Tate, M. K., Wu, F., Dugan, C. M. 2011. Integrating aromatherapy into the nonhuman primate enrichment program. American Association for Laboratory Animal Science [AALAS] Meeting Official Program, 776-777 (Abstract #P147).

Aromatherapy has been used as a method for reducing anxiety and increasing relaxation throughout history. The Chinese were credited with using aromatic plants for wellbeing. They would burn incense to help create balance and harmony. The Egyptians used distillation and infused oil as methods to reduce stress and memory fatigue. The use of aromatherapy in laboratory animals has been limited to food items. The use of aromatherapy methods has not been popular in the laboratory animal community because some critics feel that the facility is trying to hide undesirable odors in the animal rooms. We decided to expand our aromatherapy program at our facility. With our current program we are making popcorn in the nonhuman primate rooms and providing sound and smell stimulation. With the response we noticed during the popcorn enrichment session, we decided to expand the different smells that would stimulate nonhuman primates. We decided to introduce one new fragrance for 1 h up to 3 times per week. We used cynomologus macaques, 3 to 5 y of age and 2.3 to 4.2 kg body weight. During behavioral observations the cynomologus demonstrated increased awareness and curiosity, and they also presented to the front of the cage and remained calm. There were no significant changes noticed in their CBC or in their serum chemistries to indicate that the aromatherapy enrichment caused a stress response or toxic effects. Overall, the benefits of introducing aromatherapy into the nonhuman primate enrichment program include stimulating their sensory response, providing increased awareness to their surroundings, and a calming effect. Improvements could be made for better delivery systems and other methods to stimulate their sensory responses.