Who Should Perform Surgeries on Free-ranging Animals?
Surprisingly, there are no federal laws that govern who should perform surgeries on free-ranging animals. State and local government entities may have laws regarding who can possess drugs, such as anesthetics, and who may perform surgery. Yet the question of who should perform surgeries must be answered with common sense and reason because of the general lack of legal guidance. The main goals of the surgeon are to ensure the best quality product for the researcher (by minimizing adverse affects that might cause abnormal behavior after release) and to cause the least disturbance to the animal. The advantages of experience in performing surgery cannot be overemphasized. Surgeons increase their skills by performing many surgeries, even of unrelated types. The researcher who performs only a few surgeries once a year is likely not as skilled as a researcher who performs hundreds of surgeries in a year. Remembering the goals of the surgeon stated above, it is desirous, albeit not legally req
