Approved activities

Only activities that are approved and in accordance with the Animal Research Authority must be carried out by schools.

A. Very low impact activities involving animals.

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
Observation of animal behaviour	1	O2, O4	Teacher
Observation of pets under the owner’s control.	1	O2, O4	Teacher
Excursions to observe animals in their natural surroundings or to zoos and other registered wildlife parks.	1	O2, O4	Teacher
Excursions to farms for observation of animal behaviour and husbandry activities appropriate to the age, prior experience and maturity of the students.	1	O2, O4	Teacher

B. Low impact activities involving animals provided appropriate instruction is given prior to undertaking the activity and there is appropriate control by a responsible person or the owner of the animal

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
Observation of particular animal behaviours e.g. oestrus, parturition.	2	O1-O4	Teacher
Incursions involving outside agencies that have animals as part of their exhibits.	2	O1-O4	Teacher
Animal welfare organisations bringing animals to school (such as Responsible Pet Ownership programs, RSPCA and WIRES).	2	O1-O4	Teacher
Collecting and observing frog spawn and tadpoles (see special conditions in Species-specific notes).	2	O1-O4	Teacher
The appropriate care of classroom pets, including native animals.*	2	O1-O4	Teacher

C. Activities involving animals that require specific knowledge and skills about the relevant species and there is increased risk of stress to the animal.

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
Mustering, drafting (in crush or bailhead), capture, restraint and handling of non-free-living domesticated animals (leading or riding an appropriately trained animal).	3	O1-O4	AWLO
Breeding of appropriate animals in the school (not native animals).	3	O1-O4	AWLO

D. Non-invasive measurement

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
1. body weight	2	O1, O3	Teacher
2. body condition
visual assessment condition scoring ultrasound	2 2 2	O1, O3 O1, O3 O1, O3	Teacher Teacher Teacher
3. growth	2	O1, O3	Teacher
4. body proportions	2	O1, O3	Teacher
5. pulse or blood flow	2	O1, O3	Teacher
6. respiration	2	O1, O3	Teacher
7. skin temperature (non-invasive)	2	O1, O3	Teacher
8. age by dentition	2	O1, O3	Teacher
9. scrotum and testicles (palpation)	2	O1, O3	Teacher

E. Measurement of mild dietary effects (provided the normal nutritional needs for the life stage of the animals are met)

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
1. high/normal protein	3	O1, O3	AWLO
2. high/normal energy	3	O1, O3	AWLO
3. high/normal fat	3	O1, O3	AWLO
4. palatability	3	O1, O3	AWLO

F. Behaviour activities

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
1. familiarisation	2	O1-O4	Teacher
2. taming/gentling	3	O1-O4	AWLO
3. training for competition or showing	3	O1-O4	AWLO
4. tethering/tying up animals (only for restraint at shows)	3	O1-O4	AWLO
5. riding horses	3	O1-O4	AWLO

G. Collection of samples# from livestock

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
1. wool/hair	2	O3	Teacher
2. milk	2	O3	Teacher
3. faeces & urine (non-invasive)	2	O3	Teacher
4. faeces (invasive)	3	O3	AWLO
5. blood	5	O3	SACEC
6. measurement of body temperature (invasive)	3	O3	AWLO
7. DNA sampling
lip sampling nasal swabbing TSU (Tissue Sample Unit)	2 2 3	O3 O3 O3	AWLO AWLO AWLO

H. Standard husbandry activities

Activity	Category	Objectives	Approved by
1. administering treatments
water	2	O1, O3, O4	Teacher
topical udder backline spray jetting	2 3 3 3	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	Teacher AWLO AWLO AWLO
oral drench capsules	3 3	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	AWLO AWLO
injection subcutaneous intramuscular intramammary	3 3 3	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	AWLO AWLO AWLO
implant vaginal subcutaneous	3 3	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	AWLO AWLO
2. coat care and grooming	2	O1, O3, O4	Teacher
3. coat clipping	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
4. ear marking/tagging of livestock	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
5. tattoo application	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
6. hoof paring: sheep & goats & alpacas	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
7. hoof trimming: cattle & horses	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
8. shearing of sheep & goats	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
9. shearing of alpacas and llamas	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
10. dagging	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
11. crutching	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
12. milking	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
13. putting nose clips on cattle	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
14. nose ringing	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
15. loading and unloading animals onto transporters	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
16. showing animals at school and away	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
17. foot bathing	2	O1, O3, O4	Teacher
18. fire branding horns of stud sheep	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
19. fire branding of cattle	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
20. freeze branding of cattle	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
21. using sire harnesses	2	O1, O3, O4	Teacher
22. castration of immature livestock‡ lambs elastrator knife emasculator calves elastrator knife emasculator kids elastrator knife emasculator	4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC SACEC
23. tail docking of lambs elastrator knife gas detailer	4 4 4	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	SACEC SACEC SACEC
24. tail docking piglets	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
25. tooth trimming/removal in piglets	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
26. tail tagging	2	O1, O3, O4	Teacher
27. artificial insemination	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
28. semen collection	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
29. pregnancy detection external ultrasound (sheep, cattle, goats) rectal (manual) (cattle) rectal ultrasound (sheep, cattle, goats)	2 4 4	O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4 O1, O3, O4	Teacher SACEC SACEC
30. microchipping of cattle	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
31. horn tipping	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
32. dehorning cattle under 6 months of age‡	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
33. detusking boars	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
34. disbudding calves and kids‡	4	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
35. mulesing young sheep‡	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
36. slaughter/euthanasia of stock	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
37. sedation of fish	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
38. tagging of fish	5	O1, O3, O4	SACEC
39. bandaging of horse legs	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
40. wing trimming – poultry	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
41. leg banding – poultry	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO
42. spur trimming – poultry	3	O1, O3, O4	AWLO

Any other activities that a teacher may wish to carry out with animals for educational purposes (including demonstration or student participation) that are not included in this list must be submitted to the SACEC on the appropriate application form prior to the activity being carried out.

*A scientific licence must be obtained from the Office of Environment and Heritage prior to obtaining a native animal from a licenced supplier

#Sample = a small part or a specimen

‡POCTAA describes the legal ages for some animal husbandry practices for particular species. These are as follows:

Castration: pigs: less than 2 months, cattle, sheep, goats: less than 6 months.
Mulesing: sheep: less than 12 months.
Tail docking: sheep: less than 6 months.
Dehorning: goats: less than 1 month, cattle: less than 12 months.

Prohibited activities

Should not be done at school under any circumstances

The activities set out below may not be carried out by students or demonstrated to them:

performance of surgical procedures without anaesthesia, other than in the conduct of normal animal husbandry operations
induction of infectious diseases
nutritional deficiency
administration of drugs or chemicals other than those recommended for a particular therapeutic purpose
administration of ionising-radiation or other biohazardous material
activities, other than approved activities, giving rise to distress
imprinting
using animals as prizes for raffles
breeding animals solely for dissection.