Best Practices in Animal Husbandry and Inventory Records Keeping Using the ZIMS Application
Definition of an AnimalRecord
Creating Good AnimalRecords
Regional Association AccreditationRequirements
KeeperReports and Direct Date Entry
Maintaining theDatabase
TransactionFlow
Filing
Permits andLicenses
RecordsRetention
DocumentOverview
DisasterPreparedness
Best Practices for the Animal RecordsKeeper
Know YourDocuments
Permits andLicenses
Communication
TimeManagement
Best Practices for General DataEntry
Standardization – Use of DataStandards
When Information is NotKnown
Changing YourRecords
Transactions (Other Than Births and Deaths)
Accessions, Visits andEvents
What You ShouldRecord
Individual versus Group orColony
TransactionDates
Terms
Institutions
Local IDs andGANs
CollectionType
RecordingParents
RecordingTaxonomy
RecordingSex
PendingTransactions
IncompleteAccessions
Births/Hatches
Fetus
Egg(s)
Deaths
LocalIDs
PhysicalIdentifier
LogicalIdentifier
Transponders
Recording Sex Edits/Changes and Contraception
Life Stages and DevelopmentMilestones
Guidelines for Recording Notes and Observations
Developing theTree
Allow Multiple EnclosureAssignment
Internal AnimalMoves
LocalAdministration
Staff
Roles
Collections
Teams andDepartments
Permits andLicenses
LocalInstitutions
This document is meant as an overview of best practices to help animal records keepers create and maintain the best possible animal records using the ZIMS (Zoological Information Management) application. Although some of these practices vary from region to region, there are many commonalities found between them and we have tried to highlight these.
The original 2013 publication contained contributions from:
Sara Brice, Registrar Collections, Taronga Zoo
Clare Collins, Conservation Officer, Banham Zoo; Chair, BIAZA Records Group
Josh Courteau, Training Manager, SPECIES360
Sander Cozijn, SPECIES360 Regional Coordinator, Europe
Cecile Erny, Executive Director, Association Française des Parcs Zoologiques
Tineke Joustra, Registrar, Auckland Zoo
Lynn McDuffie, Animal Records and Regulatory Affairs Manager, Disney’s Animal Kingdom/The Seas
Adrienne Miller, SPECIES360 Lead Trainer and Subject Matter Expert
Zak Showell, Research and Conservation Registrar, Twycross Zoo
Deanna Snell, Registrar, Calgary Zoo
Alice Warren, Registrar, Bristol Zoo Gardens; Vice-Chair, BIAZA Records Group
This 2020 publication was reviewed and updated by Adrienne Miller, Species360 Training Content Developer and Hannah Jenkins, Zoological Registrar, Zoological Society of London, Chair EAZA Records Group.
As ZIMS is in a constant state of increasing functionality, this document will be updated as ZIMS improvements can support additional best practices. Please forward any suggestions or additions to training@species360.org for inclusion in future publications.
In this document the ZIMS logo is used to highlight specific ways that ZIMS can help you with these best practices. If a paragraph is in bold italics and proceeded by the ZIMS logo:
the information is specific to what ZIMS can do to assist the animal records keeper with the topic.
Without a complete and accurate animal record, population managers cannot make informed recommendations, veterinarians cannot effectively provide treatments, and curators cannot manage husbandry in the best possible way. Animal records are the basis for husbandry and management decisions; as more species are managed regionally and globally, animal records are critical for decisions made by population managers for conservation programs. Your animal records can, and do, have a global impact.
As stated in the Animal Records Procedures document of Zoos South Australia, animal records are ( i ):
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Institutional Data Management Advisory Group defines an animal record as ( ii ):
Therefore, an animal’s record is not only what is entered into their paper or electronic record, but also other documents and electronic files including, but not limited to:
Most institutions have found that the integrity of the animal records is maintained best when a single person is identified as responsible for the animal records. Some Regional Associations have this single designation as an accreditation requirement. Multiple staff can contribute to and enter data into a record, but one person should oversee the quality and completeness of the animal records.
Animal records should represent as complete and as accurate a history of the individuals and groups in the institution’s collection as is possible. Although not all institutions’ animal records are entered into an electronic database (many historical records remain in hard copy only), if the records are accessible then the history should be accurate.
In the beginning of captive animal collections, often the information supplied consisted only of the species, the sex and the type of transaction (collected from the wild, purchased, sold, etc.). But in today’s world, this information is insufficient to assist animal and population managers successfully manage their collections. Early animal records were maintained simply to track the institution’s collection and there was no need for global sharing of data. But now, with cooperative management of species both regionally and globally, significantly more information is required; a change in an animal record by one institution may highly impact another institution’s management of the specimen.
There is a minimum amount of information that needs to be recorded on the animal entity:
There is also a minimum amount of information that needs to be recorded on any transactions that have occurred for this specimen:
For a complete specimen record there is much more information to include. Some of this information can explain the “why” or “how” a piece of recorded data was entered. For example, an animal was originally sexed as male, but the sex was changed to a female; the “why” for this change may be as important as the actual sex change. Or, a census was recorded on a group; the “how” the census was taken can provide equally valuable information.
