Methods to evaluate the wellbeing of laboratory primates: comparisons of macaques and tamarins

Lab Anim Sci. 1989 Jul;39(4):318-23.

Abstract

Three objective behavioral tests are described for the assessment of wellbeing and possible enrichment of laboratory primates. One test, foraging for food in a pickup tray, proved practical for both macaques and tamarins. It provides positive human interaction as well as standardized evaluation of appetite for food and sensory-motor coordination. A puzzle feeder provided more complex foraging which could be performed by macaques, but not by tamarins. A third noninvasive test, used only with macaques, measured daily energy expenditure and sleep-wakefulness cycles as expressed in the diurnal rhythm of homecage activity. Normative data indicate the usefulness of each. Further refinement and validation of new tests and enrichment strategies requires a major research effort. Definitive measures such as those described here, coupled with data on long-term health outcomes, are essential before regulations for primate care can be revised with confidence.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Welfare*
  • Animals
  • Behavior, Animal*
  • Callitrichinae / physiology*
  • Circadian Rhythm
  • Feeding Behavior
  • Female
  • Food Preferences
  • Macaca / physiology*
  • Macaca fascicularis / physiology*
  • Time Factors