Progress report on the Charles River Breeding Laboratories' free-ranging rhesus monkey breeding colony on Key Lois,...

The nucleus of a breeding colony of free-ranging rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) free from tuberculosis, herpes-B virus, shigellosis, and salmonellosis has been established on Key Lois, Florida, USA. Standardized procedures for trapping, quarantine, and shipping from the wild in India to the island have been established. The monkeys seem to have adapted well to the Florida Keys' climate. Reproduction has proceeded according to expectations, and social groups have been formed with continual restructuring as each new group is placed on the island. The isolation of Key Lois from other inhabited keys by the open sea affords good isolation and has discouraged intrusion by unwanted visitors. The operational costs of this island breeding program are encouraging. It is projected that by 1976 or 1977, monkeys should be available from this colony at a lower price than for animals bred in indoor facilities; and their availability will be in excess of animals trapped in the forest and subjected to a conventional conditioning and quarantine period.