Handbook of Primate Husbandry and Welfare

Handbook of Primate Husbandry and Welfare covers all aspects of primate care and management both in the laboratory environment and in zoos. From the welfare and ethics of primate captivity through to housing and husbandry systems, environmental enrichment, nutritional requirements, breeding issues, primate diseases, and additional information on transportation and quarantine proceedings, this book provides a completely comprehensive guide to good husbandry and management of primates. Designed to be a practical field manual, the authors present the material using lists, tables and illustrations to clarify best practice.

• Representative species are covered – from marmosets through to macaques
• One of the first books dedicated to the care of primates in captivity
• Written by authors with many years of experience working with primates
• Suitable for those working with primates in either laboratories or zoos

Preface vii

Acknowledgements viii

1 Primates: Their characteristics and relationship with man 1

What is a primate? 1

Primate characteristics 3

Why are primates special? 6

Ethical considerations of animals in captivity 8

Legal considerations 11

Further reading 12

2 The physical environment 15

Considerations in accommodation design 15

Indoor/outdoor/combination facilities? 22

Environmental conditions 24

Waste management 29

Further research needed 29

Further reading 30

3 Staff management and health and safety 33

Selection of staff 33

Training of staff 33

Health and safety issues 33

Lone working 41

Employee security 41

Further reading 41

4 Nutrition 43

Natural feeding ecology 43

Diet formulation and processing 45

Energy requirements 45

Carbohydrate, protein and fat 46

Minerals and vitamins 48

Water 49

Supplements 50

Different life stages 51

Hand rearing of infants 55

Further reading 57

5 Physical well-being 59

Assessment of physical health 59

Quarantine programme 67

Health-screening programme 68

Common infectious diseases 73

Husbandry-related diseases 89

Sedation of primates 92

Further reading 92

6 Psychological well-being 99

Strategy for psychological well-being 99

Environmental enrichment 100

Assessment of psychological health 111

Further reading 112

7 Training of primates 115

Why train primates? 115

Sociality and psychological well-being in primates 116

Primate behaviour 120

Modification of behaviour 121

Further reading 128

8 Breeding 129

Group systems and sizes 129

Primate fertility 132

Natural suppression of fertility 134

Reproductive cycles 137

Artificial control of reproduction 138

Pregnancy diagnosis 139

Parturition 139

Lactation and weaning 141

Breeding lifespan 143

Selection of breeding males 144

Further reading 145

9 Sourcing and transporting primates 149

Background 149

Transportation 152

Provision during transport 157

Post-move monitoring 158

Further reading 160

Index 163

"This book covers all aspects of primate care and management, in the laboratory and environment and zoos. It covers the welfare and ethics of primate captivitiy, housing, husbandry, environmental enrichment, nutritional requirements, breeding issues, primate diseases, transportation and quarantine procedures. This book would be of use to veterinarians and those who work with or who are involved in the care of captive primates." (CAB Abstracts, 2005)

"This book is a good source of reference for people working with primates or starting off a collection. There has been a lack of up-to-date concise books on this topic and the Handbook of Primate Husbandry and Welfare fills this niche." (Primate Eye, Official Journal of Primate Society of Great Britain, 2005)

"The book is a useful compendium of information on health, nutrition, housing, and management of the most commonly used primates in biomedical and behavioural research... it should be on the shelf of every animal facility that houses nonhuman primates" (International Journal of Primatology, April 2006)

"Thorough guide to the…care of laboratory and zoo-held monkeys…useful introduction into the mainly diverse and interconnected issues surrounding care and management of primates in captivity." (Journal of Wildlife Diseases)

Sarah Wolfensohn and Paul Honess Handbook of Primate Husbandry and Welfare covers all aspects of primate care and management both in the laboratory environment and in zoos. From the welfare and ethics of primate captivity through to housing and husbandry systems, environmental enrichment, nutritional requirements, breeding issues, primate diseases, and additional information on transportation and quarantine proceedings, this book provides a completely comprehensive guide to good husbandry and management of primates. Designed to be a practical field manual, the authors present the material using lists, tables and illustrations to clarify best practice.

• Representative species are covered – from marmosets through to macaques
• One of the first books dedicated to the care of primates in captivity
• Written by authors with many years of experience working with primates
• Suitable for those working with primates in either laboratories or zoos