• How to minimize stress in handling and anesthesia of Non-human Primates

• Training and conditioning: Handling, examination, sample collection, and manipulation of animals without the use of drugs.

• Preparing for and handling the "Escaped Non-Human Primate"

• Oral medication regimens for anesthesia and sedation of primates.

• Remote drug delivery methods: How to safely, efficiently, and atraumatically use darts and dart projectors for anesthesia of primates under captive, laboratory, and free ranging conditions.

• Drug dosage recommendations: The latest in safe, practical, and reliable species-specific and scenario-specific drug and dosage recommendations, including recommendations for over 50 species of non-human primates.

• Rapid Immobilization: How much damage can an escaped animal cause in 2 minutes? Five simple techniques that will cut your induction time by 25-50% (the time from medication injection until the animal is immobilized).

• Techniques for sighting in dart projectors to ensure accurate, atraumatic dart delivery.

• Practical, field-tested modifications necessary for accurate and consistent results with currently manufactured darting systems and radiotracking devices.

• Proper injection sites to ensure rapid drug absorption and effects.

• Drug delivery technology: Advantages and disadvantages of the various commercially available darting systems, when applied to primates.

• Dosage calculation

• How to re-dose animals incompletely immobilized on approach.

• Anesthetic monitoring/Post immobilization care: Proper species-specific positioning, techniques of dart removal and dart wound care. Physiologic assessment techniques: temperature, pulse, heart rate, respiratory rate, capillary refill time, pulse oximetry, capnography-with checklists provided to help keep you organized and on track in the field.

• Medical emergencies associated with capture, immobilization, and handling: How to prevent, recognize, and treat bloat, capture myopathy, shock, hyperthermia, hypothermia, seizures, and other complications which can be avoided and managed in association with chemical immobilization.

• Accidental human exposure to immobilizing medications: Which drugs are dangerous to humans? What can you expect with accidental human exposure? Standard Operating Procedures to prevent human exposure to immobilizing drugs. How to coordinate with your physician and local poison control to develop protocols should an accidental exposure occur.

The following additional topics will be discussed at the Maryland location:

• The effects of anesthetic agents on hematology, blood chemistry, and hormonal studies

• Non-human primate analgesia

• Zoonotic disease implications with anesthesia of Non-Human Primates

• Developing ethical Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) protocols

• Safe Handling and Use of Immobilization Darts: Assembly, loading, unloading, and cleaning of the various brands available in the US.

• Use of Safety Equipment for Prevention of Accidental Exposure to Anesthetic Drugs

• Safe Handling and Use of Short and Long Range Dart Projectors including CO2, Air, and 22 blank powered projectors

• Practice and Development of Proficiency with:

  • Pole Syringes

  • Blowgun Delivery of Anesthetic Darts: Even if  you have never used a blowgun before, you will leave this portion of the program accurate and proficient with this safe, inexpensive, and atraumatic technique of dart delivery.

  • Radio-Tracking Darts for efficient location of animals and retrieval of lost darts.