A collaboration between the Association of Primate Veterinarians and the American Society of Primatologists to enhance captive primate care and welfare

Here, we highlight an important collaboration that emerged between the American Society of Primatologists (ASP) and the Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV) known as the APV-ASP Working Group. The Working Group is comprised of equal numbers of APV primate veterinarians and ASP primate behavioral scientists. The mission of the Working Group is to foster collaboration between the two societies, especially between members of the APV Welfare Committee and the ASP Primate Care Committee, as well as to disseminate information about the latest best practices in primate behavioral management to enhance captive primate care and welfare.

Please read the following interview led by the ASP Primate Care Committee with the Working Group’s founders Dr. Sherrie Jean DVM, DACLAM and Mollie Bloomsmith PhD, as well as current members, Kristina Carter Bartley MSc, CLABP and Lydia Hopper PhD, to learn about the group’s founding, mission, accomplishments, and goals. Links to the Working Group’s information resources are provided at the end of this feature. 

Who founded the APV-ASP Working Group and why? What is its mission?

The working group began as a collaboration between co-founders Mollie Bloomsmith PhD, Head of Behavioral Management at Emory National Primate Research Center (NPRC), and Sherrie Jean DVM, DACLAM, Associate Veterinarian at Emory NPRC, starting in 2018.  Leading up to the 2018 ASP conference, Dr. Bloomsmith solicited the veterinarians at Emory NPRC to present and become ASP members. During this time, Dr. Jean wanted to learn more about behavior and incorporate behavior management and welfare principles into her clinical management. Therefore, Drs. Jean and Bloomsmith collaborated to present a topic at the ASP meeting that would be interesting to both behavioral scientists and veterinarians and that would also encourage others to foster collaborations at their facilities, as well as between members of APV and ASP.

Dr. Jean produced and presented the poster titled “Collaboration Between the Association of Primate Veterinarians and the American Society of Primatologists” at the 2018 ASP conference, and it was well received. Soon after, Dr. Bloomsmith gave a similar presentation at the APV annual meeting. Recognizing the huge number of common interests and goals between APV and ASP, in 2020, Drs. Bloomsmith and Jean formally created the APV-ASP Working Group, with Dr. Bloomsmith as the ASP Board of Directors Liaison and Dr. Jean as the Working Group’s Chair. The charge of the working group was and still is, to facilitate continued coordinated interaction between the two organizations and to find mutually beneficial opportunities for collaboration between ASP and APV, centered on primate care and welfare.   

    Dr. Mollie Bloomsmith and Dr. Sherrie Jean at the ASP 2018 annual meeting (left) and Dr. Jean’s poster presentation at the ASP 2018 annual meeting (right)

In what specific ways do the expertise of Primate Veterinarians and Primate Behavioral Scientists complement each other to develop primate welfare informational resources?

Since animal welfare includes both physical health and psychological elements of well-being, it follows that experts in both arenas are needed to fully address and enhance the welfare of primates. The benefits of veterinarians and primate behavioral scientists working together are similar to the benefits of a human primary care doctor and a psychologist working together to optimize human welfare. Veterinarians receive some training on behavior and enrichment, but it is not as extensive as the physiology and medical training that they receive. Much of the information related to enrichment and behavioral management is learned after vet school as a part of specialty training and/or board certification.  Likewise, primatologists’ training typically focuses on primate behavior, ecology, and cognition rather than clinical management. In this way, the expertise that both parties bring to their understanding and interpretation of primate welfare is vital for the robust and holistic management of captive primates. Additionally, behavioral scientists typically have more formal scientific training and can collaborate with veterinarians to conduct empirical studies to evaluate these aspects of the care and management of nonhuman primates.

Which primate welfare topics is the APV-ASP Working Group currently prioritizing, and why? 

The overarching priority of the Working Group is to increase opportunities for the members of APV and ASP to interact and benefit from each other’s knowledge to improve primate welfare.  To accomplish this, the Working Group identifies topics for annual conference symposia that would be of interest to members of each organization, as well as webinars and continuing education topics that can be delivered by both veterinarian and behavioral scientists. For example, past symposia have addressed topics of interest to both groups, including the management of socially housed primates and the long-term impacts of early life experiences on primates’ later health, behavior, and welfare. These symposia included talks by veterinarians and primate behavior experts who work with primates in a variety of settings. Symposia create opportunities for the dissemination of key information and showcases the Working Group as a resource for the primate community. Topics for these symposia were selected based on feedback from surveys administered by the Working Group to members of APV. The Working Group is committed to surveying members of both societies to ensure that outreach efforts and educational resources address timely topics of concern or interest to the field to best address primate welfare.           

