Toe clipping of amphibians and reptiles: Science, ethics, and the law

Journal of Herpetology

Volumn 45, Issue 4, 2011, Pages 547-555

  Perry, Gad ^a   Wallace, Mark C ^a   Perry, Dan ^a   Curzer, Howard ^a   Muhlberger, Peter ^a  

^a TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY   (United States)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

EID: 84255175468     PISSN: 00221511     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1670/11-037.1     Document Type: Article

References (102)

1. ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR/ANIMAL BEHAVIOR SOCIETY. 2003. Guidelines for the treatment of animals in behavioral research and teaching. Animal Behaviour 65:249-255.
2. AVMA (AMERICAN VETERINARY MEDICINE ASSOCIATION). 2007. AVMA guidelines on euthanasia [Internet]. 2007 [cited 1 Jan 2011]. Available from:http://www.avma. org/issues/animal-welfare/euthanasia.pdf.
3. BAILEY, F. C., V. A. COBB, T. R. RAINWATER, T. WORRALL, AND M. KLUKOWSKI. 2009. Adrenocortical effects of human encounters on free-ranging Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Journal of Herpetology 43:260-266.
4. BAILEY, L. L. 2004. Evaluating elastomer marking and photo identification methods for terrestrial salamanders: marking effects and observer bias. Herpetological Review 35:38-41. (Pubitemid 38272025)
5. BALCOMBE, J. 2009. Animal pleasure and its moral significance. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 118:208-216.
6. BARRY, M., J. F. COCKREM, AND D. H. BRUNTON. 2010. Seasonal variation in plasma corticosterone concentrations in wild and captive adult Duvaucel's Geckos (Hoplodactylus duvaucelii) in New Zealand. Australian Journal of Zoology 58:234-242.
7. BELL, B. D., AND S. PLEDGER. 2005. Does toe clipping affect the return rates of the terrestrial frog Leiopelma pakeka on Maud Island, New Zealand? New Zealand Journal of Zoology 32:219-220.
8. BENNETT, B. T. 2005. Avoiding the "Paper Tiger "-facilitating the research effort. Contemporary Topics in Laboratory Animal Science 44:72-74. (Pubitemid 41542226)
9. BLOCH, N., AND D. J. IRSCHICK. 2004. Toe-clipping dramatically reduces clinging performance in a pad-bearing lizard (Anolis carolinensis). Journal of Herpetology 37:293-298.
10. BOAL, C. W., M. C. WALLACE, AND B. STROBEL. 2010. Perspectives on animal welfare legislation and study considerations for fieldoriented studies of raptors in the United States. Journal of Raptor Research 44:268-276.
11. BOGERT, C. M. 1947. A field study of homing in the Carolina toad. American Museum Novitates 1355:1-24.
12. BOONE, J., AND E. LARUE. 1999. Effects of marking Uta stansburiana (Sauria: Phrynosomatidae) with xylene based paint. Herpetological Review 30:33-34.
13. BORGES-LANDÁEZ, P. A., AND R. SHINE. 2003. Influence of toe-clipping on running speed in Eulamprus quoyii, an Australian scincid lizard. Journal of Herpetology 37:592-595. (Pubitemid 37124107)
14. BRADY, M. S. 2006. Appropriate attitudes and the value problem. American Philosophical Quarterly 43:91-99.
15. BULL, C. M., AND I. WILLIAMSON. 1996. Population ecology of the Australian frog Crinia signifera: adults and juveniles. Wildlife Research 23:249-265.
16. CAROTHERS, J. 1986. An experimental confirmation of morphological adaptation: toe fringes in the sand dwelling lizard Uma scoparia. Evolution 40:871-874.
17. CASTELHANO-CARLOS, M. J., N. SOUSA, F. OHL, AND V. BAUMANS. 2010. Identification methods in newborn C57BL/6 mice: a developmental and behavioral evaluation. Laboratory Animals 44:88-103.
18. CASTELLANO, S., AND C. GIACOMA. 1993. A comparison of individual marking techniques applied to the study of wild populations of Bufo bufo. Alle Ricerche Di Biologia Della Selvaggina 21(suppl.):685-692.
