Behaviour and Social Aspects of Animal Care

1. Behaviour and Social Aspects of Animal Care

2. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Observing behaviour gives us insight to animal’s physical, emotional, and social wellbeing

3. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Allows us to evaluate an animal’s rehabilitation and recovery

4. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Allows us to monitor the stability of social groups and understand how individuals are fitting in

5. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Helps sanctuary managers and caregivers to know how best to manage groups of primates

6. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Gives insight as to whyanimals might be acting the way that they are

7. Why is understanding behaviour important? • Helps caregivers interact with primates using the right “language”

8. Primate Social Systems • Many different social systems exist among primates • Multiple males, multiple females • Harem style – one male with a few females within larger group • One male, multiple females • One male, one female • Solitary • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • New primates can be integrated to appropriate groups • Enclosures and facilities should be planned with this in mind

9. Primate Social Systems • Philopatry • Who stays and who transfers out of the group at maturity? • Male philopatric – males remain in the group they are born in, and females transfer out • Female philopatric – females remain in the group they are born in, and males transfer out • Why is this important? • It helps us understand and manage incoming primates

10. Chimpanzees in the Wild • Live in large, multi-male, multi-female societies • Females (usually) emigrate and join a new community • Males stay in natal group for life • Males are territorial, and patrol the home range • Males may kill intruding males and infants from neighboring communities • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Large social groups are great! Even though they can be tough. • New females are (usually) easier to integrate to groups • Males are more challenging – but it can be done

11. Chimpanzees in the Wild • Strong dominance hierarchy among male chimpanzees • Long-term friendships are important in developing and maintaining this hierarchy • Alpha male chimpanzee may turn over frequently – at least every 5-7 years (or more) • Some males are better leaders than other • Deposed alphas may remain an important part of the group, become peripheral group members, or even be killed

12. Chimpanzees in the Wild • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Aggression in social groups is normal and natural • Too much aggression is possible – important to pay attention • In long term, stable groups, hierarchy/alpha male changes are a given and natural • It is important to pay attention when hierarchy changes and make accommodations for the former alpha as needed • Caregivers should understand the hierarchy and pay attention to changes

13. Chimpanzees in the Wild • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Subadult and juvenile males often struggle to find their place in a group • Friendships formed between younger individuals may be essential for life • Life stages • Infant: < 3 years • Juvenile: 3-9 years • Adolescent: 10-13 years • Sub-adult: 14-16 years • Adult: >16 years old • Adult males are considered the center of society • Younger males work hard to integrate with older males

14. Chimpanzees in the Wild • Females have a 30-45 day estrous cycle, and develop large genital swellings when receptive • This is usually suppressed by the birth control used at sanctuaries • Females usually mate with many males • This masks paternity of any offspring • Males may try to monopolize a female while she is in estrous • Some females are more “popular” than others • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Sexual swellings are very easy to injure -- watch estrous females carefully • May need to get creative with housing/management to reduce risk of pregnancy or aggression

15. Chimpanzees in the Wild • Chimpanzee females spend a long time caring for their offspring • Usually give birth every 3-6 years • Carries and cares for newborn, older offspring follow mother around and learn to forage and survive • Young chimpanzees learn how to behave appropriately – submission signals, play, etc – from their mother and peers • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Infant chimpanzees need full time contact and supervision • Young chimpanzees need other chimpanzees to playwith and learn from

16. Chimpanzees in the Wild • Chimpanzees can live for over 50 years • Older individuals in a group may be bullied, picked on, left behind, and generally struggle to fit in • They may eat, drink, and generally move more slowly than others • What does this mean for sanctuaries? • Older individuals may require special care or attention to ensure that they are happy and healthy in their social group

17. Types of Behavior • Affiliation, affection • Play • Aggression • Dominance, submission demonstrations • Fear • Greeting • Sexual behavior • Abnormal behavior

18. Affiliation and Affection • Kind, friendly, or positive behavior directed from one individual to another • Strengthens relationships between individuals • Encourages social cohesion • Calms upset individuals or those in distress • E.g. Grooming, playing, sharing food, hugging, touching, sitting together

19. Affiliation and Affection • An older female forcesher friend to submit toan in-depth eye inspection • All of the individualsin this photo are relaxing together – a passive, affiliative behavior

20. Affiliation and Affection • Adult female grooms her adolescent son

21. Affiliation and Affection • A young male allows an infant to inspect his face

22. Social Play • Running, jumping, rolling, wrestling, chasing, or other physical behaviors between two individuals accompanied by relaxed body posture and often the “play face” • Strengthens relationships between individuals • Allows individuals to develop important physical and social skills

23. Social Play • Very low key social play – one chimp is dipping his toes into the mouth of another • This shows the level of trust required for play – one chimp could easily bite off the toe of the other during this “game”

24. Social Play • Two females wrestle gently

25. Social Play • Two males engaged in very physical play. • This interaction would be easy to mistake for aggression (as the young male chimp at right has) – but we can see the floppy wrist and hand of the two males as they engage.

