ETHICAL STANDARDS IN CHELONIAN
CONSERVATION AND RESCUE This is a discussion document only.
Issued by The Tortoise Trust for public comment.
Membership and
governance
1. Persons who within the previous 5 years have conducted
any form of commercial trading in wildcaught reptiles shall not be eligible to
hold board, trustee, advisory or any other management post.
2. Persons with criminal convictions for wildlife crimes, or
for animal abuse, shall be permanently excluded from holding any such posts.
Placement of animals
1. Organizations shall establish adequate vetting procedures
to ensure that animals are only placed in satisfactory environments, and that
persons charged with caring for such animals demonstrate an adequate level of
knowledge and commitment to care for all animals placed under rehoming or
adoption programs.
2. Animals shall under no circumstances be placed with
persons who within the previous 5 years have traded commercially in wildcaught
reptiles, or who have a criminal conviction for wildlife crimes (for example,
smuggling, CITES or local or state wildlife protection statute violations).
Animals shall under no circumstances be placed with persons who have criminal
convictions for animal abuse or neglect.
3. Adequate records shall be maintained of all animals
received or managed by signatory organizations. Persons receiving animals shall
be required to maintain adequate records of mortality or breeding successes,
and signatory organizations shall institute adequate monitoring or reporting
protocols.
4. Organizations shall take steps to ensure that no animal
that has been the subject of a confiscation or donation shall be sold or
otherwise traded by persons who receive such animals under any adoption or
rehoming program. It is recommended that organizations retain legal ownership
and title of all animals placed, and shall retain the right to recover them
should the terms of adoption or rehoming be breached.
Husbandry standards
1. Organizations shall prepare and publish a basic set of
guidelines detailing the minimum standards of care that shall be considered
acceptable under any adoption or rehoming program. Such guidelines shall draw
the attention of potential rehomers or adopters to the need for proper dietary
and environmental management, and to the need for adequate hygiene and
quarantine measures.
2. Organizations shall retain the right to carry out
inspections of rehomed or adopted animals at any reasonable time. Where
unacceptable standards of husbandry are confirmed, action shall be taken to
recover placed animals and to terminate any rehoming or adoption agreement with
the offender.
Veterinary management
1. Organizations shall stress the need to refer to qualified
veterinary surgeons for the diagnosis and treatment of all animals.
2. Euthanasia shall not be employed except under qualified
veterinary direction, and only then where no realistic possibility of recovery
exists, or to relieve an unacceptable degree of suffering. Euthanasia shall
only be used where it can be justified on veterinary grounds, and for no other
reason.
This is a first draft
of a proposed code of ethics that it is hoped many will find acceptable.
Suggestions and comments can be sent privately to:
tortoisetrust@aol.com
|