“ Zoos and aquariums are guardians of captive wildlife populations; animal records databases are tools that assist animal management staff and population biologists in providing the best possible care for these animals and their respective populations. Accurate and unambiguous data permit informed decisions for conservation and management of the species and specimens in our care. ” ( iii )
That statement was contained in the foreword to the “Standards for Data Entry and Maintenance of North American Zoo and Aquarium Animal Records Databases.” Although the document was developed for North American zoos and aquariums, the statement holds true worldwide, and for any animal record database/application that is being used at any time.
Think Output, not Input
Sometimes it is more important to ask, “What do I want to get out of my animal records?” and not, “What do I want to put into my animal records?” If the information is not easily retrievable, then collecting, recording and storing it provides little benefit. It is this retrieval of data that is used by not only the local institutional collection managers but also by regional and global species populationmanagers.
Maintaining the quality (or Truth ) in your animal records is paramount. Most people do not mean to create
Fiction in their records but it can happen:
Future users of this data will take the entry as the Truth which may significantly impact an animal or population managers’ ability to make appropriate decisions.
Many countries have zoo and aquarium associations that offer accreditation for those institutions meeting specific requirements. Many of these associations have requirements for the animal records that must be met before accreditation can be achieved. There are many commonalities between regions as to what best records requirements are to meet these accreditation goals. ZIMS can help you with most of these.
Contact your Regional Association for specific requirements regarding animal records.
To help you make sure that you follow the best practices, creating an animal records Procedures Document is a good idea. What you include in the document will depend on your institution. Some topics to consider including in this document are:
These reports are a primary source of information, so your procedures regarding these reports are especially important. With the roll out of Provisional data entry (data entered by someone that must be Approved before it becomes a part of the true ZIMS database), many institutions have moved to direct data entry by their staff either at the end of each day, or in real time via portable recording devices. Recent new functionality has been designed to support viewing and data entry mobile devices (examples are the Husbandry Log Templates and the Care and Welfare module).
If you are still using Keeper Reports, some information that you may want to include in your procedures document is:
You should also include whose responsibility it is to maintain the database:
One place where problems can occur is within the flow of your acquisitions and dispositions.
Filing has gone beyond how you maintain your paperwork; in this electronic age you also need to think about how your electronic files are maintained.
Permit documents are some of the critical and vital documents that need to be duplicated for accreditation requirements or disaster preparedness. They are critical because they support the legality of your animal collection, including your authorization to possess and the acquisition or disposition of protected species. Permits are an integral part of the animal’s record and permits should be included as a topic in your procedures document. You should include who prepares the permit, who signs permits and where original permits are stored. When applying for a permit it is important to know what media or format your regulatory agencies will accept as far as documentation and the submission of the application itself. More and more agencies are accepting electronic format but there are many where a hard copy and actual signature are required. Wildlife laws and regulations are under constant review and interpretation. Attempting to understand what activities require which permits can be an overwhelming responsibility, but remember, you are not alone. The permit process should be a team effort and you should not hesitate to ask questions if you don't understand. See the section on Animal Records Groups and Associations to help find some organizations that can help you.
Another topic that may be part of your procedures document, or a standalone document, is your records retention schedule.
You may want to include an overview of what specific documents are used for what purpose and function they serve. Document titles may be very similar, and it may not be clear to all which is the correct one to use. A transaction confirmation form usually does not cover the distribution of offspring; most institutions have separate documents for that information. A transaction confirmation form for a transaction with another accredited facility may be very different than a confirmation form with a local dealer. Where these documents are located, hard copies or electronic, will also help save time spent searching for them.
A very important part of your Procedures Document should include information on Disaster Preparedness. Some institutions develop a standalone document for preparing for disasters. Obviously, institutions that are in hurricane, earthquake or flood prone areas should make this a high priority, but no institution is exempt from the possibility of a disaster. It may not be environmental but may be medical or man-made. Do not procrastinate and wait until a disaster is imminent to begin preparation for emergencies.
Recommendations to include in this document are:
Often a checklist of steps to take that you or staff can follow and indicate what actions have been taken is very helpful. For example, for an approaching hurricane you can record what needs to be done 2 days before landfall, 1 day before landfall, and when landfall is imminent. Don’t forget to include the steps needed after the disaster has passed.
One very important detail that cannot be checked off as an action taken during disaster preparedness or written as part of a procedures document is to know your documents. Many documents may look alike; it is your responsibility to ensure you are using the correct document. Be sure that you double check that you are also using the most current version of your documentation. If you are responsible for maintaining documents/forms for your institution, remember to edit the version number or the “last date updated” field as you revise documents.
It is also your responsibility to read your documents. Mistakes can go unnoticed if you just receive the forms, file them or send them along for a manager’s signature. Although you might have agreed to something over the phone, this does not mean that this is the way the final documentation was written. Many institutions have lawyers who read and approve, or disapprove, of any documents before your facility signs them. In many other facilities it falls to the records person to confirm that the documents are correct and that internal institutional approvals have been obtained. Make sure you protect yourself and your institution.