What informational resources has the APV-ASP Working Group completed?

One of the first projects the Working Group undertook was developing a behavioral resources page on the APV website. It includes both general and species-specific pages that are meant to be a starting point for APV members, and others, to increase their knowledge on species typical behavior and primate behavioral management. The pages compile links from various web pages, journal articles, and other literature and guidance documents regarding primate care and management. There is also a link to the ASP Welfare resources page, creating further connection between the two societies.

The Working Group also developed an “Ask the Behaviorist” portal where veterinarians can submit questions and receive advice from primate behavior experts. This is especially helpful for primate facilities without primate behavioral management specialists on staff. This portal also positions the Working Group as a key resource of experts on primate behavioral management available to APV members.

Recently, the Working Group has finalized an enrichment policy statement jointly authored by the APV and ASP members.  The Working Group recognized that a jointly authored enrichment policy would be more robust, inclusive, and thorough if it was drafted by both subject matter expert organizations. The final document will be published in the Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science.

Does the APV-ASP Working Group do any activities or outreach to encourage implementation of the primate care information it develops?

A key mission of the Working Group is to foster professional development among those working with primates. Currently, there are no widely accepted minimum qualifications, training, or certifications for individuals with the title of primate behavioral specialist in the field of laboratory animal science. The Working Group recognized a need to establish a baseline level of knowledge for those tasked with managing primate behavior and enrichment. To address this, the Working Group is partnering with the American Association of Laboratory Animal Scientists (AALAS) to develop training modules for primate behavior specialists. The materials are being developed by a subcommittee of the ASP Primate Care Committee in concert with the APV-ASP Working Group, and the final training modules will be hosted by AALAS in its Learning Library platform. The broader goal of these training modules is to standardize the education of primate behavior specialists, care staff, and other professionals. As such, individuals that take this training can demonstrate they have acquired certain knowledge and skills in primate behavioral management. The first training module is expected to be available in early 2025.  

Additionally, one of the informational resources that the Working Group contributes to regularly is the Environmental Enrichment Exchange webinar series, a collaborative platform designed to share innovative approaches to enhancing the welfare of nonhuman primates in research settings. This series features expert presenters who introduce and describe cutting-edge enrichment strategies. Webinars focus on practical considerations, including safety features, cost-effectiveness, and methods for evaluating the impact of enrichment. Tailored for professionals in behavioral science, animal care, veterinary services, and research, the webinars offer valuable insights into improving primate well-being. Over 100 registrants log in each session, from countries across the Americas and Europe, to learn detailed “How-to” guides that can help them implement enrichment ideas in their facilities, fostering real-world application and positive change.

What are some long-term goals the APV-ASP Working Group holds to improve primate welfare information resources?    

The Working Group’s method of surveying the APV and ASP memberships for topics of importance to primate welfare enables it to nimbly adapt its resource materials and presentations to timely issues and broad audiences. Another such survey is due, and the Working Group predicts likely topics of future focus to include refinements to primate housing and increasing resources for other primate species, beyond macaques.

A core mission of the Working Group is to create opportunities for collaboration between APV and ASP and this will continue to guide all activities conducted by the Working Group. To that end, the Working Group is committed to creating and providing the most useful and impactful resources to enhance primate welfare to members of both societies, as well as to the broader primatological community. This requires creating an open dialogue with members of both societies to ascertain their needs and interests, and to develop materials tailored to different audiences so that they are the most useful and the most impactful.

The APV-ASP Working Group at the APV 2022 annual meeting.

The APV-ASP Working Group is currently comprised of the following members:

If you are interested in learning more about the Working Group or potentially joining the Working Group, please email info@asp.org

Information and resources:

About the APV: The Association of Primate Veterinarians (APV) is an organization with an international membership of veterinarians. APV was established in the 1970s to disseminate information about the health, care, and welfare of nonhuman primates in various captive settings and to serve as an organization for primate veterinarians to speak collectively on issues regarding nonhuman primates.

APV Behavior Resources: For general and species-specific information as well as the ‘Ask the behaviorist’ email contact: https://www.primatevets.org/education–resources/behavioral-resources/general