LABORATORY PRIMATE NEWSLETTER Vol. 49, No. 1 January 2010 JUDITH E. SCHRIER, EDITOR JAMES S. HARPER, GORDON J. HANKINSON AND LARRY HULSEBOS, ASSOCIATE EDITORS MORRIS L. POVAR AND JASON MACHAN, CONSULTING EDITORS ELVA MATHIESEN, ASSISTANT EDITOR ALLAN M. SCHRIER, FOUNDING EDITOR, 1962-1987 Published Quarterly by the Schrier Research Laboratory Psychology Department, Brown University Providence, Rhode Island ISSN 0023-6861 POLICY STATEMENT The Laboratory Primate Newsletter provides a central source of information about nonhuman primates and related matters to scientists who use these animals in their research and those whose work supports such research. The Newsletter (1) provides information on care and breeding of nonhuman primates for laboratory research, (2) disseminates general information and news about the world of primate research (such as announcements of meetings, research projects, sources of information, nomenclature changes), (3) helps meet the special research needs of individual investigators by publishing requests for research material or for information related to specific research problems, and (4) serves the cause of conservation of nonhuman primates by publishing information on that topic. As a rule, research articles or summaries accepted for the Newsletter have some practical implications or provide general information likely to be of interest to investigators in a variety of areas of primate research. However, special consideration will be given to articles containing data on primates not conveniently publishable elsewhere. General descriptions of current research projects on primates will also be welcome. The Newsletter appears quarterly and is intended primarily for persons doing research with nonhuman primates. Back issues may be purchased for $10.00 each. We are no longer printing paper issues, except those we will send to subscribers who have paid in advance. We will not accept future subscriptions, unless subscribers are willing to pay $100/year. (Please make checks payable to the Brown University Psychology Department.) Readers with access to electronic mail may receive a notice when a new issue is put on the Website by sending the message subscribe LPN-WARN your-own-name to [email protected]. (Send the message subscribe LPN-PDF to receive PDF files by e-mail; or the message subscribe LPN-L to receive the nongraphic contents of each issue.) Current and back issues of the Newsletter are available on the World Wide Web at <http://www.brown.edu/primate>. Persons who have absolutely no access to the Web, or to the electronic mailing, may ask to have paper copies sent to them. The publication lag is typically no longer than the three months between issues and can be as short as a few weeks. The deadline for inclusion of a note or article in any given issue of the Newsletter has in practice been somewhat flexible, but is technically the tenth of December, March, June, or September, depending on which issue is scheduled to appear next. Reprints will not be supplied under any circumstances, but authors may reproduce their own articles in any quantity. PREPARATION OF ARTICLES FOR THE NEWSLETTER. – Articles, notes, and announcements may be submitted by mail, e-mail, or computer disk, but a printed copy of manuscripts of any length or complexity should also be sent by regular mail. Articles in the References section should be referred to in the text by author(s) and date of publication, e.g., Smith (1960) or (Smith & Jones, 1962). Names of journals should be spelled out completely in the References section. Latin names of primates should be indicated at least once in each note and article. In general, to avoid inconsistencies within the Newsletter, the Latin names used will be those in Mammal Species of The World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2nd Ed. D. E. Wilson & D. M. Reeder (Eds.). Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1993. For an introduction to and review of primate nomenclature see The Pictorial Guide to the Living Primates, by N. Rowe, Pogonias Press, 1996. All correspondence concerning the Newsletter should be addressed to: Judith E. Schrier, Psychology Department, Box 1853, Brown University Providence, Rhode Island 02912 [401-863-2511; FAX: 401-863-1300] e-mail address: [email protected] Current and back issues of the Newsletter are available on the World Wide Web at http://brown.edu/primate ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The Newsletter is supported by Brown University. Cover photograph of a white-handed gibbon (Hylobates lar), taken at the San Diego Zoo by Mark Abbott in 2007 Copyright © 2010 by Brown University Information Requested or Available Specific Gravity of Primates’ Urine building the case for integrating enrichment into re- search design. Brooke Aldrich, of the Monkey Sanctuary Trust, Looe, Cornwall, PL13 1NZ, U.K. [Phone and fax: 01503 “This community-based publication is not peer- 262 532; e-mail: [email protected]] has been reviewed. However, members of our Editorial Board are trying to monitor the health of an elderly female patas actively involved in all aspects of