Evaluating Behavioral Management Practices for Laboratory Nonhuman Primates: An International Survey

The largest survey to date of behavioral management practices among facilities breeding and housing nonhuman primates (NHPs) for research was conducted from 2019 to 2020. Its primary objective was to analyze and compare practices across the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States of America (US), identify regional differences, and highlight opportunities for refinement. Detailed information was captured on the management of NHPs at 49 facilities in these regions. Most respondents reported the number of NHPs at their institutions, which totaled 50,842. The findings suggest large variation in NHP behavioral management practices between world regions. Facilities in the UK and EU are at the forefront of best practice in many components of behavioral management. These involve the proportion of NHP populations housed socially, the age at which infants are removed from dams, the provision of pen enclosures, caging exceeding the regulatory/accreditation minimum floor space, and destructible enrichment (including floor substrates). Comparisons with the results of previous surveys conducted in the US in 2003 and 2014 show positive changes and progress over time, including a greater proportion of facilities providing access to exercise enclosures with more frequent implementation. Some previously reported impediments to social housing involving clinical and staffing constraints as well as scientific instrumentation eased over time. While there were increases in the use of social housing for some species, there was no increase across all species over the six-year interval since 2014. The proportion of US facilities providing destructible enrichment for caged NHPs remained the same. Importantly, overall, the data demonstrate that, with knowledge transfer and sufficient resources, perceived constraints on key elements of behavioral management can be overcome to improve NHP welfare and facilitate good science. The findings have been used to identify and discuss recommendations for best practice to improve animal welfare.