Pacing Stereotypies in Laboratory Rhesus Macaques

This interesting review by AWRN members Colline Poirier and Melissa Bateson examines what is known about pacing stereotypies in rhesus macaques. They discuss whether stereotypies can be interpreted as a sign of poor welfare or not. The review highlights the lack of understanding of the causal factors underlying pacing behaviour and suggests that we are not currently able to infer the welfare of pacing macaques or whether they result from brain abnormalities. Given that rhesus macaques are widely used as a model of healthy humans in neuroscience research, understanding this behaviour could be of vital importance.

 

Poirier, C. & Bateson, M. (2017) Pacing stereotypies in laboratory rhesus macaques: Implications for animal welfare and the validity of neuroscientific findings. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.09.010