Apes (e.g., Chimpanzees, Gibbons, Orangutans), Monkeys (e.g., Baboons, Capuchins, Macaques) and Prosimians (e.g., Bush Babies, Lemurs, Lorises)
NOTE: The Primate Guidelines have been reorganized to include separate subsections for two major groups of primates (A – Monkeys and Prosimians, and B – Apes). In general, numbering of paragraphs from the previous edition of the Guidelines has mostly been maintained, for ease of reference. Therefore, in sections where paragraphs have been added, moved or combined, one or more of the following may occur in the paragraph numbering: decimal points, letter extensions (i.e., A and B), and gaps in number sequences.
American Humane urges producers to understand the complex issues regarding the use of all wild animals, including primates, in filmed media.
Before productions decide to contract for the use of primates in any filmed media production, American Humane urges them to consider the following issues:
Impact on primate socialization, due to the separation of infant primates from their mothers.
- Primates have the longest infant dependency of any animals other than humans, with infant apes dependent on their mothers for up to four years.
- Primates, and apes in particular, learn species-appropriate social behavior and cues from their mothers, families and other group members during their infancy and adolescence.
- Hand-reared and peer-reared primates suffer from a lack of socialization, often leading to later inabilities to socialize or become integrated into groups of the same species or to engage in proper reproductive or parenting behavior.
Retirement planning for performing apes.
- Apes can live up to 60 years and are typically retired by age 8.
- Apes are expensive to properly house, feed and provide care for.
American Humane strongly encourages owners and animal handlers to have retirement plans for apes used in entertainment and further recommends that production require proof of such plans before contracting with ape providers.
DEFINITION NOTE:
Apes (e.g., chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons) can be distinguished by their lack of a tail. Monkeys (e.g., capuchins, baboons, macaques) and prosimians (e.g., lemurs, bush babies, lorises) can be distinguished by their having a tail. The term “primate” can apply to both categories.
General Primate Guidelines
(Apes, Monkeys and Prosimians)
Training
The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) “is opposed to the removal of canine teeth in captive nonhuman primates or exotic and wild (indigenous) carnivores, except when required for medical treatment or scientific research approved by an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Reduction of canine teeth may be necessary to address medical and approved scientific research needs or animal or human safety concerns. If reductions expose the pulp cavity, endodontic procedures must be performed by a qualified person. To minimize bite wounds, recommended alternatives to dental surgery include behavioral modification, environmental enrichment, and changes in group composition.”
See the Exotic/Captive Wildlife Guidelines in this chapter for a complete AVMA/USDA Advisory on declawing/defanging.
8-218 American Humane recommends that production use only qualified animal handlers who practice humane training techniques.
8-219 American Humane encourages that production request USDA inspection reports from owner compounds and training facilities prior to contracting their animals for production, and to reject suppliers that have recent and/or repeated incidents of animal abuse and/or neglect or other USDA violations related to animal care and treatment.
8-223 American Humane recommends that production require the animal handler to sign an affidavit stating that the handler uses only positive reinforcement techniques to train and manage animals in filmed entertainment. A copy of the affidavit shall be provided to American Humane prior to production commencing.
8-224 Production should insist that American Humane Certified Animal Safety Representatives have unrestricted access to and presence at training compounds before, during and after production, to ensure that humane training methods are used and to assess the animals’ appropriateness for the action prior to shooting.
8-225 Primates used on sets must appear to be calm, well-behaved and comfortable in all situations, or American Humane will require a delay in filming.
8-226 Primates should be worked using only acceptable training methods incorporating positive reinforcement. Intimidation, threatening tactics, and shock collars or other shocking devices are unacceptable training and control methods, and their use is prohibited. Hitting or striking the animals is also prohibited.
8-227 Prior to production commencing, primates must be trained to perform all anticipated behaviors and must be socially experienced, if required to work with other animals of the same or different species. If working in direct contact with human actors, the animals must be comfortable with the actors. Any changes to scripted action for the animals should be communicated clearly to American Humane and to the animal handler well in advance of scheduled shooting, to provide enough time for adequate behavioral training. Any last-minute changes to animal action might require American Humane to postpone shooting to allow time for proper training techniques to be used.