Ensure all documents reference the species and local ID, GAN or other identifier such as a transponder that thedocumentisapplicabletoaswellasarelevantdate,preferablywithmonthwrittenouttoavoidconfusion. Papers can get mixed up and it may not be easy to determine what piece of paper goes with what transaction or into what file if they get out oforder.
Permits and Licenses are a very important topic where best practices must be adhered to. Some best practices for completing an application include:
You should not just receive your permits and file them. It is very important that you read them carefully and check the following:
With the various people and organizations that a records person must deal with, effective communication is key to success. Externally you communicate with other institutions, regulatory agencies, shippers and transporters. Internally, you communicate with staff members, not only to get the best information into the records, but also to get it disseminated most effectively. Sometimes people just do not communicate. Either they do not know how or perhaps they feel it is not required. Often there is some communication but not enough to allow us to successfully proceed with the job at hand.
In the age of email, texting and instant messaging, sometimes the overload of communication makes us just as ineffective as having too little or no communication. If possible, establish a communication flow. If a keeper tells you that they wish to disposition an animal do you start the paperwork? Do you have a clear outline of how a transaction should begin? Does your facility have a plan for its preferred method of communicating in- house? Does everyone have access to the information that they need?
Even if communication is perfect there may be conflicts that arise, both externally between institutions, and internally between staff members. Providing a way to resolve conflicts is important. Animal Ownership is a common external conflict. Hopefully you can work together to determine who the actual owner is and correct the record to reflect this mutual agreement. It is wise to establish contractual agreements regarding animal ownership and who is responsible for costs prior to animal transfers taking place. SPECIES360 can be contacted to help resolve ownership issues by assisting with interpretation of the existing records.
Time Management – Quantity versus Quality
We all want our records to be the very best possible, but with the rise in multi-tasking and with an overload of data, we sometimes need to decide what information we are going to enter and what we are not. Accuracy, or quality , is of utmost importance even when you have a limited amount of time. Many records people serve multiple roles and records keeping is only a small part of their responsibilities. Records staff have little time to spare and an institution’s commitment to best practices in records management can help to ensure the staff are provided sufficient time to maintain quality in institutional records.
Perhaps, as part of your records procedures, you can create a list of priority items for data entry, and proposed timelines for entering the data. An example would be if you are entering historical entries, do you start with the first piece of paper you find or do you start with animals that are part of a managed program? Or you may want to start with the ancestors of your currently held or owned animals. Taking a moment to produce a plan of attack will ultimately save you time.
Standardization – Use of Data Standards
Over the years, in the analysis of over 2.5 million animal records submitted to SPECIES360, it has become apparent that one institution may enter information differently than another when recording a similar event. Even individuals within the same facility might enter information differently than a colleague. This makes retrieval of the data very difficult as it might be entered differently in similar circumstances. Although most professionals agree that standardization is very important, the challenge comes when an institution wants to establish standards, but only if the standards that are set for everyone are the ones presently used by them.
ZIMS presents these Data Standards via drop down lists for Users to select from. These lists ensure that we are all selecting from identical choices, therefore making data retrieval easier. There are three types of Data Standard lists dependent on the functionality required by the field:
Single select – most data standards allow you to make a single selection from thelist
Multiple select – these standards allow you to select as many terms as you want from the list. Multiple Select Data Standards have boxes to the left of the terms that you can check. Two examples are Reason for Training and Relevant DeathInformation.
Cascading – these lists expand and allow you to make a selection at any point, from very genericterms to very specific terms. Two examples are Component Type and EggResult.
Data Standard lists are not static. If you believe there are any terms missing, report these to support@Species360.org. You will need to provide:
The screen that the field ison
The title of thefield
The term you wish to beadded
The definition of the new term to beadded
The estimated frequency of use of the new term to be added by your institution andothers
For any free text data entry fields, it is a good idea to develop a list of keywords to make searches easier. Also, bystandardizingtheorderthatdataisenteredintodocumentsordatabases,itcanmakeiteasiertofindwhat you are looking for when it is time to build reports or completesearches.
Complete and unambiguous data in every field is the perfect world for a perfect animal record; however, the answer to every field may not always be known. DO NOT create fiction by filling in information for fields where
you do not know the answer. Recording incorrect data results in a bigger negative impact to the record by influencing decisions made using the incorrect data than simply recording unknown information.
UNDETERMINED: The answer is not known at this time but may be in the future
INDETERMINATE: The answer is not known, significant efforts have been made to find the answer but it will never be known (HINT: “ I ” = Impossible).
There are three main reasons why you may need to change a record that you have entered:
You simply made a mistake in the dataentry
• If you discover the error soon after entering it, you can simply change it with no other impact on your records. However, if the incorrect entry has been in the record for a while, especially if shared with other institutions or studbook keepers, you should follow the three Rules below and notify any impacted parties.
Another institution has provided you with data that differs fromyours
• In this situation it is very important that you DO NOT change your data just because someone else said to. You must be confident that the information is correct. Common examples of these types of data changes are sexing (animals are usually easier to sex as they mature), parentage (perhaps genetic testing was done) and taxonomy. There may be times when you just do not agree, and your records should remain as you best interpret them.
You have found new information that may affect the record youentered
• Perhaps the transaction paperwork finally reaches you and some of the information is different than you recorded.
