Enrichment and primate centers: closing the gap between research and practice

Area of Science:

• Primate welfare
• Animal behavior
• Research ethics

Background:

• Extensive research exists for nonhuman primate environmental enrichment.
• Common practices may not align with scientific findings.
• Discrepancies impact primate welfare in research settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify current environmental enrichment practices for nonhuman primates.
• To identify constraints and facilitators of enrichment programs.
• To assess the role of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) in enrichment.

Main Methods:

• A 2003 survey was administered to individuals managing primate enrichment programs.
• The survey covered social, feeding, structural, and manipulable enrichment, human interaction, and program administration.
• Data were collected on 35,863 primates across various facilities.

Main Results:

• Social housing for primates was found to be significantly more constrained than inanimate enrichment.
• Constraints on enrichment, particularly social housing for macaques, were often linked to research protocols.
• Facilities with thorough IACUC reviews had higher rates of social housing for primates in research.

Conclusions:

• IACUC review is an underutilized mechanism for enhancing primate enrichment programs.
• Regulatory and accreditation inspections were more effective than IACUC reviews in prompting program improvements.
• Strengthening IACUC involvement could significantly improve primate welfare in research environments.