8-227.1 Primates that are underweight, overweight or otherwise not in appropriate physical or mental condition (based on animal behavior) to perform the required work shall not be used. Animals shall not be used if, in American Humane’s judgment, they are not in appropriate condition or are not trained, prepared and conditioned to perform the required animal action.
8-227.2 Use of food (or restriction of food) as motivation should be monitored. Care must be taken to ensure the primates’ intake of normal diet. Food deprivation for extended periods of time as a training method can lead to dangerous behavioral repercussions.
Hours of Usage and Rest
8-228 When primates are to be used in productions for two or more consecutive days, care must be taken to ensure adequate rest. Animal handlers must know each animal’s capabilities for dealing with workloads. The work schedule must allow for regular breaks from training and filming throughout the day, and breaks and rest schedules must be agreed upon by American Humane.
8-229 Primates may be on set for no more than eight hours per day, beginning at the time of their arrival (call time) until the animal action is wrapped.
a. Primates may not be worked more than a maximum of 10 hours per day, including travel time.
b. Primates under 1 year of age will be limited to a maximum of three to five hours on set per day. Individual animals’ capabilities will be assessed by the American Humane Certified Animal Safety Representative.
8-230 Nighttime use of monkeys and/or prosimians is discouraged. Nighttime use of apes is not permitted. (See Section B, Apes.)
a. If monkeys and/or prosimians are used after sundown, their working time should not exceed three hours during darkness or occur later than 9 p.m., whichever comes first.
b. The nighttime use of monkeys and prosimians must be factored into their maximum daily limit of eight hours on set.
c. True nocturnal primates (e.g., some prosimians, owl monkeys) are best worked at night. However, as these animals have light- sensitive eyes, exposure to strong lighting should be minimized. (Also see Section A, Monkeys and Prosimians.)
d. American Humane should be consulted prior to filming.
8-233 Stages must be kept cool around primates. Primates may not be on set for reasons other than filming, rehearsing, and preparing or otherwise becoming familiar with objects, people or other animals that will be in the scene, as agreed to in advance by American Humane.
8-234 Primates may not be used as stand-ins or for lighting adjustments. Suitable animal substitutes should be used.
8-235 American Humane encourages animal handlers to use doubles or backup animals that can be interchanged during production. This provides adequate rest for each animal and avoids the coercion of uncooperative animals.
Safety
8-236 Primates can be extremely strong. A minimum of two handlers must work with each large monkey (e.g., baboon, macaque) and any ape over the age of 2. American Humane recommends using three experienced animal handlers when working with any ape 4 years or older, to ensure control of the animal. (See Section A, Monkeys and Prosimians, and Section B, Apes.)
8-237 *Pursuant to the USDA, primates’ teeth must not be modified by filing or cutting for any reason.
8-238 The set must be closed to all unnecessary cast and crew when primates are on set. When primates are working outdoors, special precautions are necessary to prevent their escape, as primates are extraordinarily quick and have uncanny climbing abilities. Those precautions must be agreed upon by American Humane. If any safety line, leash, etc., is used, the animal must be habituated and comfortable with such use. (Also see Guideline 1-36.)
8-239 Stages must be checked by the animal handler and American Humane for escape routes and potential hazards. Because primates can quickly climb to great heights and are capable of opening and closing doors, drawers and other objects, any products containing harmful chemicals or sharp items must be removed from the area. Props used on the set must be checked by the animal handler and American Humane. (Also see Guideline 1-36.)
8-240 Clothes used on primates must be loose fitting, easy to put on and remove (Velcro® is preferred), and may not interfere with the primates’ senses or natural movements, including walking, climbing, hearing or seeing.
8-241 Prior to filming, primates must be introduced to characters and stationary or moving objects that the primate may find frightening or otherwise unnatural.
a. For example, primates must be familiarized with any animatronic objects or people in costume, such as those portraying clowns or beasts.
b. Primates should also be familiarized with any motion, lighting or noise effects, such as strobes, buzzers and honking horns.
8-242 Safety meetings will be held routinely with cast and crew (following a schedule approved by American Humane), especially on long shoots, to maintain awareness that primates are wild animals and can pose a potential risk. Primates must be treated with respect and caution at all times. It must also be emphasized that each animal has a distinct personality, and that cast and crew must not become overly relaxed or complacent around the animals, thinking they know their behaviors. Cast and crew must maintain respect for primates’ capabilities at all times.
