ABSTRACT
Behavioral management is a comprehensive strategy that includes using enrichment, positive reinforcement training, facilities and enclosure design, positive staff–animal interactions, and behavioral monitoring to promote psychological well-being. Behavioral management programs strive to create an environment and a staff culture that encourage species-specific behavior and are proactive in avoiding the occurrence of abnormal behavior. With the use of nonhuman primates (NHPs) in biomedical research and the high profile of great apes, the components of behavioral management for many primates, including gorillas, chimpanzees, and macaques, have been well documented. While the majority of information related to the care and behavioral management of prosimians has been refined in zoos and noninvasive research settings, the principles and practices followed here are highly relevant to prosimians in a more traditional research setting. Prosimian primates comprise lemurs, lorises, pottos, and galagos. Establishing and maintaining species-specific social groups is critical to the successful housing of prosimians when considering their behavioral well-being.
