Workshop on Macaque Pair Housing

This workshop focuses on one of the most important components of the behavioral management of caged laboratory macaques: providing social opportunities through pair housing. The workshop will provide a unique opportunity to learn about options for how to introduce macaques to one another, approaches for management of pair-housed monkeys, and practices to help maintain the pairs over time. Workshop participants will learn to tailor their own pair housing programs to the research and animal populations with which they work. The workshop instructors have a deep knowledge of the challenges associated with pair housing of macaques, publications on this topic, and many years of real-world experience. This 3.5-day workshop will provide behavioral, clinical, research and primate care staff members, as well as managers and veterinarians, with practical information about methodological options for forming pairs, the tools for evaluating behavior, and strategies for achieving positive short and long-term outcomes. The information provided will be based on a scientific understanding of macaque behavior and on published studies evaluating pair housing. Lectures and demonstrations will be complemented by ample practice in decision making, problem solving, and the evaluation of social compatibility through videotaped and live observation of macaques.