Psychological well-being of primates in captivity.

Abstract

Recent amendments to the Animal Welfare Act will, upon taking effect, require that researchers who maintain nonhuman primates in captivity house their animals in such a way as to promote their psychological Unfortunately, no consensus presently exists in terms of how to define or identify psychological well-being in primate subjects. We propose a strategy for defining psychological well-being that includes assessment of physical health, comparison with species-normative behavioral repertoires, detection of distress, and evaluation of coping responses. This set of definitions is then used to characterize prototypical primate laboratory environments (e.g., single-cage, pair, and group housing) in terms of fostering psychological well-being. The importance of factors other than housing, such as species-specific characteristics, rearing histories, and phenotypic differences, is also emphasized in developing prescriptions for psychological well-being in captive primates. It seems unlikely that simple prescriptions will be broadly applicable across the whole range of captive primates. Instead, researchers must be sensitive to the needs of their particular subjects in order to optimize their psychological well-being, however defined. The use of animals in research has once again become a provocative and controversial topic of debate be- tween many scientists and some other members of the public. 1 Charges and countercharges permeate both written and oral discussions of this topic. Researchers point to the benefits derived from animal research and focus on the greater good for humanity, whereas animal rights activists consistently question the mo- rality of such animal use and raise concerns about the of life experienced by laboratory animals. This latter point, quality of life, is important to all scientists for practical as well as humane reasons. Today, virtually all researchers are aware of their responsibility to provide humane care and treatment for their animals and to make improvements contin-