19. CHANDROO, K. P., I. J. H. DUNCAN, AND R. D. MOCCIA. 2004. Can fish suffer? Perspectives on sentience, pain and stress. Applied Animal Behavior Science 86:225-250.
20. CLARKE, R. D. 1972. The effect of toe clipping on survival in Fowler's Toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri). Copeia 1972:182-185.
21. CREE, A., A. P. AMEY, AND J. M. WHITTIER. 2000. Lack of consistent hormonal responses to capture during the breeding season of the Bearded Dragon, Pogona barbata. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology A 126:275-285. (Pubitemid 30628921)
22. DAUGHERTY, C. H. 1976. Freeze-branding as a technique for marking anurans. Copeia 1976:836-838.
23. DAVIS, T. M., AND K. OVASKA. 2001. Individual recognition of amphibians: effects of toe clipping and fluorescent tagging on the salamander Plethodon vehiculum. Journal of Herpetology 35:217-225. (Pubitemid 32532942)
24. DODD, C. K., JR. 1993. The effects of toe-clipping on sprint performance of the lizard Cnemidophorus sexlineatus. Journal of Herpetology 27:209-213.
25. DONNELLY, M. A., C. GUYER, J. E. JUTERBOCK, AND R. A. ALFORD. 1994. Techniques for marking amphibians. In W. R. Heyer, M. A. Donnelly, R. W. McDiarmid, L. C. Hayek, and M. S. Foster (eds.), Measuring and Monitoring Biological Diversity: Standard Methods for Amphibians, pp. 277-284. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC.
26. DRANEY, M. L. 1997. Ethical obligations towards insect pests. Ethics and the Environment 2:5-23.
27. DUNHAM, A. E., P. J. MORIN, AND H. M. WILBUR. 1988. Methods for the study of reptile populations. In C. Gans and R. B. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia. Vol. 16, pp. 330-386. Alan R. Liss, New York.
28. -. 1994. Methods for the study of reptile populations. In C. Gans and R. B. Huey (eds.), Biology of the Reptilia, Vol. 16, Ecology B, Defense and Life History, pp. 331-386. Branta Books, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
29. EMLEN, S. T. 1993. Ethics and experimentation: hard choices for the field ornithologist. Auk 110:406-409
30. FASS (FEDERATION OF ANIMAL SCIENCE SOCIETIES). 2010. Guide for the Care and Use of Agricultural Animals in Research and Teaching. 3rd ed. FASS, Champlain, IL.
31. FDA (FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION). 1989. Good Laboratory Practice Regulations; Minor Amendment. Federal Register Vol. 54, No. 75, Thursday, 20 April 1989.
32. FERNER, J. W. 1979. A Review of Marking Techniques for Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 9. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Salt Lake City, UT.
33. -. 2007. A Review of Marking and Individual Recognition Techniques for Amphibians and Reptiles. Herpetological Circular 35. Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, Salt Lake City, UT.
34. FRASER, D. 2010. Toward a synthesis of conservation and animal welfare science. Animal Welfare 19:121-124.
35. FUNK, W. C., M. A. DONNELLY, AND K. A. LIPPS. 2005. Alternative views of amphibian toe-clipping. Nature 433:193.
36. GARLICK, S., J. MATTHEWS, AND J. CARTER. 2011. Countering brutality to wildlife, relationism and ethics: conservation, welfare and the "ecoversity. " Animals 1:161-175.
37. GIMÉNEZ, J., R. DE STEPHANIS, P. GAUFFIER, R. ESTEBAN, AND P. VERBORGH. 2011. Biopsy wound healing in long-finned pilot whales (Globicephala melas). Veterinary Record 168:101.
38. GOLAY, N., AND H. DURRER. 1994. Inflammation due to toe-clipping in Natterjack Toads (Bufo calamita). Amphibia-Reptilia 15:81-83.
39. GRAFE, T. U., M. M. STEWART, K. P. LAMPERT, AND M.-O. RÖDEL. 2011. Putting toe clipping into perspective: a viable method for marking anurans. Journal of Herpetology 45:28-35.
40. HACC (HERPETOLOGICAL ANIMAL CARE AND USE COMMITTEE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF ICHTHYOLOGISTS AND HERPETOLOGISTS). 1987. Guidelines for use of live amphibians and reptiles in field and laboratory research.
