Release Checklists

The Release Checklists module provides a standardised pre-release fitness assessment workflow for animals in care. Before any animal is returned to the wild, carers complete a structured checklist covering physical health, behavioural readiness, release logistics, and regulatory sign-off.

Overview

When an animal reaches READY_FOR_RELEASE status, a carer or admin creates a new release checklist for that animal. The checklist walks through a series of fitness indicators, captures the planned release location on a map, records the release type, and (where required by jurisdiction) collects veterinary sign-off. Once saved, the animal's status is automatically updated to RELEASED and a release record is added to its timeline.

The list page surfaces four summary statistics at the top:

Statistic	Description
Ready for Release	Count of animals currently in READY_FOR_RELEASE status
Pending Assessments	Checklists that have been started but not yet completed
Completed	Fully completed checklists
Avg. Rehab Time	Average number of days animals spent in care before release

Animals that are ready for release are highlighted in a prominent card with quick-action buttons to either start a new assessment or continue an existing one.

Release Types

Every checklist requires a release type. The three options reflect standard wildlife rehabilitation practices:

Release Type	Stored Value	Description
Hard Release	HARD	The animal is released directly into a suitable habitat in a single event. Typically used for species that do not require an acclimatisation period.
Soft Release	SOFT	The animal is placed in an on-site enclosure or holding area at the release location for a period before the enclosure is opened. This allows the animal to acclimatise to the environment.
Passive Release	PASSIVE	The enclosure or carrier is left open and the animal leaves in its own time. Common for species that are easily stressed by handling.

Fitness Indicators

The fitness assessment section presents a set of indicators that the carer checks off based on their observation of the animal. At least one indicator must be selected before the checklist can be saved.

Fitness Indicator	What It Assesses
Good body condition	Overall physical condition and appearance
Normal behavior	Species-typical behaviour patterns observed
Adequate weight	Weight is within the expected range for the species
No visible injuries	No open wounds, fractures, or other visible injuries
Proper feeding response	Animal demonstrates ability to self-feed
Good mobility	Full range of movement with no impairment
Normal social behavior	Appropriate interaction with conspecifics (where applicable)
Appropriate fear response	Animal shows healthy avoidance of humans and potential threats

Release Criteria

In addition to the fitness indicators recorded on each checklist, the list page displays the full set of criteria that carers should evaluate. These are grouped into two categories.

Physical Health

• Weight within normal range
• No injuries or illness
• Normal mobility and function
• Adequate body condition

Behavioural Assessment

• Species-appropriate behaviour
• No human dependency
• Proper fear response
• Foraging ability demonstrated

Environmental Conditions

• Suitable weather forecast
• Appropriate habitat available
• Food sources present
• Minimal predator risk

Documentation

• Release permit obtained
• Location GPS recorded
• Identification marking complete
• Post-release monitoring plan in place

Completion Status Tracking

Each checklist is evaluated against ten internal criteria to determine its status:

Status	Condition
Completed	The checklist has been finalised and saved
Ready	All ten criteria are met but the checklist has not been formally completed
In Progress	70% or more of the criteria are met
Not Started	Fewer than 70% of the criteria are met

The ten criteria tracked internally are: species-appropriate behaviour, weight gain, normal behaviour, medical clearance, suitable release location, acceptable weather conditions, no human dependency, identification marking, release permit obtained, and post-release monitoring plan.

Release Location Tracking

The checklist captures a full release location using an interactive map picker. The following location data is recorded:

Field	Description
Address	Full formatted address of the release site
Latitude / Longitude	GPS coordinates for precise location tracking
Street address	Street-level address component
Suburb	Suburb or locality name
Postcode	Postal code
State	State or territory

Within 10 km Requirement

Where a jurisdiction enforces distance requirements, the checklist includes a confirmation checkbox asking the carer to verify that the release site is at least the required distance (typically 10 km) from the original capture location. The map view shows both the rescue location and the selected release point so the carer can visually confirm proximity.

This requirement is controlled by the jurisdiction's compliance configuration and only appears when distanceRequirements.enforced is enabled for the organisation's jurisdiction.

Veterinary Sign-off

The vet sign-off section captures authorisation from a qualified veterinarian. Whether this section is required or optional depends on the jurisdiction's compliance rules.

Field	Description
Veterinarian Name	Full name of the signing veterinarian
Signature	Signature or initials of the veterinarian
Date	Date the sign-off was provided

When the jurisdiction's vetRequirements.signOffRequired flag is set to true, all three fields become mandatory and the checklist cannot be saved without them. When the flag is false, the section is still visible but all fields are optional.

Photo Documentation

The release checklist data model supports attaching photos as part of the assessment record. Photos are stored as JSON and can be used to document the animal's condition at the time of release, the release site, or any other relevant visual evidence.

Additional Notes

A free-text notes field is available for recording any supplementary information about the release, such as weather observations, behavioural notes during transport, or follow-up plans.

Creating a New Release Checklist

A new checklist can be started in two ways:

1. From the release checklist list page -- click "New Assessment" and select an animal from the dropdown. Animals with IN_CARE or READY_FOR_RELEASE status are available for selection.
2. From an animal's detail page -- if the animal is ready for release, a direct link pre-selects the animal and streamlines the process.

When a checklist is saved for an animal that was linked from the detail page, the system automatically:

• Updates the animal's status to RELEASED
• Records the release date, location, and coordinates on the animal record
• Populates structured address fields (street, suburb, postcode) from the map selection
• Creates a RELEASE record in the animal's timeline

Data Model

Field	Type	Description
id	String	Unique identifier (CUID)
releaseDate	DateTime	Planned or actual release date
animalId	String	Reference to the animal being released
releaseLocation	String	Formatted address of the release site
releaseCoordinates	JSON (optional)	{ lat, lng } GPS coordinates
within10km	Boolean	Whether the release site meets the distance requirement
releaseType	Enum	One of HARD, SOFT, or PASSIVE
fitnessIndicators	String[]	List of selected fitness indicator labels
vetSignOff	JSON (optional)	{ name, signature, date } veterinary authorisation
photos	JSON (optional)	Attached photo documentation
completed	Boolean	Whether the checklist has been finalised
notes	String (optional)	Free-text notes
createdAt	DateTime	Record creation timestamp
updatedAt	DateTime	Last modification timestamp

Integration with Other Modules

Module	Integration
Animal Records	Completing a release checklist updates the animal's status and creates a timeline entry
Compliance	Release checklists contribute to overall compliance readiness
Audit Logging	Every checklist creation is recorded in the audit log with the animal ID and release type
User Management	Checklists are scoped to the user's organisation and linked to the creating user