Nonhuman primates, like these Rhesus macaques, are naturally curious. They spend a great deal of time foraging and investigating novel objects in their natural habitats. Environmental enrichment provides a way to simulate a natural environment for monkeys that are needed for research. This increases opportunities for the expression…
Here a husbandry technician is providing food enrichment to rhesus macaques in their corral. This kind of positive interaction between monkeys and their caretakers can improve well-being for the animals (or, for the animals and the humans!).
Monkeys are given enrichment such as toys, swings, climbing structures and other items to increase their behavioral diversity. Many of these objects are rotated on a regular basis, to keep them novel. This indoor enclosure for the monkeys at Oregon National Primate Research Center provides many opportunities that…
The Oregon National Primate Research Center is currently evaluating various forms of research methods to improve traditional cognitive testing. This Rhesus macaque is using a touchscreen to determine his cognitive ability as part of a neuroscience research project. He is being shown a video of other monkeys, in…
This is the Oregon National Primate Research Center Nonhuman Primate Training Specialist. She is training a monkey, Finch, in a group to take medication, which allows him to stay in his colony, instead of being removed to the hospital. Avoiding such removals helps to reduce not only the…
Zebrafish are vertebrates that share similar developmental features with humans. They are powerful models for studying early development, given that their eggs are transparent and develop externally.
Ferrets spend 75% of their day sleeping, but are very active when awake. They like to explore, forage, play, hide, rest, and groom and their housing should afford them opportunities to engage in all of these species-typical activities. Enclosures often include hammocks, resting shelves, hiding places, ladders, and…
These lambs are part of a maternal nutrition study. Whenever possible, lambs involved in research studies are raised with their mothers where they undergo normal social and emotional development. If a study requires hand-rearing, it must be approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), a…
Gus and Frank, like most dogs, enjoy interacting with each other. They live in the same enclosure and love to nap together. These dogs participated in a vaccine research study for a new dog vaccine.
Animal research contributes greatly to medical progress that helps both animals and humans to live longer and healthier lives. Share our information about the important contributions research animals make to life-saving medical breakthroughs. These animals were crucial to the development of vaccines, as well as effective treatments for…
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