University of Oklahoma Health Science Center
Inspection reports for August 8, 2003 list 15 adult
male primates that are housed individually with nothing to demonstrate
environmental enhancement other than the residue of some treats left on
the bottom of their cages. They had been maintained this way for 4 – 6
months despite the requirements of the environmental enhancement plan
which called for perches, toys, etc.
This same report also states: “The temperature outside
was 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The outside portion of their enclosure has 3
3x3 raised platforms with a roof, there are approximately 60 non-human
primates in each enclosure and they are locked out from the indoor
portion of their housing enclosure. The temperature did not drop until
5:00 PM when a rain storm came through the area and it was 85 degrees at
9:00 AM. More shade must be provided along with protection from the
weather if kept outside or access to the inside at all times so that the
non-human primates can get out of the weather when necessary.” The
enclosure also lacked a perimeter fence to keep wild animals away from
the primates.
There are several violations in the area of
environmental enhancement. “Aggressive behavior has been on the rise
lately, severe injuries have occurred, yet the daily log books don’t
indicate anything to be out of the ordinary. The care givers apparently
don’t have the time to spend observing the animals to determine which
ones are doing the attacks, there were 5 – 6 attacks just in the 10 – 15
minutes that I was watching.”
In September of 2003 various violations in the area of
environmental enhancement are listed. Many devices (hanging balls,
swings, foraging opportunities, video and radio stimulation) are
supposed to be in place. However, none of these items are apparent at
the time of inspection, and no logs indicate that they have been used.
At this time this lab housed 230 primates.