41. http://www.asih.org/files/hacc-final.pdf
42. HALLIDAY, T. 1995. More on toe-clipping. Froglog 12 [Internet]. 1995 [cited 26 Dec 2010]. Available from: www.open.ac.uk/daptf/ froglog/FROGLOG-12-3. html.
43. HARTEL, T., AND S. NEMES. 2006. Assessing the effects of toe clipping on Yellow Bellied Toads. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientarum Hungaricae 52:359-366. (Pubitemid 46360172)
44. HATCH, K. A., R. LAWRENCE, A. F. PFOST, M. E. T. RUSSELL, AND D. EGGETT. 2006. The effects of toe clipping and stomach flushing on Leopard Frogs (Rana pipiens) and Columbia Spotted Frogs (Rana luteiventris). Integrative and Comparative Biology 46:E202.
45. HEUSSER, H. 1958. Markierungen an Amphibien. Viertelja'hrsschrift der Naturforschenden Gesellschraft in Zürich 103:304-320.
46. HONEGGER, R. E. 1979. Marking amphibians and reptiles for future identification. In P. J. S. Olney (ed.), International Zoo Yearbook. Vol. 19, pp. 14-22. Zoological Society of London, London.
47. HUDSON, S. 1996. Natural toe loss in southeastern Australian skinks: implications for marking lizards by toe clipping. Journal of Herpetology 30:106-110. (Pubitemid 27169655)
48. HUEY, R. B., A. E. DUNHAM, K. L. OVERALL, AND R. A. NEWMAN. 1990. Variation in locomotor performance in demographically known locations of the lizard Sceloporus merriami. Physiological Zoology 63:845-872.
49. HUMPHRIES, R. B. 1979. Dynamics of a Breeding Frog Community. Unpubl. Ph.D. diss., Australian National University, Canberra. IRAC (INTERAGENCY RESEARCH ANIMAL COMMITTEE). 1985. U.S. Government Principles for Utilization and Care of Vertebrate Animals Used in Testing, Research, and Training. Federal Register, 20 May 1985. Washington: Office of Science and Technology Policy.
50. JENNINGS, M. L., D. N. DAVID, AND K. M. PORTIER. 1991. Effect of marking techniques on growth and survivorship of hatchling alligators. Wildlife Society Bulletin 19:204-207.
51. JONES, C., AND T. BELL. 2007. Does toe clipping reduce recapture rates of McCann's Skinks? New Zealand Journal of Zoology 34:265.
52. JULIEN, T. J., S. M. VANTASSEL, S. R. GROEOOER, AND S. E. HYGENSTROM. 2010. Euthanasia methods in field settings for wildlife damage management. Human-Wildlife Interactions 4:158-164.
53. KAHN, P. F., C. GUYER, AND M. T. MENDONCA. 2007. Handling, blood sampling, and temporary captivity do not affect plasma corticosterone or movement patterns of Gopher Tortoises (Gopherus polyphemus). Copeia 2007:614-621. (Pubitemid 47443634)
54. KINKEAD, K. E., J. D. LANGHAM, AND R. R. MONTANUCCI. 2006. Comparison of anesthesia and marking techniques on stress and behavioral responses in two Desmognathus salamanders. Journal of Herpetology 40:323-328. (Pubitemid 44874527)
55. KRAUS, F. 2009. Alien Reptiles and Amphibians: A Scientific Compendium and Analysis. Springer, Dordrecht.
56. LABER, K., AND L. YOUNG. 2007. Field studies and the IACUC: protocol review, oversight, and occupational health and safety considerations. Lab Animal 36:27-33. (Pubitemid 46005433)
57. LANGKILDE, T., AND R. SHINE. 2006. How much stress do researchers inflict on their study animals? A case study using a scincid lizard, Eulamprus heatwolei. Journal of Experimental Biology 209: 1035-1043.
