? There is a severe shortage of rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) required to fulfill critical needs in research on AIDS, on development of vaccines against infectious agents that could be used as biological weapons, and on a wide variety of other topics in biomedical research. Rhesus macaques derived from monkeys of Indian origin have unique characteristics that are particularly valuable in research on the development of AIDS vaccines. Despite the recent expansion breeding colonies in the United States, the shortage of these important research animals is actually increasing in severity, accentuating the need for new sources of Indian-type rhesus. Indian-type rhesus macaques exist in large numbers throughout many regions of Nepal. There are no restrictions against export of these animals from Nepal. The objective of this proposal is to address the urgent need for a new source of Indian-type rhesus macaques for use in biomedical research by developing a captive breeding colony in Nepal.
We aim to develop a self-sustaining colony capable of supplying 75 animals per year to the US to meet critical biomedical research needs. ? ?
