This symposium took place August 24th & 25th, 2023 in Dallas, TX
In August 2023, the USDA Center for Animal Welfare organized and hosted a 2-day symposium which addressed health and welfare concerns during transportation for animals covered under the Animal Welfare Act. Guest and internal speakers covered a wide range of welfare issues on species ranging from zoo animals to marine mammals, to pets and their welfare during both ground and air transportation. All recorded sessions are listed below and available for viewing on APHIS’s YouTube Channel.
Visit the USDA Center for Animal Welfare (CAW) homepage for more information.
Day 1 Presentations:
- Marine Mammal Transportation – Dr. Chris Dold, Chief Zoological Officer of Sea World, provides an overview of their recent experiences shipping marine mammals overseas.
- Overview of AWA Registration, Regulations, and Standards During Transportation – Robert Markmann, Inspector with USDA Animal Care, provides an APHIS Animal Care Overview of the registration, regulations, and standards for transporting animals.
- The Changing Landscape of Ground Transportation – Chad Moore, Transportation Field Specialist with the USDA Center for Animal Welfare, provides an overview of how far the field of animal transportation has come and what is on the horizon for the industry.
- International Live Dog Import – Alan Chang, Supervisory Program Specialist with USDA’s Live Dog Import Team, provides Animal Care’s perspective on the requirement, challenges, and success in the Live Dog Importation industry
- Preparing and Acclimating Dogs for Transportation – Stacy Mason, Senior Breeder Field Representative for the American Kennel Club, shares recommendations and guidance for preparing and acclimating dogs for transport.
- Contingency Planning – Dr. Gustavo Soberano, Assistant Director of Animal Welfare Operations with USDA Animal Care, provides an APHIS Animal Care’s overview of the requirements, recommendations, and best practices of contingency planning.
- Day 1 Panel Discussion – This video provides a recording of the discussion panel on day one of the Animal Transportation Welfare Symposium with the following speakers: Dr. Gustavo Soberano, Stacy Mason, Alan Chang, Chad Moore, Robert Markmann, Dr. Chris Dold, and Dr. Cody Yager.
Day 2 Presentations:
- Exotic Animal Transportation – Patrick Craig, Executive Director of the Wild Animal Sanctuary, shares his experiences with transporting exotic animals.
- Nonhuman Primate Transportation – Dr. Gwendalyn Maginnis, Nonhuman Primate Field Specialist with USDA’s Center for Animal Welfare, presents on the unique challenges of transporting nonhuman primates.
- A Wildlife Inspector’s Experience with Animal Transportation – Bonnie Kelley, Wildlife Inspector with the USFWS, provides an overview of her work as a wildlife inspector including the challenges of inspecting various means of transportation.
- CDC Perspective on Animal Transportation – Dr. Emily Pieracci, Zoonoses Prevention and Import Regulations Team Lead with CDC’s Division of Global Migration and Quarantine, presents an overview of the Center for Disease Control’s role in monitoring animal transportation and the associated health risks.
- Conservation Logistics – Best Practices in Animal Transportation, What We Have Learned in 60 + Years – Holly Hunt, President of International Animal Exchange, presents on the lessons learned from shipping exotic animals for over 60 years.
- Innovative Transport Monitoring Equipment – Juan Devarez, Live Animals Product Manager for Delta Cargo, discusses Delta Cargo’s animal transportation standards, procedures, monitoring equipment, and additional resources.
- AZA Zoo Registrar’s Perspective on Welfare & Transportation – Rachèl Rogers, Zoological Consultant and retired Zoo Registrar, discusses regulatory and welfare considerations when transporting non-domestic animals.
- Day 2 Panel Discussion – This video provides a recording of the discussion panel on day 2 of the Animal Care Animal Transportation Welfare Symposium 2023. The panel included: Dr. Nelva Bryant, Rachel Rogers, Dr. Emily Pieracci, Juan Devarez, Bonnie Kelley, Dr. Gwen Maginnis, and Patrick Craig.