58. LEMCKERT, F. 1996. Effects of toe-clipping on the survival and behaviour of the Australian frog Crinia signifera. Amphibia-Reptilia 17:287-290. (Pubitemid 126509839)
59. LEOPOLD, A. 1949. The Land Ethics. A Sand County Almanac. Ballantine Books, New York.
60. LINDZEY, J. K., W. R. GOWER JR., H. R. MUSHINSKY, U. OWENS, L. B. GRAHAM, S. J. GOGRAFE, J. H. VAN ETTEN, AND R. W. ENGELMAN. 2002. A unique application to the IACUC for studies of wild animals in or from natural settings. Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science 41:33-36. (Pubitemid 135706649)
61. LINER, A. E., L. L. SMITH, AND S. B. CASTLEBERRY. 2007. Effects of toeclipping on the survival and growth of Hyla squirella. Herpetological Review 38:143-145.
62. LOCKWOOD, J. A. 1987. The moral standing of insects and the ethics of extinction. Florida Entomologist 70:70-89.
63. LÜDDECKE, H., AND A. AMÉZQUITA. 1999. Assessment of disc clipping on the survival and behavior of the Andean frog Hyla labialis. Copeia 1999:824-830. (Pubitemid 29402746)
64. MATHIES, T., T. A. FELIX, AND V. A. LANCE. 2001. Effects of trapping and subsequent short-term confinement stress on plasma corticosterone in the Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam. General and Comparative Endocrinology 124:106-114.
65. MAY, R. M. 2004. Ecology: ethics and amphibians. Nature 431:403.
66. MCALLISTER, K. R., J. W. WATSON, K. RISENHOOVER, AND T. MCBRIDE. 2004. Marking and radiotelemetry of Oregon Spotted Frogs (Rana pretiosa). Northwestern Naturalist 85:20-25.
67. MCCARTHY, M. A., AND K. M. PARRIS. 2004. Clarifying the effect of toe clipping on frogs with Bayesian statistics. Journal of Applied Ecology 41:780-786. (Pubitemid 39040203)
68. MCCARTHY, M. A., W. F. WELLER, AND K. M. PARRIS. 2009. Effects of toe clipping on survival, recapture, and return rates of Jefferson Salamanders (Ambystoma jeffersonianum) in Ontario, Canada. Journal of Herpetology 43:394-401.
69. MIDDELBURG, J. J. M., AND H. STRIJBOSCH. 1988. The reliability of the toeclipping method with the Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara). Herpetological Journal 1:291-293.
70. MILL, J. S. 1863. Utilitarianism. Parker, Son, and Bourn, London.
71. MINTEER, B. A., AND J. P. COLLINS. 2005. Why we need an "ecological ethics. " Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 3:332-337
72. NIH (NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH). 2010. Guidelines for toe clipping of rodents [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): 2010 [cited 1 Jan 2011]. Available from: http://oacu.od.nih.gov/ARAC/documents/Toe-Clipping.pdf
73. NRC (COMMITTEE FOR THE UPDATE OF THE GUIDE FOR THE CARE AND USE OF LABORATORY ANIMALS, NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL). 2010. The Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. 8th ed. National Academies Press, Washington, DC.
74. NUSSBAUM, M. C. 2004. Hiding from Humanity. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.
75. OTT, J. A., AND D. E. SCOTT. 1999. Effects of toe-clipping and PIT-tagging on growth and survival in metamorphic Ambystoma opacum. Journal of Herpetology 33:344-348.
76. PARRIS, K. M., AND M. A. MCCARTHY. 2001. Identifying effects of toe clipping on anuran return rates: the importance of statistical power. Amphibia-Reptilia 22:275-289. (Pubitemid 33038385)
77. -. 2008. Toe clipping of anurans for mark recapture studies: acceptable if justified. Herpetological Review 39:148-149.
78. PARRIS, K. M., S. C. MCCALL, M. A. MCCARTHY, B. A.MINTEER, K. STEELE, S. BEKESSY, AND F. MEDVECKY. 2010. Assessing ethical trade-offs in ecological field studies. Journal of Applied Ecology 47:227-234.
