CNPRC Staff Education and Training

CNPRC Staff Education and Training

The Behavioral Management Department strongly believes that high-quality animal care requires staff members to be both knowledgeable of the behavioral biology of the species they care for, as well as ensure staff is up-to-date with recent advances in the field. The Behavioral Management Department is dedicated to training and education and as such, provides an introductory training course in nonhuman primate(NHP)  behavior to new CNPRC employees who are expected to work in animal areas. Topics include recognizing and interpreting normal behaviors, appropriate demeanor in the presence of caged NHPs, how to implement different types of environmental enrichment and the rationale behind each, causes and treatment of abnormal behavior, methods and responsibilities associated with social introductions, positive reinforcement training, essential methods of safe interactions, and outdoor colony behavioral management. Additionally, behavioral management staff provide a ‘training to train’ course to promote positive human-animal interactions and encourage voluntary cooperation of the animals with various husbandry, clinical, and research-related procedures.