Department of Veterinary Medicine, Tulane National Primate Research Center, Covington, Louisiana;, Email:
J Am Assoc Lab Anim Sci. 2020 Sep 1;59(5):503-507. doi: 10.30802/AALAS-JAALAS-19-000115. Epub 2020 Jun 18.
Traditional laboratory caging for nonhuman primates is typically configured in a 2-tiered manner, with caging arranged in 2 horizontal rows stacked vertically. Studies of the effects of cage row have yielded inconsistent results with respect to impacts on psychological well-being. This study tests whether rhesus macaques () housed in the bottom tier of caging display poorer responses to attempted positive human interaction than those in the upper tier, suggesting that humans are a greater stressor for animals housed in bottom rows. The attempted positive social interaction took the form of offering a food treat by hand. This study involved 270 male and female singly-housed rhesus macaques, ranging in age from 2.4 to 27.4 y of age. Cage position was characterized not only with respect to tier, but also with respect to proximity of the cage rack to the room door. A single technician recorded whether the animal retrieved the treat within 10 s and also recorded all social behaviors directed toward the technician during the test. No effects of cage tier were detected, nor were effects of proximity to the door found. However, significant contrasts were detected with respect to subjects' sex, age, and lifetime tenure in indoor caging. Females were less likely than males to take treats from a human's hand, and were more likely to show fear. Both increased age and tenure in caging were associated with an increased probability of taking the treat. These findings may have implications for programs aiming to monitor and address fearful behavior.
传统的非人类灵长类动物实验室笼舍通常采用 2 层式设计，笼舍呈垂直堆叠的 2 排水平排列。关于笼舍排对心理幸福感影响的研究结果不一致。本研究检验了在笼舍底层生活的恒河猴（）是否比上层的猴子对试图进行的积极人际互动反应更差，这表明对于生活在底层的动物来说，人类是更大的应激源。这种试图进行的积极社交互动形式是通过手动提供食物奖励。这项研究涉及 270 只雄性和雌性独居恒河猴，年龄在 2.4 至 27.4 岁之间。笼舍位置不仅与笼舍层级有关，还与笼舍架靠近房间门的位置有关。一名技术人员记录动物是否在 10 秒内取回奖励，还记录了测试期间所有针对技术人员的社交行为。未检测到笼舍层级的影响，也未发现靠近门的影响。然而，研究对象的性别、年龄和终身室内笼舍居住时间存在显著差异。雌性比雄性更不可能从人类手中取食，也更有可能表现出恐惧。年龄和笼舍居住时间的增加都与取食奖励的可能性增加有关。这些发现可能对旨在监测和解决恐惧行为的项目具有重要意义。