79. PAULISSEN, M. A., AND H. A. MEYER. 2000. The effect of toe-clipping on the gecko Hemidactylus turcicus. Journal of Herpetology 34: 282-285. (Pubitemid 30343320)
80. PERRY, D., AND G. PERRY. 2008a. Improving interactions between animal rights groups and conservation biologist. Conservation Biology 22:27-35. (Pubitemid 351197267)
81. PERRY, G., AND D. PERRY. 2008b. Response to "Animal Rights. " Conservation Biology 22:816-818.
82. PHILLOTT, A. D., L. F. SKERRATT, K. R. MCDONALD, F. L. LEMCKERT, H. B. HINES, J.M. CLARKE, R. A. ALFORD, AND R. SPEARE. 2007. Toe-clipping as an acceptable method of identifying individual anurans in mark recapture studies. Herpetological Review 38:305-308. (Pubitemid 47463103)
83. -. 2008. Toe clipping of anurans for mark-recapture studies: acceptable if justified. That's what we said! Herpetological Review 39:149-150.
84. PHS (PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, APPLIED RESEARCH ETHICS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION AND OFFICE OF LABORATORY ANIMAL WELFARE). 2002. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Guidebook. 2nd ed. Office of Laboratory Animal Welfare, Bethesda, MD.
85. REASER, J. 1995. Marking amphibians by toe clipping: a response to Halliday. Froglog 12 [Internet]. 1995 [cited 26 Dec 2010]. Available from: www.open.ac.uk/daptf/froglog/FROGLOG-12-2.html
86. REASER, J. K., AND R. E. DEXTER. 1996. Rana pretiosa (Spotted Frog). Toe clipping effects. Herpetological Review 27:195-196.
87. REGAN, T. 1984. The Case for Animal Rights. Routledge, London.
88. REINERS, W. A., AND J. A. LOCKWOOD. 2010. Philosophical Foundations for the Practices of Ecology. Cambridge University Press, New York.
89. SCHAEFER, D. C., I. N. ASNER, B. SEIFERT, K. BÜRKI, AND P. CINELLI. 2010. Analysis of physiological and behavioural parameters in mice after toe clipping as newborns. Laboratory Animals 44:7-13.
90. SCHMIDT, K., AND L. SCHWARZKOPF. 2010. Visible implant elastomer tagging and toe-clipping: effects of marking on locomotor performance of frogs and skinks. Herpetological Journal 20:99-105.
91. SINGER, P. 1975. Animal Liberation: A New Ethics for Our Treatment of Animals. New York Review, New York.
92. -. 1993. Practical Ethics. 2nd ed. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
93. STANDERT, W. F. 1967. Growth, Maturation and Population Ecology of the Carpenter Frog (Rana virgatipes Cope). Unpubl. Ph.D. diss., Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
94. STEWART, G. 2010. Meta-analysis in applied ecology. Biological Letters 23:78-81.
95. SYKES, K. L., AND M. KLUKOWSKI. 2009. Effects of acute temperature change, confinement and housing on plasma corticosterone in Water Snakes, Nerodia sipedon (Colubridae: Natricinae). Journal of Experimental Zoology 311A:172-181.
96. THOMPSON, T. R., AND G. D. LAPOINTE. 1995. Learning from animal activists: a workshop approach. Wildlife Society Bulletin 23: 588-593.
97. TINKLE, D. W. 1967. The Life and Demography of the Side-Blotched Lizard, Uta stansburiana. Miscellaneous Publications, Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan, No. 132, Ann Arbor.
98. VAN GELDER, J. J., AND H. STRIJBOSCH. 1996. Marking amphibians: effects of toe-clipping on Bufo bufo (Anura: Bufonidae). Amphibia-Reptilia 17:169-174. (Pubitemid 126507605)
99. VARNER, G. 2008. Personhood, memory, and elephant management. In C. Wemmer and C. A. Christen (eds.), Elephants and Ethics: Toward a Morality of Coexistence, pp. 41-67. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, MD.
100. VERVUST, B., S. VAN DONGEN, I. GRBAC, AND R. VAN DAMME. 2009. The mystery of the missing toes: extreme levels of natural mutilation in island lizard populations. Functional Ecology 23:996-1003.
101. VOLPATO, G. L., E. GONC ALVES-DE-FREITAS, AND M. F. CASTILHO. 2007. Insight into the concept of fish welfare. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 75:165-171.
102. WADDLE, J. H., K. G. RICE, F. J. MAZZOTTI, AND H. F. PERCIVAL. 2008. Modeling the effect of toe clipping on treefrog survival: beyond the return rate. Journal of Herpetology 42:467-473.