Hours)
Phone
Mobile
1. Short Non-Technical Summary (Maximum 100 words)
This short summary is useful to the Wildlife Ethics Committee (WEC) as a snapshot of your project. Please
include the aims of the survey and the main types of field activity.
2. Provide a non-technical description of the project and its aims, and its
hypothesis
Completion of this answer must be clear and understandable by all WEC members including non-scientists.
Please use language that avoids scientific and clinical terminology.
Provide Aims, methods and previous information that you are building on.
3. Detailed Description of What Will Happen to the Animals
3.1 Using Lay Language describe what happens to the animals from the time they are
obtained until the time the project is completed.
Provide a clear step by step description of what will happen to the animals, for complex projects consisting of
many steps, a brief paragraph outlining the whole proposal should be included, with the details of each step
provided sequentially.
What the animals will experience as a result of this research project from the time the animals are caught until
the time they are released or killed e.g. handling animals for identification, animals that will be kept and
euthanized for voucher specimens, genetic sampling, transporting, or tagging or marking animals.
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3.2 Where will the procedures/use of animals take place? (If more than one location is to
be used, please attach a map and clearly explain what will happen at each different site)
Attach a map of the area to be surveyed or describe the location e.g. area of X km square located south of YYYY
Procedure/Use of Animals
Locations (Nearest Named Place)
3.3 Please append a list of species already recorded within the survey area. Indicate which
of these species is represented by verifiable museum specimens. Use the following table
layout.
Species
Number of records
Represented by voucher
specimens (yes/no)
4. Capture and Use of Wildlife
Please answer each question in full detail. It is not sufficient to enter ‘as per Standard Operating
Procedure (SOP) – see attachment’. You must describe your procedures. If a SOP or advisory document
is available use your application to note that it has been consulted and your approach is compatible
with those guidelines, or explain why you need to deviate from any standard approach.
4.1 Capture Methods
As a starting point, refer to the Guidelines for Vertebrate Surveys in South Australia that outline a standard
approach to general fauna survey that has proven to be effective. However the WEC understands that particular
surveys may need to vary their approach. See also Biological Survey of South Australia.
4.1.1 What types of traps will be used? For standard commercially produced traps simply
state the maker and model of each trap type. Where the trap is not commercial or a standard
device please describe it in full (append diagram).
4.1.2 How many traps will be set and over what period of time?
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4.1.3 How often and at what times will traps be checked and/or cleared?
Please refer to the WEC Use of live traps to capture terrestrial vertebrates policy
4.1.4 How will the traps be identified and their locations recorded?
4.1.5 How will distress and death of trapped animals be minimised? (Hot, cold or wet weather
etc.)
Please state the critical temperature range/climatic extremes at which time the trapping will cease.
4.1.6 How will predation of trapped animals be minimised? (Ants, crows etc.)
Provide details on how you will protect the captured animals from ants, crows etc. and animals that may be
captured in the same trap e.g. place sand and leaves in the pitfall, use insecticide around the trap line. Will you
relocate traps if ants are a problem?
4.1.7 Are semipermanent pitfalls part of the survey procedure? If so how will traps be
inactivated when not in use, and maintained/monitored between survey periods?
The person responsible for maintenance/monitoring of traps between survey periods must be named as a coapplicant.
4.1.8 Describe your procedures and timing of the release of captured animals? (E.g. dealing
with nocturnal animals)
4.1.9 If bait is used or food/water provided in traps give details.
4.1.10 What is the maximum number of traps each team leader will have responsibility for
within a trapping period? How many assistants will provide support?
Please provide an estimate so that the workload can be demonstrated to be consistent with good monitoring of
animal welfare.
4.1.11 Describe any other methods to be used for capture e.g. Mist netting, spotlighting and
hand foraging.
4.1.12 What established standard operating procedures or recognised guidelines (relevant
to animal welfare) will be followed? Attach a copy of any relevant documents at the end of this
document. For further information visit Policies for wildlife research.
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4.2 Collection of Museum Voucher Specimens
The WEC considers that the collection of voucher specimens is a component of a best practice approach to
documenting and permanently verifying the distribution of vertebrate species within South Australia. Prior to
any survey, applicants must establish the current state of knowledge of vertebrate diversity within the survey
area. From this they would be expected to identify what species might be required as vouchers. Typically WEC
would expect that any species newly recorded for the area would be vouchered, as would any animals where
identity was uncertain. The SA Museum holds the state’s reference wildlife collections and can be consulted to
clarify the current state of vertebrate specimen records from the proposed survey area or a species list of all
specimen records that have been vouchered may be obtained from the Atlas of Living Australia website.
Voucher specimens are to be preserved using standard museum methods. Applicants are encouraged to contact
their local state museum for advice regarding preservation techniques for both animals and tissue samples.
Policies for wildlife research
In the case of monitoring surveys where the fauna of a region has already been well documented
through baseline surveys, vouchering can be replaced by tissue samples and photography (section 4.3)
Are voucher specimens to be collected?
