Position Statement: "Functionally Appropriate Nonhuman Primate Environments" as an Alternative to the Term...

The American Society of Primatologists (ASP), the Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV), and the American College of Laboratory Animal Medicine (ACLAM) have come together to develop this position statement in which the term "functionally appropriate nonhuman primate environments" is proposed as a better descriptor and as an alternative to the previously used term, "ethologically appropriate environments" to describe environments that are suitable for nonhuman primates involved in biomedical research. In 2015, the United States Department of Agriculture requested comments on a petition which called for amending the Animal Welfare Act so that all research primates would be housed in "ethologically appropriate physical and social environments." We are critical of this term because: (1) it does not provide clarification beyond that in current regulatory language; (2) it does not provide for balance between animal welfare goals and the reasons why the primates are housed in captivity; (3) it discounts the adaptability that is inherent in the behavior of primates; (4) it conveys that duplication of features of the natural environment are required for suitable holding environments; (5) objective studies reveal that environments that appear to be more ethologically appropriate do not necessarily better meet the needs of animals; and (6) using the term "ethology" is inherently confusing. We propose that the term "functionally appropriate nonhuman primate environments" be used instead, as it emphasizes how environments work for nonhuman primates, it better describes current activities underway to improve nonhuman primate welfare, and the balance that is achieved between meeting the needs of the animals and the requirements of the research in which they are involved.