All Interested Parties Invited to Aid in Formation of New ASTM International Activity on Captive Animal Photography/Videography

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Mar 24, 2010, 01:50 ET

W. CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 5, 2010, ASTM International will be holding an organizational meeting for a new standards-developing activity for captive animal photography and videography. The meeting will take place at ASTM headquarters in West Conshohocken, Pa., and is open to all interested parties.

This activity, with support from the International League of Conservation Photographers (ILCP), will address the ambiguity that presently exists regarding the ethical responsibilities involved in maintaining, photographing and publishing photos of captive animals. Moral and ethical questions arise when captive wild animals are constrained or held in abusive ways, when images of captive animals are labeled as "wild animal" photos, or when the photos are used in a way that misleads the audience as to the true condition of wild animals and their natural habitats.

Some federal and state authorities have standards that describe basic protection for captive animals. Many major zoological parks, aquariums and other facilities in the U.S. are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to house and care for a wide variety of animals that are genetically "wild." However, many other facilities that offer captive animals for photography, display, or observation may not have the same degree of protective oversight (consensus standards and conformity assessment) that the accredited institutions possess. Standards vary and in some cases are non-existent.

ASTM International provides a neutral management system for the development of standards and related information for materials, products, systems and services used internationally as well as nationally. All segments of an industry (producers, users, consumers, government and academia) participate in the development of this information to ensure that all technical points of view are represented -- it is extremely important that all parties are confident they will have fair and equal representation in the development of the final consensus standards.

Finally, ASTM provides leadership and management support for 141 standards developing committees. These committees have produced over 12,000 standards for an extremely diverse collection of industries. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency.

Information regarding meeting attendance and agenda can be obtained from Pat Picariello, director of developmental operations, ASTM International.

ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, visit www.astm.org/JOIN .

View this release on the ASTM Web site at www.astmnewsroom.org.

ASTM Meeting: April 5, ASTM International headquarters, West Conshohocken, Pa.

ASTM Staff Contact: Pat Picariello, Phone: 610-832-9720; [email protected]

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; [email protected]

SOURCE ASTM International