Quantitative evaluation of enrichment protocols on rhesus macaques welfare in laboratory environment
Abstract
Non-human primates are crucial animal models in biomedical research including neurosciences. Legal frameworks ensure that participation of monkeys in biomedical research follows an ethical assessment, driven by specific guidelines for ensuring animal well-being. Those guidelines promote continued refinement of practices to improve animal wellbeing, yet quantitative data to inform such refinements is limited. In this context, we investigated the impact of modifications to the housing that created either navigational complexity or visual access to neighbouring animals on the behaviour of rhesus macaques. Then we quantified the value of different enrichment programmes based on manipulable objects. We showed that making navigation within a modular housing more complex, or adding transparent separations between housing units is associated with significant reduction of severe aggression, stereotypical behaviours and a significant increase of appeasing behaviours. We also observed a positive effect of manipulable objects with an increase in the expression of appeasing behaviours and a decrease in abnormal or stereotypical behaviours. Finally, our study revealed significant inter-individual variability that was not explained by sex, age, social network size or social status. Overall, our results point to the importance and benefits of environmental changes and enrichment protocols, and of the critical need for personalised enrichment programmes.
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BibTeX
@misc{morellatour2026quantitative,
title = {{Quantitative evaluation of enrichment protocols on rhesus macaques welfare in laboratory environment}},
author = {Valentine Morel-Latour and Océane Monnier and Elya Ray and Alyssia Fort and Paul Roux and Manon Dirheimer and David Thura and Fadila Hadj-Bouziane and Charles Wilson and Emmanuel Procyk and Jérôme Sallet},
howpublished = {HAL},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.64898/2026.06.10.730846},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05850077v1},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Quantitative evaluation of enrichment protocols on rhesus macaques welfare in laboratory environment
AU - Valentine Morel-Latour
AU - Océane Monnier
AU - Elya Ray
AU - Alyssia Fort
AU - Paul Roux
AU - Manon Dirheimer
AU - David Thura
AU - Fadila Hadj-Bouziane
AU - Charles Wilson
AU - Emmanuel Procyk
AU - Jérôme Sallet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/12
PB - HAL
DO - 10.64898/2026.06.10.730846
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05850077v1
AB - Non-human primates are crucial animal models in biomedical research including neurosciences. Legal frameworks ensure that participation of monkeys in biomedical research follows an ethical assessment, driven by specific guidelines for ensuring animal well-being. Those guidelines promote continued refinement of practices to improve animal wellbeing, yet quantitative data to inform such refinements is limited. In this context, we investigated the impact of modifications to the housing that created either navigational complexity or visual access to neighbouring animals on the behaviour of rhesus macaques. Then we quantified the value of different enrichment programmes based on manipulable objects. We showed that making navigation within a modular housing more complex, or adding transparent separations between housing units is associated with significant reduction of severe aggression, stereotypical behaviours and a significant increase of appeasing behaviours. We also observed a positive effect of manipulable objects with an increase in the expression of appeasing behaviours and a decrease in abnormal or stereotypical behaviours. Finally, our study revealed significant inter-individual variability that was not explained by sex, age, social network size or social status. Overall, our results point to the importance and benefits of environmental changes and enrichment protocols, and of the critical need for personalised enrichment programmes.
ER -