It is well established that grooming underpins sociality in group-living primates, and a number of studies have documented the stress-reducing effects of being groomed. In this study, we quantified grooming behaviour and physiological stress (assessed...
Live, direct observations are often used to collect behavioral data. However, the presence of an observer may affect the behavior of unhabituated subjects. This study was conducted to determine the effect of an observer’s presence...
Manipulable objects are often provided to laboratory macaques as environmental enrichment, but exposure to objects is widely believed to result in rapid habituation. Consequently, much effort is made to ensure enrichment objects are novel. Here...
The aim of this study was to compare the incidence of wounding in isosexual rhesus macaques paired in three styles of housing: continuous full contact (FC), intermittent full contact (IC: frequent separation), and protected contact...
Alopecia in laboratory primates is often regarded as a sign of excessive self-grooming due to social deprivation or insufficient environmental enrichment. The purpose of this study was to examine, in individually housed macaques, the occurrence...
At the California National Primate Research Center, one key to long-term success of macaque breeding colonies is to develop effective infant-rearing strategies that minimize the emergence of behavioral pathologies, which can be one indicator of...
Obesity is a concern with nonhuman primates (NHPs) housed in captivity for extended periods of time, mostly due to overfeeding and lack of exercise. This is often compounded by environmental enrichment programs that include different...
Under animal care situations that conform to compliance standards for environmental enrichment established by the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) and the Guide to the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, at least 10% of laboratory...
Operant conditioning using positive reinforcement techniques has been used extensively in the management of nonhuman primates in both zoological and laboratory settings. This research project was intended to test the usefulness of counter-conditioning techniques in...
Of the potential flags of impaired well-being in laboratory primates, alopecia has received particular regulatory focus, making it a top priority for behavioral managers. Consensus on a reliable alopecia scoring system used by multiple facilities...