The relationship between the Canadian Wildlife Service Specimen Bank and the wildlife toxicology program: The effect on specimen collection

A general description of the Canadian Wildlife Service Specimen Bank is given. Eighty percent of the 55000 specimens stored are wild bird tissues. Tissues are collected as part of the Wildlife Toxicology Program and subjected to chemical and biochemical testing. Tissues are stored at various freezing temperatures i.e. − 40°C, − 85°C or in the gaseous phase over liquid nitrogen, depending on the intended analytical work to be done.