ANIMAL ETHICS APPLICATION
Chief investigator:
Project no.:
Project title:
<name>
<project no.>
<project title>
YEARS of OPERATION
<years of operation>
Has this project been submitted to any other animal ethics committee? <Yes/No>
LAY SUMMARY FOR THE AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC PROGRAM ANIMAL ETHICS COMMITTEE (AAPAEC)
Your answers must be expressed in language easily understood by the public.
Provide a brief overview of the project, including the broad context of the project, species of animals and
general procedures to be used, why the existing knowledge (if available) is inadequate, and, if relevant,
linkages with other AAPAEC applications.
Why does this research need to be done? (Include an explanation of the significance of this work).
What alternatives are there to the use of the proposed procedures?
How practical are the procedures under polar conditions, with respect to both the subject and the
investigator?
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Are the proposed techniques commonly used or are they under development? Please provide information
about the use of these techniques in other studies and the context of their use (the species; the
environment: temperate, Antarctic).
Have there been any recent technological advances or improvements in procedures you propose to use?
If yes, have you incorporated that knowledge in your application? If not, why not?
How experienced do field personnel need to be in order to carry out the proposed procedures without
harming the animal subject?
When do you intend to publish a paper based on the use of the procedures in peer-reviewed literature?
What effect will the application of the proposed procedures have on other animals in the vicinity of the
target individual?
PROCEDURES and PERSONNEL
Step-by-step details of procedures: Give a clear step-by-step description of all procedures/activities
to be carried out on each group of animals from start to end. Include the following information:

the duration of all procedures and time sequence must be clear;

specifications of any instruments to be deployed (include dimensions and weight);

for anaesthetics, provide details of dose rates, routes of administration, and anaesthetic and
analgesic regimes;

a clear statement of which personnel will carry out particular procedures/activities.
Note: flow charts, diagrams and/or tables may be helpful and can be attached.
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Technological advances in techniques:
Have there been any recent technological advances or
improvements in procedures you propose to use? If yes, have you incorporated that knowledge in your
application? If not, why not?
Minimising harm or stress: Complete the following table for any procedure that has the potential to
cause harm or stress to an animal.
Examples of relevant procedures include: removing samples of any body tissue such as blood, skin and fat/blubber
from a vertebrate animal; administration of an anaesthetic; attachment of loggers to flighted birds; attachment of
flipper bands on penguins; temporary attachment of location recording/time-depth recording devices to birds or
mammals.
Please address the same set of questions for each procedure to be undertaken.
Species: <species>
1. List the procedure for this species.
2. What level of pain or distress is involved?
3. Over how long will the procedure be endured?
4. What steps will be taken to avoid or minimise the
anticipated pain or distress?
5. What is the chance of death or chronic infection/
incapacity resulting from the use of this technique?
6. Will wounds require further intervention (eg. suture
removal; application of antibiotics)?
Qualifications and experience of field personnel: List the qualifications and specific experience of all
field personnel (including TBAs – to be advised) who will be participating in the animal components of this
project.
Where personnel are named, provide CVs and a summary of skills (including examples) relevant to the activities to
be undertaken for the project. Detail whether nominated personnel have experience with the species being used and
with the procedures being undertaken.
REDUCTION
Number of animals: Explain, on the basis of experimental design, why this number of animals is
required for each species selected. This must be the minimum number of animals necessary to obtain a
valid result.
Re-use: If the investigation uses animals that have been the subject of previous research you will need
to justify their use in this project, give the previous project number and describe this previous use and
current condition.
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Previous studies: Does this investigation repeat reported studies? If so, give references and justify why
repetition is necessary.
REPLACEMENT
Provide an explanation of why the proposed procedures are needed for the project including:
o a list of potential alternatives to animal use;
o whether any of these alternatives are being used in the project; and
o if not, why alternative techniques which do not use animals have been rejected as unsuitable.
Are there non-invasive techniques to get the required information, eg. instead of taking blood samples, faecal
samples could be used for genetic material.
REFINEMENT
Describe the measures to be taken to reduce the impact of procedures on animals that are used and detail
how the proposed procedures may impact on an animal’s wellbeing.
Projects should be designed to avoid pain and distress in animals.
RISKS
Please specify any special risks to other animals or humans arising from the proposed procedures.
Identify the risks associated with the procedures you intend to use, and your strategies in dealing with them.
MONITORING
In relation to the proposed procedures, how will the animals be monitored during capture, handling and
release?
State the physiological and behavioural parameters you will be monitoring and define what measurements/
observations you would consider to be abnormal and what your response would be to those situations. How do you
propose to monitor the long-term effects of the treatment, eg. on reproduction, social behavior, etc?
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