When changing records there are three Rules to follow and this information can be captured in a Note entry. Use Note Type of General and Note Sub-type of Data Change or use a keyword of Data Change and select the appropriate Note Type and Sub-type. Try to be consistent with which approach you use to make finding the data changes easier at a later date.:
Record what the record was before it waschanged, including the date of the original entry.
Record what it was changedto
Record the reason for thechange.
If other institutions or studbooks are impacted by the change they should be notified.
When editing Sex or Taxonomy you may want to keep the original record intact and record a Change Event instead of editing the original entry. This allows you to see that an animal was managed as a different Sex or Taxonomy for a period of time.
ZIMS has the ability to “ Undo ” your data entry error if discovered immediately. You can “ Undo Accession Transaction ” if you made an error during the Accessioning process and this will take you back to the Accession screen to make edits. You also have 10 seconds to “ Undo ” almost all other data entry once saved. For errors found at a later date (up to three months) you can chose to “ Undo Selected (Roll back) ” any data entry using Data Entry Monitoring. This should only be used when it is a definite data entry error rather than a confirmation of new information.
Animals are accessioned only once into the ZIMS application. It usually falls to the first holder (or SPECIES360 member) of the animal to create the initial accession. After the initial record is created, all subsequent moves between facilities create Visits instead of new accessions. A change in entity type creates an Event.
Accessioning an animal or group into ZIMS means that you are creating the very first record for it. Examples of Accessions include:
For transfers recorded AFTER the initial Accession, Visits are created. Examples of Visits include:
Recording Events actually create a change in the entity. Examples of Eventsinclude:
Any individual or group held by or owned by your institution should be accessioned, or a visit created for them. The reasons are:
There are some exceptions to the above:
Because ZIMS has the functionality to record pre-birth/pre-hatch events (i.e. fetuses and eggs) you will need to decide how, or if, you are going to use this functionality. There may be only specific species that you want to track at this level of detail.
Individuals can be identified as such – this means that you can tell them apart. They have unique identifiers that can be physical (example: tags, transponders, coloration or scars) or logical (example: House Names and studbook number). They can also be considered individual if they are held in separate enclosures. Each individual has it’s own single global record and a single GAN.
There are three types of Individuals in ZIMS:
A group is made up of members that either:
Each group has its own single global record and a single GAN, the only difference is that there is more than one member included under the single GAN. The total count recorded for the group will appear on your reports and be calculated into your inventory.
There are three types of Groups in ZIMS:
There is one other entity available in ZIMS – a Colony. A Colony can be:
Although you usually do not record the estimated numbers in the colony, you can indicate how you wish this count to be reflected in your inventory (usually listed as “1 colony of bees” or “1 colony of coral”) from Institution Preferences or from within the record itself.
When creating a Visit, it is very important that you create it for the entity as it was sent. If a Group was sent, accept as a Group and split out Individuals after if you want to manage as Individuals. If Individuals were sent, accept as such and merge them into a Group after if you want to manage them as a Group record.
When recording Group information, it is important to record what is known. It is advised to not add false data to make births, deaths and numbers add up. Make use of the census functionality to regularly record the count of animals and record as births/hatches or deaths in My Transaction stream only when that information is known. Because the Inventory Report does not capture census information, the numbers may not add up across in the report.
Be very careful when creating a Receiver Initiated transaction for the receipt of a Group. You may only be receiving some of the members of an established Group and if you record receiving the entire Group the transaction will have to be deleted and sorted out.
Animals should be accessioned, or a visit created, as soon as possible. The date used for the accession should be the date that you:
This is because on those dates you have accepted responsibility for the animal, legally and/or physically. Your records should reflect this responsibility. One area of disagreement is with animals collected from the wild.
Many institutions use the date they returned to their facility as the Collection/Accession date. As mortality is often high in these situations, this approach reduces the record of deaths. However, this is not a Best Practice as you physically have the animals as of the collection date (they may not be on grounds but your staff is responsible for their care and health) and you have probably also taken legal ownership unless it is a government owned species. For animals that were collected from the wild by someone other than your staff then that would be From Another Institution and the date you received them would be the correct Accession date.
The date used for the Disposition should be the date that you:
For those transactions where you do not receive or give BOTH the physical animal and the legal ownership, you may have two Accession or two Disposition dates, one reflecting the physical location change and the other the ownership change.
Often dates need to be estimated. Many times these estimated dates involve historical data, but sometimes even your current data involves estimating dates such as a marsupial or denning animal birth date or chick hatch date. Incorrectly estimated dates can have major impact on population management. For example, incorrectly estimated birth dates can result in females remaining with their sire past the age of sexual maturity, resulting in unwanted and inbred offspring.
Almost every date in ZIMS can be recorded as an estimate. There are six ways to estimate dates and you should select the correct one for the situation at hand. You can always go back and update the date estimation should you receive more information. The hope is that you would further limit the dates included or, in the best case, you would be able to record a precise date.
