Export of Rodents
  
The exchange of genetically altered rodents between research institutions is becoming
increasingly common. The Yale Animal Resources Center has devised a way to handle outgoing
shipments of rodents efficiently and with minimal effort for the sending investigator.
Most institutions regulate the importation of rodents and require that all shipments are
reviewed and approved by their veterinarian. YARC will not ship animals unless this
approval has been given. An investigator sending animals to collaborators at other
institutions should inquire with the receiving investigator, at that institution, what
requirements must be met.
1. Request Form
The investigator needs to fill out the on-line request form.
This will provide YARC with information necessary to process the shipment. The
investigator has the option to package the animals
themselves or to have YARC do so. The confirmation screen will provide cage cards with the
necessary info to mark the cages containing the animals to be shipped. The investigator
will also receive confirmation by e-mail.
2. Charges
As of July 1, 2006, the Export Fee that will be assessed for all
Export requests is $75 for domestic shipments and $160 for international shipments.
This charge is to defray administrative costs associated with exports. Your PTAEO
will be billed at the time the rquest is made, regardless of whether the animals are ever
actually sent. If you are sending mice from multiple rooms to the same location (in
the same shipment), you will need to fill out a request for each room,
but there will be on ONE fee charged- the requests will be combined administratively.
The cost of export includes shipping fees and animal packing fees plus incidental
expenses (such as additional serological testing, or providing special documentation for
International exports). The sending investigator's PTAEO will be charged UNLESS
appropriate account numbers (e.g. BAX, credit card numbers) are provided that allow us to
have the services charged directly to the receiving investigator. Some costs
(packing the animals, special serological testing) can ONLY be billed to the PTAEO; the
sending investigator is responsible for obtaining reimbursement from the recipient, if
applicable. The sending investigator will be notified before any special charges are
incurred (other than for packing or shipping animals).
3. Health Report
The form notifies the QA veterinarian, who will then prepare a health report and send
it to the veterinarian at the receiving institution. For international shipments the QA
veterinarian will prepare a health certificate after a physical exam of the animals. This
health certificate will accompany the animals. Some countries require specifically phrased
health certificates (UK, Australia), additional testing for zoonotic agents (Australia) or
import permits (Germany, Australia).
4. Shipment
Once the receiving veterinarian has informed YARC that his/her institution is ready to
accept the animals, YARC will arrange the shipment
in consultation with the shipping contact at the receiving institution. When the shipping
date is set, the animal procurement coordinator will inform the investigator and the
respective facility supervisor. The facility supervisor will have prepared the necessary
shipping boxes. On the day of shipping either YARC or the investigator will box the animals and ship them.
The time from the submission of the form until the actual shipping date will vary
depending on a number of factors outside of our control: Many receiving institutions
require that the receiving PI submits a request form before they approve a shipment. YARC
will not ship during extreme weather (heat, cold, storms, etc.).
 
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