26. Social Play

27. Aggression • Overt, often harmful social interaction with the intent to inflict damage upon another individual • Threats: a warning that indicates physical aggression may follow • Reinforces the hierarchy and the order of social relationships • E.g. Slapping, hitting, biting, chasing, etc. • Aggressive behavior ranges from mild (threats) to severe (prolonged fighting)

28. Aggression • Tension in groups often turns into aggression – in this case, right before the group comes inside for the night

29. Aggression • Two females engaged in a fight – the young male has jumped in to break the two apart

30. Aggression • In the same fight from the previous slide, the alpha male charges through to separate the two females. • The actions of both of these males to break up the fight is sometimes called “policing”.

31. Dominance • One individual engages in behavior that indicates he/she is higher ranking to another individual. • May or may not include physical contact • E.g. Display, charge, swagger, stare • These behaviors can be confused with aggressive behaviors easily

32. Dominance • Remember this alpha male breaking up a fight between two females? This is a display of dominance.

33. Dominance • Dominance can also come in the form of resource monopolization • A dominant individual may sit at a resource and not allow others to access it • A dominant individual may take resources from more subordinate individuals

34. Submission • One individual engages in behavior that indicates he/she is lower ranking than another individual.   • This often includes the lower ranking individual putting themselves or their body in a position of vulnerability. • E.g. Crouching, presenting hand, presenting rump

35. Submission • Pant grunts are an important ritualized form of submission called “subordination” • Subordination can be very important in chimpanzee society

36. Fear • Behaviors indicating that an individual is extremely concerned or worried about the outcome of an event • E.g. fear grimace (teeth together, lips drawn back from mouth), screaming, cooing

37. Sexual Behavior • Actions that lead to reproductive behavior or stimulation of sexual organs • Not necessarily for reproduction! In chimpanzees, socio-sexual can be used for comfort, reconciliation, or bonding. • Two females mount after a fight as a form of reconciliation

38. Sexual Behavior • Two males rub their genitals together after playing

39. Abnormal Behavior • Behaviors that are not part of the standard behavioral repertoire for the species • Often abnormal behaviors are a function of the environment that an individual was raised in • Behaviors that seem abnormal to humans may not be abnormal for primates • It is important to avoid labeling all unwanted behaviors as abnormal, simply because we do not appreciate them

40. Abnormal Behavior • Some abnormal behaviors are due to the environment individuals grew up in • Orphaned primates often suck their thumbs in childhood, and may continue to do so as adults

41. Using Behavior for Management Observation: Caregivers observe a recent arrival to the sanctuary, a baby chimpanzee, sucking her thumb, clutching her arms around her body, and rocking. .

42. Using Behavior for Management Observation: Caregivers observe a recent arrival to the sanctuary, a baby chimpanzee, sucking her thumb, clutching her arms around her body, and rocking. What does it mean? Baby chimpanzees have nearly constant contact with their mothers until they are four or five years old. This baby needs more physical contact to develop confidence. Solution: If possible, foster this baby on to a caring female chimpanzee. Otherwise, caregivers can take care to carry and comfort this baby until she is older and more confident.

43. Using Behavior for Management Observation: A 10-year-old male chimpanzee spends much alone. When he tries to follow adult males around, they ignore him or chase him away. He does not associate with other chimpanzees his age. What does it mean? This young male may just be going through his “teenager” years and trying to work his way in to the adult male hierarchy. This can sometimes take years. Solution: No intervention is needed

44. Using Behavior for Management Observation: A 10-year-old male chimpanzee spends much alone. When he tries to follow adult males around, they ignore him or chase him away. He does not associate with other chimpanzees his age.

45. Using Behavior for Management Observation: The former alpha male of a group, who is now 32 years old and missing many teeth, is spending less time with the rest of the chimpanzees in his group. Other members of the group often bite or hit him, and when he tries to join grooming parties he is excluded or chased away. Only one female still spends time with him.

46. Using Behavior for Management Observation: The former alpha male of a group, who is now 32 years old and missing many teeth, is spending less time with the rest of the chimpanzees in his group. Other members of the group often bite or hit him, and when he tries to join grooming parties he is excluded or chased away. Only one female still spends time with him. What does this mean? This alpha male may be struggling to be fully accepted by the group. Solution: This is a difficult situation. Caregivers should monitor the male carefully to make sure that he is healthy, getting enough to eat, and is not injured too seriously. If the situation becomes severe enough, it may be appropriate to move this older male to a quieter social group.

47. Using Behavior for Management Observation: An adult female chimpanzee fits in well with her social group, but when school groups come to the sanctuary for educational days, she will follow them around and throw dirt, mud, or feces at them. The children do not like it.

48. Using Behavior for Management Observation: An adult female chimpanzee fits in well with her social group, but when school groups come to the sanctuary for educational days, she will follow them around and throw dirt, mud, or feces at them. The children do not like it. What does this mean? This female is clearly agitated by the presence of large groups of people or children. Solution: It is important for us to respect what this female is trying to tell us. In this case, if this female is present, school groups should stand further back from the enclosure, be very quiet, and leave if the female becomes agitated.

49. The PASA Primate Care Training Program is made possible by a generous grant from Fondation Brigitte Bardot.