For an estimated date, the date that is entered into the date field is what will display in reports and what will be used for analysis. Some of the estimate options give the same result as far as the Date Field and length of estimate. For example, if you know an animal was born sometime in 1985 you have two options. You could use a Range option with a From Date of 1 January 1985 and a To Date of 31 December 1985. The application
will automatically calculate the mid-point (1 July 1985) for the date field. You could also use a Variance option with the date field entered as 1 July 1985 and a Variance of 6 months.
Some important reminders for estimating dates are:
Terms of a transaction deal with who is receiving or giving up legal Ownership and who is receiving or dispositioning the actual Physical animal. There may be conflicts in what institution says what regarding Terms, especially in historical transactions. This is one reason why it is so important to have signed transaction documents, signed by all involved parties, stating exactly what is happening. Sometimes conflicts in Terms cannot be resolved and the Terms should remain as your institution best interprets the facts that you have.
You can add locally used institutions into ZIMS. In addition to adding institutions that you have animal transactions with you may need to add some of the following into the Institution List as well:
It is highly recommended you contact SPECIES360 prior to adding a local institution to limit duplication as it may already be in the global list and you just did not find it. These locally added institutions will not be displayed in the global institution list; your institution will only see them listed locally. They will display in reports and within the animal record, but will not be hyperlinks to their details as the global institutions are.
When an individual or group is first accessioned into the ZIMS application it is given a GAN (Global Accession Number) by the application. This is the most important identifier the animal or group will receive as it will always remain the main identifier for the animal/group, no matter how many institutions the specimen visits. Additionally, you must assign a Local ID, specific to your institution. This Local ID helps support the legacy software of SPARKS and MedARKS. SPARKS does now accepts GANs as an Identifier, but all of the reporting and studbook reconciliation is tied to the Local ID. In addition, SPECIES360 Users are habituated to using Local IDs as primary identifiers for their animals.
Some things to note regarding Local IDs:
Most animals/groups accessioned into your institution records will be placed into your “Main Institution Animal Collection”. The collection contains your exhibit and breeding animals. However, ZIMS provides other Collection Types to help you manage your animal collection should you chose to separate the reason you have an animal or group. These types include Education, Research, Rescue/Rehab, Feedstock and Confiscation to name a few. By default all animals/groups are viewed globally in accordance with ZIMS data-sharing abilities. However, you can mark a Research or Feedstock Collection as local view only and the data on the animals assigned to them will not be shared.
Parents can be one of the following:
If the parents are in ZIMS you can search by Identifier (GAN or Local ID) and Institution, or by Institution and Taxonomy. It is recommended to actually view the record once it is found to assure that you have the correct animal. Once the parents are entered, the taxonomy field will default to the lowest common denominator of the parents.
If the parent is not in ZIMS then you must provide information about the institution, taxonomy and parent type as there will be no data on the animal in the ZIMS database.
If you select Undetermined, Indeterminate or Wild, the taxonomy of the animal you are accessioning will not pre-fill as there has been no taxonomy recorded yet. An animal with both Sire and Dam recorded as Wild will display as a Founder animal in the pedigree.
In most cases the Percentage Probability for each parent type will be 100%. However, there are times when there may be more than one known sire or dam. Do not create fiction by assuming that it is the most logical choice (example: the silverback gorilla must be the Sire of the offspring). If there are any other possible parents they should be recorded, and a percentage assigned to them. The total percentage for sire or dam probability cannot be more than 100%. The application can automatically calculate the percentage if it is evenly spread. If it is not you will need to do that manually.
If you have potential unsexed animals who may be possible parents, you can enter them into both the Sire and Dam fields. You can also choose to enter unsexed animals into the Undetermined/Indeterminate Parent field and not record as a Sire or Dam.
If you are recording the initial accession into ZIMS you will be required to enter the Taxonomic Name. If you have recorded the taxonomy of the parents (see above), the taxonomy field will pre-fill with the lowest common denominator of the parents but can be edited. Enter the taxonomy to the most known detail, usually to the species or sub-species level. Do not create fiction by assigning an unsubstantiated sub-species. In ZIMS you can enter an animal only to the Class level (example Aves and Reptilia) with the hope that you will be able to be more specific at a later date. How taxonomy was determined can be indicated by using the Taxonomy Determination field; although not mandatory, it is recommended that you provide details in this field.
If you have entered Parents of different species or sub-species, the application will automatically indicate that the animal in focus is a species/sub-species hybrid. If you do not know the parents, but know the animal is a hybrid, the appropriate checkbox should be checked manually.
The Taxonomic Name will be pre-filled if you are creating a Visit for an animal. As a subsequent holder you can choose to change this Taxonomic Name but you should only do so if you have firm reasoning as to why it should be changed. However, globally the taxonomy will remain and display as per the originator of the record until changed by them, and it will show as a conflict in the record. However, if you have selected “DNA/RNA/Genetic Analysis” as the Taxonomic Determination Method, the global view will be displayed as per your entry even if you are a subsequent holder.
You can create local synonyms for both taxonomic and common names. Remember, what will be viewed globally will still be the SPECIES360 taxonomy.
