APV Announces First Webinar

11/27/2018

Join us for the first APV webinar: "Establishing and Managing a Behavioral Management Program for Nonhuman Primates." Steven J Schapiro, PhD, will discuss behavioral management programs, providing numerous examples of socialization, environmental enrichment, and positive reinforcement training. The webinar will take place on  Wednesday, January 30, 2019 at 12:00 pm Central Time. APV members can register by visiting the webinar page. You must be logged in to access this content. This program 102-35255  is approved by the AAVSB RACE to offer a total of 1.00 CE Credit to any veterinarian and/or veterinary technician in the subject matter category of Medical.

The sophisticated behavioral, social, and cognitive capabilities of nonhuman primates (NHPs) necessitate the provision of functionally appropriate captive environments (FACEs) for members of these genera that are living and working in research settings. While functional simulations of some aspects of the natural environment are relatively easy to provide in captivity, other aspects are considerably more difficult to functionally simulate, especially in situations where the number of subjects, the amount of personnel time, and/or the availability of space and resources are limited. This can be particularly problematic for smaller NHP programs, where access to behavioral management expertise may also be limited. This webinar will attempt to accomplish four major goals: 1) provide an extremely brief introduction to the importance of behavioral management; 2) provide insights into the effective organization (of personnel, space, and resources) of a behavioral management program; 3) provide guidance for prioritizing behavioral management initiatives; and 4) highlight obstacles and strategies that affect the integration of behavioral management practices with husbandry, veterinary, and research protocols. Examples addressing all four goals derived from our successful behavioral management program at MD Anderson’s Keeling Center and from our annual Primate Behavioral Management Conference will be presented.

Dr. Schapiro is Associate Professor of Comparative Medicine, Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, in Bastrop, TX, as well as Honorary Professor, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen in Copenhagen, Denmark. Dr. Schapiro has a broad background in primatology, with specific training and expertise in the management, behavior, and cognition of chimpanzees, baboons, rhesus and cynomolgus macaques, owl monkeys, and squirrel monkeys. Dr. Schapiro has taught many workshops across the US and the world on behavioral management of captive nonhuman primates.



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