8-243 Animals must be kept in a quiet, secluded holding area when not working on the set. It shall be clearly communicated to cast and crew that animals are off-limits when they are not working.
Housing and General Care
8-244 If primates come from different suppliers/animal handlers, provisions must be made to keep the animals housed separately and habituated to work together during production.
8-246 *American Humane recommends that production companies require sufficient holding cages or enclosures that, at a minimum, meet USDA/APHIS standards, and that those holding cages/enclosures be available to house primates during the shoot. Perches and/or climbing opportunities must be provided for each animal. American Humane considers these standards to be at a minimal level and expects that humane owners and trainers will exceed these standards.
8-247 During the production, housing facilities must be designed and constructed so that they are structurally safe for the species of primates housed in them. Housing must be kept in good repair, protect the animals from injury, contain the animals securely, and restrict other animals (including vermin) from entering. Such space and conditions must be approved by American Humane.
8-248 During filming, primates must be kept in facilities that provide shelter from wind, rain and extreme temperature variations. Ambient temperatures must be kept between 50 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit, ideally in the 70s.
8-249 If primates are housed in a vehicle at a location for filming, the same housing requirements (safety, security, ability to exercise, USDA mandated space standards) must be met.
8-251 During filming, primates may be housed only in enclosures that do not permit the transfer of waste materials between enclosures.
8-252 While on set, all primates must be provided with spill-proof sources of water in a device that is not easily soiled. Water sources must be checked frequently throughout the day to ensure the primates’ access to clean, potable water.
8-253 During production, primates must never be left unsecured, unattended or alone in vehicles. Staffing must be adjusted accordingly to provide primates with appropriate care and supervision, which should not be left to unqualified personnel.
ADVISORY: Production must provide on-set housing or parking as close to the filming location as would allow trainers to properly attend to the animals. Security personnel may also be necessary near the housing and/or parked vehicle.
Zoonotic Disease Risks
8-254* Prior to primates’ arrival on set, proof of negative tuberculosis tests must be provided to production by the owner or trainer for each primate used, pursuant to USDA regulations. For certain species, additional tests (e.g., herpes B virus, hepatitis A and B) must be provided, along with an up-to-date record of vaccinations/infectious disease tests for each primate, or a letter from the attending veterinarian stating why a specific test has not been given and/or is unwarranted for the individual animal. American Humane may request such information.
8-255 If primates are to be mixed with other non-primate animals, veterinary health certificates must be presented to American Humane prior to production commencing, along with any vaccination records, as deemed appropriate by American Humane.
8-256 Issues and risks of zoonotic disease transmission will be clearly communicated to cast and crew, as well as their need to wash their hands and any other body parts that come in contact with primates. Because of their close genetic relationship to humans, primates can share many of the same colds and diseases to which humans are susceptible. Primates not only can be potential disease vectors, but they can become gravely ill from disease transmission from humans. A written handout describing proper hygienic practices is available from American Humane, and it can be distributed and discussed with cast and crew.
8-257 Any time a primate defecates or urinates on set, work must stop and the area must be thoroughly cleaned to prevent the spread of communicable diseases.
8-258 Human contact with a primate shall be limited to only those people necessary for filming. Any cast or crew member with a cold, respiratory infection or other contagious virus must be prevented from working near any primate until that cast or crew member is fully recovered. This should also include people working around sets or with equipment that primates have access to, or around holding facilities for the animals.
8-259 Primates showing respiratory symptoms (e.g., nasal discharge, coughing or sneezing) must be examined by a qualified veterinarian prior to returning to work. Possible contagion issues will be discussed with cast and crew.
8-260 Primate bites or scratches that break the skin should be evaluated to determine the necessity for medical attention. American Humane requires documentation that production has reported the bite to appropriate animal control agencies.
a. A physician shall examine any primate bite or scratch to a human.
b. A veterinarian shall examine any primate bite to another animal.
c. Any primate bite that requires medical or veterinary attention must be reported by production to the local animal control agency or public health agency (as appropriate in the jurisdiction). Documentation of the report must be provided to American Humane. In addition, American Humane will notify local animal control agencies as to the presence of primates on location for filming.
d. Production will provide both the person who was bitten (or the owner of the animal bitten) and the animal control agency/health agency with the biting primate’s licensing and vaccination information and its owner’s name and address, and will provide a copy of such documentation to American Humane.