Sex is, of course, an important part of an animal’s record. In ZIMS the global view of sex displays the information that was recorded by the most current/last holder as the older the animal is the more likely the sex can be determined correctly. You cannot edit a sex entered by another institution, but you can enter the sex as you see it. If you choose to edit a sex record, you must provide a date when the sex was changed. If you want to know that the animal was managed as a different sex for a period of time, you should record a Sex Change Event on the date the sex was determined and leave the original sex record intact. If you do not wish to see that the animal was believed to be a different sex, then either edit and update the existing sex record to reflect the correct sex (if you recorded it) or add a new sex change event using the original recorded date (if you did not enter the previous record).
Pending Transactions involve transaction between SPECIES360 members. Any transactions that involve non- SPECIES360 members will not create Pending Transactions. There are two tabs in Pending Transactions:
You cannot remove a transaction from this grid directly. You can select to Archive them should you wish to deal with them at a later date when more information may become available.
To perform an action on the Pendings in the By My Institution tab select the GAN hyperlink which will take you intotheMyTransactionstabfortherecord.ThePendingtransactionlineishighlightedinyellow.Youhavefive options for actions to take on thePending:
If you mark a Pending as Deny, No Information Available or Not Recorded in ZIMS it will disappear from your MyTransactionsgrid.However,youcangetitbackshouldyouwishtochangeyourselectionbycheckingthe Include Unconfirmed Transactions checkbox that appears to the upper right of thegrid.
If you have more than one Pending Transaction in a record you will need to address them all before you can successfully Save All Changes.
You should not let Pendings sit without taking the appropriate action whenever possible. Not acting on a Pending could create a break in an animal’s transaction record or cause the animal to be in two places at the same time.
Incomplete Accessions allows a staff member, usually the Veterinarian, to start an animal record without creating a Full Accession. This allows for medical and husbandry information to be recorded before a full record is created. There are two types of Incomplete Accessions:
In most cases Incomplete Accessions created directly within the ZIMS application are intended to be associated with full accessions in a timely manner. They can also be created when you simply want to gather some information, usually medical, on an animal but have no intention of later associating them with a full accession. This is not generally considered to be a best practice because if you are gathering information the animal is probably physically on your grounds and should be accessioned fully. Exemptions could be wild animals that you are gathering data on.
To create an Incomplete Accession the only fields are Taxonomy, Sex, Birth Date and Notes. You can enter the same information on an Incomplete Accession that you can on a full accession EXCEPT for Entity selection (individual, group, egg, etc.), Parentage, Collection and Enclosure information. You also cannot disposition an Incomplete Accession. Any information recorded in an Incomplete Accession will migrate into the full accession record.
There are two types of migrated Incomplete Accessions:
There are two ways that you can associate a full accession with an Incomplete Accession:
There are three other actions you can take on Incomplete Accessions:
It is recommended that you try to sort out the migrated Incomplete Accessions and take appropriate actions on them. If an association should have been made but it has not, the full accession record may be missing important data. You should also try to associate newly created Incomplete Accessions with full accessions in a timely manner, so all information is contained in one record.
For births/hatches follow these guidelines:
To determine the birth/hatch date for events you cannot observe you may need to use the species biology to obtain an accurate estimate.
For stillbirths or abortions that you have not already recorded as a fetus you have two options:
For births where parentage is not determined until survivorship you have these options:
Any identified fetuses should also be recorded. This pre-birth record can provide valuable information on reproductive activity and parental fertility. You can also gather developmental information on the fetus such as results of ultrasounds.
If the fetus is successfully born you will record an Event and not a Transaction. The entity of Fetus will change to Individual.
Egg(s)
Recording eggs when they are laid often provides valuable information regarding the parents as parental care can be recorded on them. You may choose to accession only known fertile eggs but at minimum all late term fertile eggs should be recorded, regardless of outcome. If you can identify the eggs individually you should accession as single eggs. If they are not individually identifiable, or you chose to manage them as a clutch, you can record a Group of Eggs.
As for a birth of a fetus, for the hatch of an egg you will record an Event and not a Transaction. If a Single Egg hatches the entity will become an Individual. If a Group of Eggs hatches the entity will become a Group of Animals. For a Single Egg or a Group of Eggs where the entire clutch hatches on the same day this is simple. For a Group of eggs that either do not all hatch on the same day or if the entire clutch does not hatch you have two approaches:
You do not have to use the same approach for all Group of Egg hatches at your institution.
If the fetus is stillborn or aborted, you will record a Death transaction. The entity of Fetus will remain as Fetus. If the fetus is born but dies soon after you should record a Birth Event and then a Death.
An animal record has two Identifiers by default
The only time an Identifier should be removed from the Identifier grid in ZIMS is if it was entered incorrectly. You cannot remove identifiers entered by another institution although physical identifiers entered by others can be edited.
Once a Local ID is assigned it cannot be changed or edited at the institution level. If required, you can contact SPECIES360 to change a Local ID. It is generally not recommended to code your Local IDs although many institutions like to. The reason for not recommending coding is that at some point it will probably fall apart, making any coded Local ID questionable. For example, you could code your Local IDs by first two digits the year of accession or visit, and the last four the order in which they arrived. For example, Local ID 150035 would mean the animal arrived in 2015 and it was the 35th animal recorded. However, you have a kangaroo joey discovered that was actually born well before this 35th animal arrived so its Local ID should be before 150025 but would be 150036. It is NOT chronologically the 36th addition to your collection effectively making all the Local IDs created in that year questionable.
