One means of providing increased human/nonhuman primate interaction is by providing food treats. This study was designed to assess the effect of this type of contact on the behavioral well-being of one species of laboratory primate. Eight adult rhesus monkeys were studied. An A-B-A paradigm was used to assess the impact of human interaction while providing food treats to the monkeys. Three times a week during the experimental condition, the investigator provided nutritionally balanced Purina Monkey YumsR as supplementary food items. Results of this study showed significant alterations in the frequency and duration of 5 categories of behavior and total abnormal behaviors between the three experimental conditions. The results indicate that investing extra time with rhesus monkeys, using their signals for communication and the provisioning of supplementary food can result in a significant reduction of certain undesirable behaviors. Unlike other methods of enrichment, the effects of human interaction and food supplementation appear to be protracted, resulting in a reduction of behavioral pathology even after the enrichment is removed.
