Psychological enrichment for animals in captivity

Abstract

Animal care in biomedical facilities has undergone a dramatic transformation in the area of psychological well-being and enrichment over the past two decades. Today, attending to the behavioral needs of research animals is considered an integral part of animal care. Enrichment is defined as environmental stimuli provided to research animals in an effort to improve well-being by increasing species-specific and decreasing abnormal behaviors. Such environmental enhancement can help alleviate some of the stress associated with living in captivity, and can thus produce a better research model. This chapter discusses some of the issues surrounding the provision of enrichment and details some basic enrichment strategies, with emphasis on rodents, dogs, and nonhuman primates. © 2008 Humana Press Inc.