Chapter 6 - Behavioral Management, Enrichment, and Psychological Well-being of Laboratory Nonhuman Primates

Abstract

Animal care in biomedical facilities housing nonhuman primates has undergone a dramatic transformation in the past two decades, with increasing emphasis on behavioral management, psychological well-being, and animal welfare. Today, providing for the psychological well-being of nonhuman primates is an integral part of animal care. Behavioral management is a comprehensive management strategy that includes enrichment, positive reinforcement training, facilities and enclosure design, positive staff–animal interactions, and behavioral monitoring in an effort to promote psychological well-being and animal welfare. Successful behavioral management strategies are tailored to the natural behavior of the species and include both social and nonsocial forms of enrichment. An increasing number of behavioral management programs include positive reinforcement training, a significant refinement to animal care practices. Appropriate behavioral management strategies can help reduce stress for nonhuman primates and prevent behavioral problems from occurring, which ultimately enhances the utility of the primate model in biomedical research. This chapter briefly summarizes several concepts that are integral to the appropriate behavioral management of laboratory primates and to the promotion of their psychological well-being and welfare.