Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
enclosure. Transmission of diseases, such as West Nile
Virus and tularemia, has been reported in outdoor-housed
primates (
Iliff et al., 1996; Ratterree et al., 2003; Maetz-
Rensing et al., 2007; Ferrecchia, 2011
).
Pest control begins with the facility design and
construction (
Bohm and Kreitlein, 2009
). Perimeter foun-
dations should be deep enough to discourage animals from
tunneling underneath them. An underground perimeter
barrier such as aluminum woven wire or panels helps
prevent pests from burrowing into an enclosure. Use of rock
aprons around concrete slabs may discourage rodents from
tunneling under these structures. US Federal regulations
require that a perimeter fence be installed around a facility
housing nonhuman primates to discourage entry of large
mammals such as dogs and skunks as well as unauthorized
personnel.
A regular pest control program should be instituted
which is appropriate for the design and geographical
location of the facility. Microbiological monitoring of wild-
caught vermin should be part of the preventive medical
program to assess the risk of disease transmission. Efforts
to keep birds from outdoor facilities may include the use of
models of predators such as owls. The use of sticky resins
also discourages birds from perching near animal enclo-
sures. These techniques may be marginally effective in
keeping birds from the enclosure. Poison baits may provide
some control of pest populations, but poison baits should be
located to prevent risk of animal exposure to the toxic
agents. Rodent tunnels within animal enclosures may be
treated with poisonous gas when the primates are removed
from the enclosure. Some chemical agents selected are
regulated by state and federal laws and may only be applied
by licensed pest control applicators. Dead rodents must be
removed before the primates are allowed access to the
enclosure. Also, sufficient time must elapse to allow the
poisons in the enclosure to dissipate or inactivate before
the return of the animals. If the pest control program
includes the use of pesticides or poisons, the effectiveness
of these agents should be evaluated on a regular basis.
Using these agents on a routine basis can preclude signif-
icant increases in pest populations between applications.
In some geographical areas, the establishment of toxic
or otherwise harmful plants should be avoided.
facilities may be the most difficult to protect from unau-
thorized personnel access. Outdoor enclosures such as
corrals, field cages, corn cribs, or other group housing
enclosures may be surrounded by additional perimeter
fences for protection; see figures 21-11 and 21-12 in
Bohm
and Kreitlein (2009)
. These fences have limited effective-
ness in keeping out determined intruders. The use of double
door entries and locked doors into group housing enclo-
sures will help prevent the accidental escape of animals.
Entry doors into animal rooms should be equipped with
windows to allow observation of the room from a secure
location. Animal room doors should open inward to
discourage animal escape. Facilities should be periodically
checked to assure that doors and locks are secure and
functioning properly. The outside perimeter walls should
also be inspected for structural soundness to prevent escape
of animals. Nonhuman primates are ingenious at devel-
oping ways to escape from their primary enclosure.
Devices and structures placed in the enclosures for envi-
ronmental enrichment should be evaluated to assure they
will not provide avenues for the animals to escape.
CONCLUSION
Primate housing is expensive and, if constructed of stainless
steel, will last indefinitely. Therefore, it is well worth
spending time in thoughtful planning and consideration of
the various issues before selecting a primate housing
system. Ideally, a primate facility should have a caging
committee composed of personnel with a range of expertise
to provide input from numerous perspectives prior to new
caging acquisition. Veterinary, husbandry, facilities main-
tenance, research, and behavioral management staff are all
impacted by caging decisions. Flexibility in nonhuman
primate caging systems
to allow for enrichment devices,
socialization options, and animal training
e
is considered
essential according to currently accepted professional
judgment, guidelines, and regulations in various countries
(
National Research Council (Institute for Laboratory
Animal Research), 1998, 2011
;
International Primatological
Society, 2007
;
Jennings et al., 2009
). Housing system design
must also allow for proper sanitization, maintenance, and
personnel and animal safety. Additional references relevant
to primate housing are listed in Selected Readings in the first
edition of this chapter (
Kelley and Hall, 1995
).
e
SECURITY
The prevention of deliberate or accidental escape of
animals should be considered in any housing system.
Facilities designs should incorporate access control to
prevent domestic terrorism or other unwanted access by
unauthorized personnel (
National Research Council
(Institute for Laboratory Animal Research), 2011
).
Outdoor and indoor/outdoor primate housing facilities
are more difficult to secure than indoor facilities. Island
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Portions of this manuscript were prepared while the authors were
supported by NIH/NCRR RR00166 to the Washington National
Primate Research Center. This chapter has been improved by helpful
reviewers' comments. We thank our colleagues and the nonhuman
primates with whom we have worked over the years for providing
numerous insights into primate housing.
