This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.To oversee all animal care and other colony-related activities for the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center, toward the goal of studying nonhuman primates to improve human and nonhuman primate health:1) To provide an excellent and consistent standard of animal husbandry for the nonhuman primate (nhp) colonies of the WNPRC.2) To provide an excellent and consistent standard of veterinary care for the nhp colonies of the WNPRC.3) To provide research support for researchers performing animal research at the WNPRC.a. Through provision of healthy animalsb. Through provision of expert veterinary assistance4) To ensure compliance of researchers, facilities with all institutional, local, state, federal laws, regulations, and guidelines pertaining to the performance of animal research.5) To ensure proper and thorough training of all personnel employed by the WNPRC.To fulfill the objectives outlined above, the Animal Services Division of the WNPRC is composed of four specialized individual units that maintain their own personnel and budgets. The individual units are: Colony Management, Veterinary Services, Behavioral Management, and Compliance and TrainingEach of the four units performs their own individual duties but also act in synergy to fulfill the specific aims of the division. Furthermore, the individual units interact with the other divisions to fulfill the goals of the entire Center. Veterinary Services UnitThe Veterinary Services Unit of the WNPRC is composed of five veterinarians and six veterinary technicians The principal objective of the unit is to provide consistent and excellent care to the nhp colonies housed at the WNPRC. To achieve this objective, the unit has created and implemented a collection of policies that guide the provision of veterinary care at the WNPRC. These policies, which encompass pertinent topics such as nhp quarantine, preventative medicine, and clinical/surgical care, are based on the most contemporary techniques available to nhp veterinarians. The second major objective of the unit is to provide support for the investigators performing research at the WNPRC. The primary way in which the unit supports the investigators is by ensuring a consistent supply of healthy nhps is available for utilization in experimental studies. The veterinary staff also assists investigators by meeting with them prior to an experiment to discuss and plan for each proposed study, by helping compose IACUC protocols, by performing procedures beyond the skill level of the investigators, and by providing clinical care for the nhps assigned to research projects.The final objective of the unit is to provide training for personnel working with nhps at the WNPRC and at other institutions. Through didactic and applied instruction, the unit provides training to veterinary and veterinary technical students, visiting veterinarians and veterinary technicians, WNPRC and visiting investigators, and scientific support staff.The Veterinary Services Unit works closely with the other units of the Animal Services Division as well other divisions of the WNPRC. This collaboration ensures the most complete and effective care of our animals and benefits the Veterinary Services unit as well the other individual units and divisions of the WNPRC.Colony Management UnitThe Colony Management Unit is one of the most crucial components of the WNPRC infrastructure as it supports the entire animal husbandry program of the Center. The Colony Management Unit consists of a colony manager, 3 supervisors, 22 full-time animal research technicians, and 2 colony records assistants. The daily tasks performed by the Colony Management Unit include: + Provision of food to the nonhuman primate colonies+ Thorough cleansing of the enclosures and rooms that house the nonhuman primates + Thorough cleansing of the remainder of the animal holding facilities+ Minor maintenance of the animal holding facilitiesIn addition to their husbandry duties, the personnel of the Colony Management Unit perform pivotal tasks for the Veterinary Services, Behavioral Management and Enrichment, and the Centralized Protocol Implementation Units of the Center. These tasks include, but are not limited to the following:+ Documentation and communication of daily health reports on the nonhuman primate colonies+ Maintenance of colony records+ Collection of behavioral and scientific data+ Administration of medical and experimental treatments+ Delivery of environmental enrichment objects+ Collection of blood and other tissue samples for experimental and clinical purposes.Finally, in cooperation with the Senior Management Team, the Colony Manager maintains the nhp breeding colonies of the Center and ensures that a sufficient supply of healthy, genetically characterized animals are available to core, collaborative, and outside investigators.Colony Records SubunitOne full-time and one part-time assistant staff this subunit of Colony Management. The subunit's staff is responsible for the daily entry of all data related to the nonhuman primate colony including clinical procedures, animal location transfers, treatments, research procedures, surgical procedures, sample collections, and health observations. Colony Records staff also assure the quality control of data entries, train new staff on how to use the Animal Records Database, and perform database queries. The subunit is appropriately situated in the Colony Management unit to foster frequent communication among personnel performing the work being documented. The unit works closely with the Information Services Division of the WNPRC to continuously improve the Internet-based version of the Colony Records Database and to facilitate and simplify the data entry and retrieval process.Behavioral Management Unit In 2006, the Environmental Enrichment Subunit of Colony Management was elevated to Unit status and was renamed Behavioral Management. The Behavioral Management Unit promotes and enhances psychological well being for the entire nhp colony while ensuring that the animals are free from unnecessary pain and distress. By utilizing a combination of environmental enrichment, behavior modification, and positive reinforcement, the program attempts to promote a diverse array of species typical behaviors in the captive nhps, increases each animal's control and utilization of their environment, and decreases the occurrence of stereotypical and self-injurious behavior To help achieve the objectives of the Behavioral Management Program the personnel of the unit have fashioned a thorough and creative Environmental Enrichment Plan. This plan is consists of the following components: + Social companionship+ Foraging+ Food enrichment+ Human to non-human interaction+ Structural enrichment+ Manipulanda + Additional sensory stimulation Each component of the enrichment plan has been designed to work in unison with the other components to create a comfortable and psychologically challenging environment for the nhps. An active enrichment committee, which is composed of ARTs, members of the veterinary staff, and members of the Central Protocol Implementation group, along with all the Behavioral Management Unit's personnel, continually evaluates existing techniques and creates and implements new approaches.Compliance and Training Unit Compliance and Training is a multi-dimensional unit with a variety of responsibilities. The primary objectives of the unit are to train all personnel at the WNPRC who may come in contact with nhps or their tissue; to ensure that the WNPRC facilities and personnel remain compliant with all animal welfare regulations; to assist investigators in the development of IACUC protocols; and to guide the Occupational Health and Safety Program of the Center. Since its inception in 2005, the unit has worked in collaboration with the various divisions and investigators of the WNPRC to standardize training and promote a center-wide atmosphere of regulatory compliance. Publications note: Animal Services support is involved in practically every journal article that depends in part or in full on WNPRC resources.
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