the publication. If you monkey (Erithrocebus patas). Part of the monitoring is want to write an article, submit a topic for discussion, or regular ‘multistix’ tests of her urine. Multistix measure a have any suggestions for ways to expand and engage our variety of things (glucose, protein, and so on). “Most of community in a lively dialogue on this subject, please them we have a grip on but normal specific gravity seems contact Jayne Mackta [732.869.9499; e-mail: to vary between humans, cats, and dogs and I can only [email protected]]. assume different primate species have different ‘normal’ measures. If anyone can furnish values, or references to “Subscriptions are free; the potential benefit to lab values, for patas monkeys (and, for that matter, other pri- animal welfare of sharing is priceless. We encourage you mate species, such as Barbary macaques, various capu- to subscribe and to spread the word about this new re- www.gr8tt.com/enrichrecord.html chins, woolly monkeys), we will be very grateful.” source; see < >.” The Enrichment Record More Interesting Websites “The first issue of The Enrichment Record is now American Association for Laboratory Animal Science available online. This quarterly E-Zine has been created (AALAS)’s online Buyers Guide: <labora- by and for the laboratory animal research community as toryanimalsciencebuyersguide.com> an online forum for: Animal Technology and Welfare: <www.nc3rs.org. discussing environmental enrichment in the optimal uk> care of laboratory animals; Legal Books from LexisNexis: <www.lexisnexis. com/store/catalog/category_lawfirms. documenting best practices and approaches for ad- jsp?segmentid=seg_law> dressing challenges of implementation and assess- ment at every level; National Association for Biomedical Research’s Animal Law Section: <www.NABRanimallaw.org> sharing data on the impact of environmental enrich- ment on science; and * * * Primatology, Wildlife Ecology, and Conservation Field School Jack Harris, Professor of Anthropology, Rutgers Uni- “We will also spend time on the Laikipia Plateau of versity, and Co-Director of Field Schools, Kenya, recently central Kenya. At the different sites where we camp, stu- wrote to the Primate-Science mailing list: “The fourth dents will receive lectures, complete readings, and have annual Primatology, Wildlife Ecology, and Conservation discussions with the Field School directors as well as a Field School will be held from August 3rd – 28th, 2010, wide range of consultants to the Field School including in Kenya. This field school is a joint effort of Rutgers Dr. Martin Mulama of Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctu- University, the National Museums of Kenya, and the ary, Dr. Paul Muoria of the African Wildlife Foundation, Kenya Wildlife Services. and Dr. Daniel Rubenstein of Mpala Research Centre, to name a few. In addition, we will stay on Mugie Ranch “The field school provides a distinctive opportunity where we will visit their black rhino sanctuary and data for students to gain hands-on experience in field work collection lab. We will observe radio-collared lions and methodologies and research on some of Kenya’s exquisite learn about the Laikipia Predator Project from Project wildlife including a variety of Old World primates. One Biologist Alayne Cotterill. Students will also do field site we will visit is the Tana River Primate National Re- work, making the Field School worth six academic cred- serve where students will conduct independent research its. projects and have the opportunity to observe not only the two endemic and endangered species, the Tana River “To obtain more information about this program, see mangabey and Tana River red colobus, but also yellow <primate.rutgers.edu>, contact me directly at baboons and Sykes monkeys. <[email protected]>, or visit the Rutgers Study Abroad Website at <studyabroad.rutgers.edu>.” 1 News Briefs FBR’s New Campaign of Central Africa (COMIFAC: <www.comifac.org>) and in accordance with its strategic plan, the Plan de The Foundation for Biomedical Research (FBR) Convergence. The Partnership focuses on 12 ecologically commissions public opinion polls and has found a precipi- sensitive and biologically diverse areas and wildlife corri- tous drop in public support of animal research, from 64% dors called forest landscapes, which are viewed as the in 2004 to 54% in 2008. In response, FBR recently most vulnerable to deforestation and other threats to bio- launched ResearchSaves, a campaign to explain why ani- diversity. Together, these landscapes comprise more than mal research is an essential step in finding new treatments 80 million hectares of critically important tropical forest and cures for disease. “ResearchSaves corrects miscon- in Central Africa. ceptions about biomedical research and stresses that ani- mal research is important, humane, and necessary to save Other U.S. agencies that have invested in the Congo lives,” FBR president Frankie Trull said. The campaign Basin Forest Partnership include the U.S. Agency for In- includes a robust media strategy to reach as many Ameri- ternational Development, the U.S.