Primate Services
Primate Services is a centralized unit for animal care, colony management, maintenance of facilities, staff training, occupational safety, and research support. Their goal is to ensure the health and well-being of the nonhuman primate colonies and to operate a centralized program that addresses all aspects of animal husbandry and health care.
A large staff of veterinarians, veterinary residents, and animal health technicians care for the Center's monkeys as well as provide research support. The animal care staff – about 100 individuals – feeds the animals, keeps their housing areas clean, monitors them daily, and works to promote the well-being of the animals in their care.
Year-round Dedication
Twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, the animal care team at CNPRC is committed to the health and welfare of our animals. Because CNPRC animals are crucial to discovering disease causes, preventions, treatments, and cures, we have developed tailored programs to meet the animals’ species-typical needs as well as their psychological well-being.
The CNPRC mission ensures the highest quality of animal care and well-being and demonstrates leadership in the field of nonhuman primate care, enrichment, and social housing. The state-of-the-art research and scientific findings at the Center contribute to the understanding and treatment of human and animal disease, but also increase knowledge of nonhuman primate behavior, nutrition, reproduction, development, health, and social networks, leading to further advancements in the level of care provided.
The CNPRC houses approximately 4,800 monkeys for research. The majority are rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta), with a small population of South American titi monkeys (Callicebus cupreus).
Approximately 600 infants are born outdoors each year, primarily in the spring. The Center also houses an aged colony, ranging in age up to 38 years, and partially supported by the National Institute on Aging. The CNPRC is focused on expanding its colony of "specific pathogen-free" or SPF monkeys to improve the health of the monkeys and the safety of the personnel. SPF monkeys are bred to be free of several endogenous viruses that, while harmless to monkeys, can have severe and sometimes fatal consequences if contracted by humans.