Physical Identifiers are tangible and can be seen. Physical Identifiers can be artificial such as tags and bands, or natural such as scars or coloration. Although transponders are physical identifiers, they are given their own major listing (see below). For a Physical Identifier you can provide the On-animal Location (example – foot) as well as one or more descriptors (example – hind, left). If a physical identifier is removed from the animal or lost you should update the status to reflect this and leave it in the grid. You can edit the status of Physical Identifiers not entered by your institution.
Logical Identifiers are those that cannot be seen such as Local ID, House Name and Studbook Number. Because they cannot actually be seen they can sometimes lead to mis-identification in records. Checking a Physical identifier in addition to the Logical one can guard against such errors.
If a logical identifier becomes obsolete you should mark it as Inactive if you entered it. You cannot mark a logical identifier that was entered by another institution as Inactive.
Transponders are a type of physical identifier managed more closely than the other physical identifiers in ZIMS. They are tracked using an inventory found in the My Institution module and some countries require that they are also registered. You can assign a transponder to an animal prior to inserting (implementing) it into the animal. This can be helpful for permits where you may need to record what transponder the animal will have but don’t want to risk anesthesia simply to insert it. Assigning a transponder is not a required first step and transponders can be inserted (implemented) without being previously assigned. Some regions do not consider assigning a transponder to be a best practice and feel the transponder should be in the animal prior to applying for official paperwork to avoid any mistaken identities.
You can edit the status of transponders entered both by your institution or another institution.
Recording Sex Edits/Changes and Contraception
There may be times when you need to change a sex of an animal in your collection. Sometimes it has been incorrectly sexed at your facility or elsewhere, sometimes the sex was not known and in rare circumstances the sex has actually changed. You cannot edit a sex recorded by another facility, but you can edit one recorded by you. In the Global record the sex type will display as what has been recorded by the last/current holding institution. At your facility the sex will display as per what was recorded by you.
Usually if the sex was incorrectly recorded by your facility, or an unknown sex type has been determined, the record should simply be edited, with notes in the Details box as to why it was edited. However, there may be times when you wish to keep the previous sex information to understand why an animal was managed as it was. In these situations, you would record a sex change as of the date the sex type was determined.
When recording contraception remember that entering an End Date will not automatically mark a previous contraception as Inactive. This is because an animal may have more than one type of active contraception at a time. You will need to change the Status manually should a contraception become inactive. Always use the Details box to describe exactly what the contraception is as the Method selections are either Animal Management or Medical and do not specify what is being used. Contraception by Management can include methods such as keeping animals separated or adjusting light cycles.
Life Stages are the stages of development that animals go through from conception to death. Some examples are infant, juvenile, adult and geriatric. Life Stages have a beginning and an end date. The end date is usually the beginning date for another Life Stage. Life stages are taxonomically driven; invertebrates will not have the same stages as mammals. Tracking Life stages can often help you see if an animal is developing at the normal pace when compared with the development of other members of its species. It is important to know that ZIMS will not automatically change a Life Stage so if you forget to update it the information will be erroneous. An example would be if you received a gorilla as a juvenile and recorded that Life Stage but forgot to update it. At 10 years old the gorilla would remain a juvenile. Do not use Life Stages unless you intend to keep them updated as the animal matures.
A Development Milestone is an action or event that marks a significant change in development. Development Milestones have only one date, the date that milestone was achieved. Like Life stages, Development Milestones are taxonomically driven as not all species have the same milestones. Unlike Life stages however, it is not as important to keep them updated as an animal does not move from one milestone into another and the date of the milestone will remain through the life of the animal. There may be some specific milestones, such as Weaning or First Birth, that you wish to capture but do not care about others such as Teeth Eruption.
Notes and Observations are free text fields that can be used to:
How you enter free text needs to be clear not only to you but to anyone else reading the record, today and in the future. You may understand what you are saying but it may be unclear to others.
Some suggestions are:
o HINT: If you do use abbreviations, the first time you record them ensure that the full text of the abbreviation is included. Others can then reference that data within the record.
ZIMS differentiates between Notes and Observations. Both have the option to include Keywords, and the Types and Sub-Types are identical. Observations allow you to record more information regarding the entry such as Observer, Observation Quality and Time/Duration. How you chose to use Notes and Observations is up to your institution. A simple example of what might be a Note and what might be an Observation involves a birth:
It is important to set your enclosure tree up in the best way to allow you to retrieve the data (the Parent-Child relationship). Think about how you will want to retrieve information while you are either developing your tree or re-arranging a non-functional tree. The option to “include sub-enclosures” on some reports and searches will allow you to retrieve information regarding not just the Parent enclosure but the sub-enclosures (child enclosures) that exist underneath it. In the tree below “Primate Row” is a Parent enclosure to “PR1”, “PR2”, “PR3”, and “PR4”.
Also think about how to name your enclosures. Although easiest, it is NOT recommended to use species names as the enclosure name since occupants often change. Develop a system that you can be happy with for years to come, regardless of which species are occupying the enclosure.
