Jaco Bakker

Dr. Bakker gained his Ph.D. at Utrecht University, Netherlands in 2017. Since graduating as a veterinarian in 2002, Dr. Bakker has continuously worked at the BPRC, which houses several NHP species (owl monkeys - Aotus trivirgatus), chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus), cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis), rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and marmosets (Callithrix jacchus). In 2011, he was appointed as the director of BPRC’s veterinary department and the center’s designated veterinarian. His duties include membership in the Animal Welfare Body, general animal care, establishing and implementing enrichment programs, reviewing research protocols, disease monitoring (preventive medicine), evaluating new treatments for the animals, supervising breeding programs, educating and training personnel (scientific and technical), and public education. As a member of the Animal Welfare Body, he is involved in the review of all animal care and uses applications in order to ensure the implementation of the three Rs. Specifically, his role is to advise on the design and experimental protocols of animal-based investigations, humane endpoints, and the appropriateness of the animal models and all experimental procedures in the proposed investigations. He is also actively involved in all research in laboratory animal science and medicine at BPRC whose aims are to improve veterinary care and welfare. Dr. Bakker has established several national and international collaborations, which have resulted in various joint publications and invitations to present the research outcomes. He is a member of the American Primate Veterinarians, the European Association of Zoo and Wildlife Veterinarians, the European Society of Laboratory Animal Veterinarians, and the Animal Ethics Committee, at Leiden University Medical Center. From 2017 to 2019 he was acting as the president of the European Primate Veterinarians society.