BEHAVIOURAL EVALUATION AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT IN A
FAMILY OF CAPTIVE JAPANESE MACAQUES (MACACA FUSCATA)
Requeijão, V.1, Sousa, C.1,2 ,3,
1 Dep. Antropologia,
Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
2 APP – Associação Portuguesa de Primatologia
3 CRIA - Centro em Rede de Investigação em Antropologia, Portugal
Okha
1. INTRODUCTION
This study focus on 2 males, Elli and Bart (infant) and 2
females, Okha (mother) and Ryotsu. The two females are
sisters. They live in a naturalistic enclosure. The main goal
was to determine if environmental enrichment influences the
behaviour of the individuals, decreasing the stereotyped
behaviours and increasing welfare.
12
7
6
10
5
8
Grooming
Nurse
Rest
Forage
Chase
Spatialproximity
Self-grooming
4
SocialPlay
Bitewood
Shaketoys
Playwithstructures
6
3
4
2
2. METHODS
Observational sessions of continuous focal sampling during
66 days in three months, 2 hours a day, 30 minutes per
individual. It totalizes 1980 minutes of observation per
individual. There were three periods of observation: before
enrichment (16 days), during enrichment (23 days) and after
enrichment (27 days).
2
1
0
0
Before
During
After
Before
Figure 3 – Evolution of some social and agonistic
Behaviours.
During
After
Figura 4 – Evolution of some stereotypied behaviour
and others.
Ryotsu
12
10
9
10
8
3. DISPOSITIVES OF ENRICHMENT
Table 1 shows the different elements of enrichment used
during the phase two – during enrichment. After this phase,
the items that more succeed with the macaques were chosen
and repeated and the others abandoned, as demonstrated in
table 2, the after enrichment phase.
7
8
6
Grooming
Rest
Forage
Stare
Flee
Spatialproximity
Self-grooming
SocialPlay
6
5
Playwithstructures
Shaketoys
4
4
3
2
2
1
0
0
Before
Table 1 – Enrichment devices used in period “during enrichment” – June / July 2007
1 - 20
3 - 22
5 - 24
7 - 26
8 - 28
11-30
June
June
June
June
June
June
13 Jun - 2 Jul
15 Jun - 4 Jul
18-Jun
07-Jul
Before
After
Figure 5 – Evolutionof some social behaviours.
ENRICHMENT DISPOSITIVE
Pines with seeds anh honey
Soft texture materials: pillows, blankets, others
Seeds in the floor of the enclosure
Small trunks and plastic toys to manipulate
Food and juice / jelly frozen inside bottles
Big mirror - outside the enclosure
Balls of different sizes and shapes
Swing
Puzzle Balls
PVC Food Puzzle
DAY
During
During
After
Figura 6 – Evolution of one type ofstereotyped
behaviour and others.
Bart
9
12
8
10
7
6
8
5
Self-grooming
Grooming
Rest
Forage
Scream
Sexualmount
SocialPlay
Playwithstructure
Nurse
Bitewood
Spatialproximity
6
4
3
Table 2 – Enrichment devices used in period “after enrichment” – July / August 2007
4
2
2
DAY
10 Jul - 31 Jul
12 Jul - 1 Aug
16 Jul - 3 Aug
18 Jul - 12 Aug
20 Jul - 10 Aug
23 Jul - 6 Aug
27 Jul - 8 Aug
30 Jul - 14 Aug
ENRICHMENT DISPOSITIVE
Pines with seeds and honey
Plastic toys and different balls
Swing
Food and juice / jelly frozen inside bottles
Espelho grande - no exterior do recinto
Seeds in the floor of the enclosure
Puzzle Balls
PVC Food Puzzle
1
0
9
10
8
7
8
6
Girney
Lowgrunt
Rest
Forage
Push
Self-grooming
3
2
2
1
0
After
Figure 1 – Evolution of some social and agonistic
behaviour.
Figure 8 – Evolution of some social and
individual behaviours.
6. REFERENCES
4
During
After
Pacing
4
Before
During
5
Self-scratching
0
Before
In all individuals, the most part of social behaviour increases. Stereotyped
behaviours, like pacing, decreased in Elli and agonistic demonstrations
too, specially to Ryotsu. Higher values in categories such as selfgrooming during and after enrichment in Okha reveal that she probably
felt more stressed with the new devices, reflecting that in interactions
with her son, Bart. The infant, beside interacting well with the
enrichments, is too young and showed not stereotyped behaviours, but
social interactions increased with both females. Elli never performed
social play or others similar. In conclusion, the environmental enrichment
used in this study changed some occurrences of specific behaviours,
reaching the principal aim of environmental enrichment: contribute to the
animals welfare.
10
Grooming
After
5. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION
Elli
6
During
Figure 7 – Evolution of some social behaviours.
4. PRELIMINARY RESULTS
The following charts results from the mean frequencies of
categories of behaviour per individual that change during the
three period times of observation.
12
0
Before
Before
During
After
Figure 2 – Evolution of some stereotypied and
individual behaviour.
ACKNOLODGMENTS Monte Selvagem – Reserva Animal: all team, in particular to Ana
P. Santos and Manuel Luís.
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BOYD, R. & SILK, J. (2000) How Humans Evolved, 2nd ed., N.Y., London, W. W. Norton Company: 135 - 165
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(Pan troglodytes) em cativeiro, Lisboa, ISCSP, UTL.
MARTIN, P. & BATESON, P. (1993) Measuring Behaviour – An introductory guide, 2ª ed., Cambridge, Cambridge
University press.
ROWE, N., (1999) The pictorial guide to the living primates, New York, Pogonias Press: 5-9, 119-125
YOUNG, R. J. (2003) Environmental Enrichment for Captive Anima. Blackwell publishing,Universities Federation
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