Introduction to the Handbook of Primate Behavioral Management

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of this book. The overall goal of the book is to provide those responsible for the development and/or implementation of behavioral management programs for nonhuman primates (NHPs) with a plethora of information, guidance, and data that will allow them to do everything within their power to guarantee that their animals are living in the best conditions possible. A more specific goal involves the presentation of the science of behavioral management, so that behavioral managers can base their decisions on relevant empirical evidence. The chapter by Baker and colleagues beautifully describes the Behavioral Management Consortium (BMC) of the National Primate Research Centers in the United States. The handbook comes to a close with an excellent final chapter by Bloomsmith that summarizes and integrates the previous chapters within the context of the present and future of primate behavioral management.