Allow Multiple Enclosure Assignment
The default in ZIMS is to allow an animal to be in only one enclosure at a time. However, as an Institution Preference you can select to Allow Multiple Enclosure Assignment. This means that an animal can be recorded
as occupying more than one enclosure at the same time. If this is your preference you will need to remember to manually record a Move Out date should the animal no longer occupy an enclosure. With single enclosure assignment, when you record a new Move In date the application will automatically record a Move Out date for the previous enclosure.
Although you can easily change this preference and go back and forth between single enclosure and multiple enclosure assignment, it is recommended that you decide which you want and stick with it to avoid confusing enclosure records.
You have two options when recording an animal move to a different enclosure:
At least one person at your facility should be designated as a Local Administrator and given the Local Administrator (SPECIES360) Role. This person will have access to all of the Animal Husbandry and Inventory functionality in ZIMS. Often this is the institution’s Registrar, but it can be any staff member who is charged with maintaining and overseeing the application.
Staff members must be entered into the Staff grid to be given access to ZIMS. However, you do not have to give ZIMS access to all your Staff. Sometimes they will be recorded in this grid so that their names will appear in the dropdown lists for Responsible Party and Observer. If you want a Staff member to be visible to others outside your facility you will need to check the Make User Visible Outside My Institution checkbox in the Add New Staff screen. If this is checked others will be able to view them when looking at your institution information and find them using the Contact Directory. If you complete the Communications Details for those staff visible outside your institution others will be able to easily contact them.
Assigning Roles to your staff is how ZIMS access is given. ZIMS has six SPECIES360 Template Roles that can be assigned. These Roles cannot be edited by you. When new ZIMS functionality deploys, SPECIES360 will update these Roles as they deem most appropriate.
You can also create custom Roles at your facility either based off of an SPECIES360 template Role and edited or starting with a blank Role where all access is selected manually. When new functionality is deployed you will need to manually assign it to each Role as you find appropriate, SPECIES360 will not update your custom Roles.
The various Collections in ZIMS are where you indicate the reason you have an animal. Collections allow for running reports at different levels. Because global sharing of data is encouraged, all Collections are globally shared except for Research and Feedstock where you have the option to indicate that Collection is viewable only by your institution by selecting a Local scope.
Creating Teams and Departments may be an easy way to help you manage your Staff. In addition, both Teams and Departments can be recorded as Responsible Parties and Alerts can be assigned to them. If your institution has decided to use the Advanced Access Management (AAM) feature in ZIMS you will need to create Departments as that is how the AAM access is assigned.
When recording a permit, you are required to name it. These names must be unique within your facility. It is recommended that you develop a convention for these names for consistency. Some suggestions are:
When you submit your permit, you will probably not have the Permit ID. This can be filled in at a later date once the Listing Authority assigns a number or ID. Permits can be assigned to staff, enclosures and animals. By default, they are assigned to your institution. If other institutions are operating under the same permit you can also assign to additional institutions.
If you want other institutions to view your permits you should mark them as a Global scope. Marking your permits Global assists other institutions in transactions with your facility for transactions where permits are required.
You can add locally used institutions for facilities and people you have transaction with that are not in the global SPECIES360 list. It is recommended to check with SPECIES360 first to confirm that it is not already on the Global institution list and you just cannot find it. Commonly added local institutions are laboratories (used in the medical module) and local breeders.
The Species360 Post Office provides valuable information regarding animals in your collection as well as other important notices. Some of the messages you may receive in your Post Office are:
Because this type of important information is available only in the Post Office, it is important that you read, and act on, your Post Office messages.
In the early stages of zoos and aquariums when they were animal menageries and the goal was to have the biggest or rarest specimen, sharing of the animal records meant little and was seldom done. With the development of managed programs, first started at the regional level and now extending globally, sharing of your animal data has become highly valuable for:
Ultimately, in a perfect world all data would be shared because all facilities have the same goal: to provide better husbandry and medical care for our animals, and to breed them in such a way that survival of the species is guaranteed. However, each institution has to decide at what level they will share their data. Government run facilities, such as city owned institutions, may have restrictions on what data can be shared with others. Researchers and Veterinarians may have concerns about misinterpretation of the information recorded by them if read by someone not knowledgeable in the terminology and standard procedures. You should always be aware of what data in your animal records is being shared and with whom. The decision of what data to share might not be made at the level of the animal records-keeper, this approval might have to come from above at the Curatorial, Director or CEO level.
To share a record with another institution, make sure that Accessibility for External sharing is turned on in Institution Preferences > ZIMS Accessibility and Features. You can share from within My Institution or the animal record itself.
ZIMS has several tools that use the default globally shared data in the ZIMS application to better help you manage your animals. Go to the Global Resources available under the Start menu to view these.
i Zoos South Australia Animal Management Policy and Procedures – Animal Records Procedures, January 2011
ii Guidelines for Creating and Sharing Animal Records, Animal Records Task Force, AZA Institutional Data Management Advisory Group, 2077
iii Standards for Data Entry and Maintenance of North American Zoo and Aquarium Animal Records Databases; Lincoln Park Zoo; 1998