Yes
No, Move to Q4.3
4.2.1 Provide a list of species already represented in museum collections (available from the
Atlas of Living Australia or SA Museum)
4.2.2 Describe the method of euthanasia for animals that are selected as voucher specimens
4.2.3 How will the animals and associated tissue samples be preserved? E.g. Formalin, liquid
nitrogen, ethanol or ethanol/saline. Provide details
4.2.4 Where will the voucher specimens be lodged? If not the South Australian Museum,
please state which institution the specimens will be lodged.
4.3 Collection of biological samples (e.g. hair, tissue, blood etc.)
Are biological samples to be collected?
Yes
No, Move to Q4.4
Policies for wildlife research
Tissue-only samples should be accompanied by a photograph sufficient to identify the specimen from which the
sample was taken. Photographs should accompany the specimens when they lodged at their final repository
(Museum, Department and Office)
4.3.1 What samples (including blood, tissue, hair, feather, swab etc.) will be collected and
how will these be taken?
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4.3.2 What size/volume/amount of sample will be collected from each individual animal? For
blood, express this as a percentage of the animal's circulating blood volume.
4.3.3 What blood/tissue collection route, needle size, technique(s) and equipment will be
used?
4.3.4 How will pain during the procedure be minimised?
4.3.5 How will the risk of infection at the site be minimised?
4.3.6 How will animals be restrained during handling and/or sampling?
4.4 Transporting Animals
Yes
No, Move to Q4.5
In this section briefly outline why you will need to transport live animals. This includes animals that will be
transported back to base camp and later released or euthanised.
Refer to the link below for all Policies and guidelines for Wildlife Research which includes the Guidelines for
transportation of live animals
Policies for wildlife research
4.4.1 Is transport of live animals necessary and if so what method and precautions will be
used?
4.4.2 What is the type of container to be used?
4.4.3 What shelter/bedding will be provided?
4.4.4 How many animals per container?
4.4.5 Will food and/or water be provided? Give details.
4.4.6 What precautions will be taken to protect animals from temperature extremes?
4.4.7 What is the maximum length of time that animals will be held in this way?
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4.5 Identification of Individual Animals (e.g. photo, microchip, paint or ear tag)
Yes
No, Move to Q5
Individual identification is not always required for survey work. If you do need to identify individuals use this
section to provide background information why it is necessary and make clear the time frame over which the
identification needs to last.
4.5.1 How will animals be individually identified?
4.5.2 If animals will be marked temporarily or permanently, describe how this will be done.
4.5.3 If animals are to be marked permanently, give evidence that the potentially negative
consequences of any marking technique are outweighed by the benefits gained by the use
of this technique in your research.
4.5.4 Animals should only be marked permanently when a project is sufficiently funded to
ensure that efforts can be made to recapture/relocate the marked animal/population.
Explain whether there is such funding.
5. Management of Unexpected Adverse Events
This section does not apply to animals that are sick or injured through natural causes. It applies strictly to healthy
animals that have been impacted by the actions of the researcher.
5.1 What will happen to an animal that has been injured as a result of your survey activities?
5.2 If an animal needs to be euthanised in an emergency, how will this be done, and by
whom?
It is expected that the persons carrying out fauna survey work be equipped with the relevant euthanising agents
and would have the necessary training and permits to be self-sufficient.
If euthanasia is to be conducted by a veterinarian – how will an after-hours emergency euthanasia be
obtained? Please state the name of the veterinarian, the practice and the location.
5.3 Identify any other relevant emergencies that may arise (e.g. whilst working in the field in
remote or inaccessible locations) and explain what procedures are in place to deal with those
emergencies.
6. Monitoring of Potential Pain and Distress
6.1 Identify and justify all procedures with potential to cause pain or distress. What steps will
be taken to avoid or minimise such pain or distress?
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6.2 Detail the monitoring that will be made of any animals not immediately released at point
of capture.
7. Is the acquisition, retention or use of the animals subject to any permit, law
or regulation of the State or Commonwealth?
Yes
No
e.g. your licence number for teaching, research or experimentation in South Australia under the Animal
Welfare Act 1985, Scientific research permit number under the National Parks and Wildlife Act 1975,
Protected native or imported species; Australian Bird and Bat Banding Scheme (ABBBS) Banding Authority;
Ministerial Exemption under Section 115 of the Fisheries Management Act 2007, SA Health Department
Controlled Substances Licence (if you will be euthanising animals as voucher specimens).
If yes, please provide details of the permit/authorisation number(s) and holder(s).
8. Procedure Category (cross all appropriate categories)
Observational Studies: e.g. monitoring surveys, live trapping, obtaining weights and body
measurements.
Minor Conscious Intervention: No Anaesthesia: e.g. leg-banding, blood sampling, tissue clipping
for genetic sampling purposes, without anaesthesia.
