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IPS Conference 2006
Abstracts
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Abstract # 69:
Scheduled for Tuesday,
June 27, 2006
10:20 AM-10:40 AM:
Session 12 (Kama A)
Symposium
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BIOBEHAVIORAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RHESUS MONKEYS FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESEARCH PURPOSES |
J. Capitanio1,2, W. Mason2 and S. Mendoza2
1Univ. of California, Davis, Dept. of Psychology, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA, 95616, USA, 2California National Primate Research Center, Davis, CA, USA |
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| In any captive primate colony, a small proportion of animals demonstrates poor adaptation in the realms of behavior, reproduction, health, and physiological functioning. Often, problems in adaptation reflect a poor “fit” between the individual and its environment, and a goal of good captive management programs is to provide an environment for the animals that will allow them to thrive. At the California National Primate Research Center, we have implemented a standardized biobehavioral assessment program designed to characterize young rhesus monkeys along major dimensions reflecting behavioral and physiological reactivity, personality, and temperament. Monkeys from all colonies (field cage, corncrib, nursery, and indoor) at CNPRC are assessed. Our goal is to utilize these data to identify early risk factors for poor adaptation, and once identified, to enable colony managers to place at-risk animals in situations to improve their adaptation and quality of life. A second goal is to enable researchers to select animals with well-defined characteristics, which can reduce within-group variation in experiments, and consequently, sample sizes. In this presentation, we will present an overview of the assessment program, behavioral and physiological data showing the surprising amount of variation that we have obtained on diverse measures, and both management and research uses of these data. |
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Modified: 18 December 2005
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