霊長類に対する福祉的配慮：その考え方と実践

概要

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Animal welfare is an essential idea for researchers using captive animals. Primates are often like to be treated as targets for animal welfare. Non-human primates are genetically closed and similar to human being. However, this is not necessarily a reason to be considered deeply the welfare of primates. Primates have a specific property as they have complex requirements and/or suffering; social, intellectual, 3D space using requirements, and suffering of mental and physical stress. We have to focus on this in order to precede adequately discussion of animal welfare on primates. One of actual procedures to improve the animal welfare is environmental enrichment. In order to evaluate improvement of QOL of captive animals, behavioral criterion is mainly used, but physiological criterion should also be considered. Practicing environmental enrichment emphasizes on the importance of social environment for captive primates. A group-living condition in large individuals requires tackling physical and cognitive tasks, at the same time, through their complex social interaction. Complex social relationships associate captive animals with additional enrichment for adjusting feeding, inanimate, and physical environment. Such an approach of welfare entailing an animals entire resources possibly satisfies the complex demands in daily life of captive primates in direct and indirect manners.