Hot Topics in Primate Welfare

Experimentally evaluating the function of self-directed behavior in mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx). For the Spring 2018 Hot Topics in Welfare feature, we explore a novel test of self-directed behavior as an indicator of animal welfare. This research was conducted by Austin Leeds and Kristen E. Lukas of Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and was recently published in Animal Welfare. Self-directed […]

Modeling effects of social stress on depression in a macaque without extreme procedures. For the Winter 2018 Hot Topics in Welfare feature, we highlight the research of Dr. Michael Hennessy, Professor of Psychology and faculty member in the Behavioral Neuroscience group at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Dr. Hennessy has long studied effects of […]

For this quarter’s Animal Welfare feature, ASP interviews Dr. Sonya Kahlenberg, the Executive Director of the Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education Center (GRACE) in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr. Kahlenberg shares the story of GRACE and considers the unique challenges involved in caring for orphaned Grauer’s gorillas in the midst of a conservation crisis. This video tells […]

ASP Primate Welfare Award (2016): Allostatic Load For the Spring 2017 Hot Topics in Welfare feature, we explore the research of Ashley Edes, a Ph.D. candidate at The Ohio State University. Ms. Edes was the recipient of the 2016 American Society of Primatologists’ Primate Welfare Award for her research examining allostatic load and social stress […]

Are all abnormal behaviors equally reliable indicators of negative welfare? For the Winter 2017 Hot Topics in Welfare feature, we provide an overview of a paper recently published in Applied Animal Behaviour Science: Reconsidering coprophagy as an indicator of negative welfare for captive chimpanzees by Lydia Hopper, Hani Freeman, and Stephen Ross of The Lester E. Fisher Center […]

For this quarter’s Animal Welfare feature, Melissa Truelove of the Yerkes National Primate Research Center interviews Dr. Kris Coleman of the Oregon National Primate Research Center about how understanding individual differences in temperament can inform management practices that improve the welfare of laboratory primates. Melissa: Cage side temperament testing is en vogue; it’s being used to select potential partners for […]