Enrichment/Psychological Well-being
8-261* The Animal Welfare Act mandates certain protocols for ensuring primates’ psychological well-being, including provisions for environmental enrichment in the animals’ enclosures. When primates work at a distant location from their home facility for two or more consecutive full days, enrichment of their temporary holding enclosures must be met. This includes appropriate perching and nesting furnishings, as well as behavioral and psychological enrichment activities and equipment, as agreed upon by American Humane.
Section A) Monkeys and Prosimians
(e.g., Baboons, Capuchins, Macaques and Bush Babies, Lemurs, Lorises, etc.)
Training
8-220A American Humane recommends that no monkey or prosimian under 1 year of age be worked on set.
8-222A If mothers and infant monkeys or prosimians need to be separated for training purposes, American Humane recommends they not be separated until the offspring are at least 1 year of age.
Hours of Usage and Rest
8-230A Nighttime use of monkeys and/or prosimians is discouraged.
a. If monkeys/prosimians are used after sundown, their working time should not exceed three hours during darkness or occur later than 9 p.m., whichever comes first.
b. The nighttime use of monkeys and prosimians must be factored into their maximum daily limit of eight hours on set.
c. True nocturnal primates (e.g., some prosimians, owl monkeys) are best worked at night. However, as these animals have light-sensitive eyes, exposure to strong lighting should be minimized.
d. American Humane should be consulted prior to filming.
8-231A When monkeys or prosimians are used past 6 p.m., the animals must be conditioned and habituated to working in the evening. Work after dark should be limited to three hours, with frequent breaks (i.e., every half-hour) to rest the animals and assess their ability to continue.
8-232A If monkeys or prosimians are worked outside after dark, extra precautions, due to limited visibility, must be put in place to avoid injury or escape. These precautions must be approved by American Humane. (Also see Guideline 1-36.)
Section B) Apes
Training
8-220B American Humane recommends that no apes under 2 years of age be worked on set.
8-222B If mothers and infant apes need to be separated for training purposes, American Humane recommends they not be separated until the offspring are at least 2 years old; and, until the age of 5, offspring and mothers should be reunited at the end of each day following training periods.
Hours of Usage and Rest
8-229B Apes may be on set for no more than eight hours per day, beginning at their time of arrival (call time) until the animal action is wrapped. Apes may not be worked more than a maximum of 10 hours per day, including travel time. Infant apes (under 2 years of age) will be limited to a maximum of three to five hours on set per day (each individual’s capabilities will be assessed by the American Humane Certified Animal Safety Representative).
8-230B Nighttime use of apes is not permitted. Ape action should be wrapped by darkness, as apes naturally sleep after dusk. American Humane suggests filming day for night when scenes require apes appearing to be used at night.
Safety
8-236B Apes are extremely strong by the time they are 2 years old and, due to their opposable big toes, they also have extraordinary control. A minimum of two handlers must work with each ape over the age of 2. American Humane recommends using three experienced trainers when working with any ape 4 years of age or older, to ensure control of the animal.
8-237B Apes can be very possessive of objects and food. Care must be taken when working around apes on set, and only trainers should move props or food in the presence of apes, unless crew members are given specific permission by the trainer. Crew members should not have food on set when apes are present.
Housing and General Care
8-238B American Humane encourages production and trainers to house all apes on compounds with social companions, as social deprivation has proven to be detrimental to the long-term welfare of apes.
8-249B When apes work on set for two or more consecutive full days (i.e., six or more hours per day), a play area, an empty room or a private park where apes may safely and securely exercise and relax must be provided.
8-250B When apes work on set for three or more consecutive full days (i.e., six or more hours per day, excluding travel days) or on location, away from the animal compound (where the animals live), a compatible social companion of the same species must be provided to the apes to interact with during downtime. The duration and frequency of breaks must be approved by American Humane.