9. Pain/Distress Classifications (cross where appropriate)
Category
Extent and Duration
Suffering
Procedures
No pain or distress
Mild pain or distress
10. Substances to be administered
10.1 Humane Killing Agents
Drug
(generic ± brand
name)
Dose Rate
(mg/kg)
Concentration
(mg/ml)
Dose/Volume
Required
(mg/ml)
Route of
Administration
Needle Size
10.2 Inhalational Agents (eg gaseous anaesthetics)
Drug
(generic ± brand
name)
Delivery Gas
& Flow Rate
Concentration
Delivered (%)
for Induction
Concentration
Delivered (%) for
Maintenance
Delivery
Method
Possible adverse
effects of
administration
or withdrawal
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10.3 What training and experience do you have in using these agents?
(Note that any required licenses to hold and administer the agents listed above must be
outlined in
Section 9.)
11. Please discuss the ethical issues that the AEC will need to consider when reviewing this
proposed survey. Your answer should address the 3Rs, Replacement, Reduction &
Refinement. Report any streamlining or alteration of survey procedures that you are using
that improve animal welfare (See Clauses 1.18–1.30 of the Code).
“Not applicable” is not acceptable.
1. Ethical Issues
e.g.:
 What is the welfare cost to the
animal?
 In what way is the level of
pain/discomfort justified?
 How does this mesh with the
cost/benefit
2. Reduction:
3. Refinement:
4. Replacement
Consideration of Alternatives
Your response, should include the
following:
 A list of any potential alternatives
to animal use
 Whether any of these alternatives
would be used
 Details of literature searches you
have undertaken
This answer should explain why
animals need to be used at all.
12. In what way does this proposal relate to your previous or concurrent work?

It is useful for the AEC to understand how this proposal fits into the broad research strategy/interest
of your group.
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13. Publications and Reports
13.1 List any publication and reports that have been completed for past wildlife ethics projects.
13.2 Have progress and final reports for past wildlife ethics approvals been lodged?
14. Do you propose to publish the results and/or make your data available to
the wider community? If not, please explain why.
15. How will you minimise health risks posed to animals captured during the
survey? E.g. transmission of pathogens or parasites from one animal to another?
16. What health risks to other staff exist? How could staff be affected?
17. Credentials of all those involved in the project
Name and
Qualification
Detail the experience each
participant has in the
procedures to be undertaken
with the species being used (if
no experience, describe how
relevant training and supervision
will be obtained
In which
procedure(s) is
this person
involved?
Date this
person
attended an
Animal Users
Training Day?
Chief
Applicant(s):
Other People
Participating
18. Dual/multiple AEC approval
Is approval by more than one AEC required?
Yes
No
If so, which AEC(s)?
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19. Attachments Summary Checklist
Type
Attachment
1. Relevant Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Relates to Q4.1.14
Yes
No
2. Publications
Yes
No
4. Other
Yes
No
Please detail:
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20. Declaration
Project Title:
Section 1: Declaration by the Primary Applicant
I hereby declare that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)
(v)
I and all others involved in this project are familiar with and will comply with the relevant Commonwealth
and State or Territory legislation and the requirements of the Australian Code of Practice for the care
and use of animals for scientific purposes, 8th Edition 2013 (The Code)
To the best of my knowledge this proposal conforms to the Code (8th Edition 2013) and the South
Australian Animal Welfare Act 1985.
I have read Section 2 of the Code which sets down the responsibilities of investigators. I accept
responsibility for the conduct of all procedures detailed in this application and for the supervision of all
personnel delegated to perform any such procedures.
I agree to comply with procedures described and any conditions imposed by the Animal Ethics
Committee.
Sufficient and adequate resources will be available to undertake the proposed study.
Primary Applicant's Name
Primary Applicant's Signature
Date
Section 2: Other Applicant's Declaration
I hereby declare that:
(i)
(ii)
I am familiar with and will comply with the relevant Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation and
the requirements of the Australian Code of Practice for the care and use of animals for scientific purposes,
8th Edition 2013 (The Code) and the South Australian Animal Welfare Act 1985 and its regulations.
I have read the application and I accept the responsibilities detailed therein to the extent of my
involvement in this project.
Other Applicant's Name
Other Applicant's Signature
Date
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Section 3: Declaration by the Institutions Nominated Authority (not the Primary Applicant)
i.e. Supervisor/Head of Division/Department /Institute
I hereby declare that:
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
I am satisfied that the Primary Applicant has the appropriate qualifications and experience to carry out
the work with minimum distress to the animals.
I believe this work meets the requirements of the Australian Code of Practice for the care and use of
animals for scientific purposes, 8th Edition 2013 (The Code) and the South Australian Animal Welfare Act
1985 and its regulations.
I have read the application and I am satisfied that this work is of sufficient scientific merit for my
Department to be involved in it and sufficient and adequate resources will be available to undertake
the proposed study.
Nominated Authority
Signature
Date
AEC Use Only
Date Received:
Action Taken:
Signature of Chair, AEC
Date of AEC meeting for consideration:
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Attachment: Relevant Standard Operating Procedures (Question 4.1.14)
Attach as pdf pages or if text, by copy-paste into field below
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