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Animals
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Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity
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Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Welfare".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 February 2023) | Viewed by 15013

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Augusto Vitale

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Behavioural Science and Mental Health, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy
Interests: animal welfare; ethics of research; primatology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Valeska Stephan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Experimental Surgery, Rostock University Medical Center, Rostock, Germany
Interests: animal welfare and& behaviour; enrichment and& training; neuroscience; science policy &and communication; the 3 Rs and scientific validity

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Non-human primates (NHP) are currently still utilised in laboratory research and are housed in bioparks, zoos, and sanctuaries across the world. For various reasons, NHP are considered animals with special needs regarding welfare. Growing knowledge about the cognitive complexity of their behaviour requires continuous development to improve how we care for NHP in captivity. Additionally, the very concept of animal welfare has changed with time, with a shift towards the psychological welfare of the animals utilised for human purposes. New ideas on the nature of environmental enrichment, handling and procedures in research laboratories, as well as new structural solutions for NHP housed in zoos, are constantly being put forward. The aim of this Special Issue is to collect original scientific papers and reviews on the state of the art of the captive care of NHP, in order to share knowledge and encourage future developments. Contributions will emphasize physical, structural, behavioural and management solutions to improve the welfare of NHP in our care.

Dr. Augusto Vitale
Dr. Valeska Stephan
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • animal training
  • animal welfare
  • quality of data
  • cognitive enrichment
  • conservation and animal welfare
  • culture of care
  • environmental enrichment
  • primate behaviour
  • social enrichment
  • technology in welfare

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 2368 KiB  
Article
A Touchscreen-Based, Multiple-Choice Approach to Cognitive Enrichment of Captive Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta)
by Antonino Calapai, Dana Pfefferle, Lauren C. Cassidy, Anahita Nazari, Pinar Yurt, Ralf R. Brockhausen and Stefan Treue
Animals 2023, 13(17), 2702; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13172702 - 24 Aug 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1315
Abstract
Research on the psychological and physiological well-being of captive animals has focused on investigating different types of social and structural enrichment. Consequently, cognitive enrichment has been understudied, despite the promising external validity, comparability, and applicability. As we aim to fill this gap, we [...] Read more.
Research on the psychological and physiological well-being of captive animals has focused on investigating different types of social and structural enrichment. Consequently, cognitive enrichment has been understudied, despite the promising external validity, comparability, and applicability. As we aim to fill this gap, we developed an interactive, multiple-choice interface for cage-mounted touchscreen devices that rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) can freely interact with, from within their home enclosure at the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory of the German Primate Center. The multiple-choice interface offers interchangeable activities that animals can choose and switch between. We found that all 16 captive rhesus macaques tested consistently engaged with the multiple-choice interface across 6 weekly sessions, with 11 of them exhibiting clear task preferences, and displaying proficiency in performing the selected tasks. Our approach does not require social separation or dietary restriction and is intended to increase animals’ sense of competence and agency by providing them with more control over their environment. Thanks to the high level of automation, our multiple-choice interface can be easily incorporated as a standard cognitive enrichment practice across different facilities and institutes working with captive animals, particularly non-human primates. We believe that the multiple-choice interface is a sustainable, scalable, and pragmatic protocol for enhancing cognitive well-being and animal welfare in captivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity)
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14 pages, 1894 KiB  
Article
More Than Just Kibbles: Keeper Familiarity and Food Can Affect Bonobo Behavior
by Marta Caselli, Emilio Russo, Jean-Pascal Guéry, Elisa Demuru and Ivan Norscia
Animals 2023, 13(3), 410; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13030410 - 26 Jan 2023
Viewed by 2099
Abstract
The welfare of captive animals relies on numerous factors. Keepers can affect animals’ welfare and this could especially apply to emotionally and cognitively complex species, such as great apes. We collected video data over three months on 17 bonobos (La Vallée des Singes, [...] Read more.
The welfare of captive animals relies on numerous factors. Keepers can affect animals’ welfare and this could especially apply to emotionally and cognitively complex species, such as great apes. We collected video data over three months on 17 bonobos (La Vallée des Singes, France) and extracted five behaviours (play, aggression, anxiety, gestures, sociosexual interactions) —during two-minute slots—under three conditions: keeper-present/food-unavailable; keeper-present/food-available; keeper-absent/food-unavailable. We ran generalized linear models to investigate whether behavioral frequencies were affected by food presence/quality and keeper familiarity. Anxiety-related behaviors increased when the keeper was present and in absence of food, due to food expectation. Sociosexual interactions increased in presence of more familiar keepers and in absence of food, maybe to decrease the tension around food. Gestures increased in presence of more familiar keepers and with low-quality food, which was provided in large ‘catchable‘ pieces. Aggression levels increased with high-quality food with no effect of keeper. Play behavior was not affected by any variable. Hence, bonobos were affected not just by food but also by keeper features. Considering multiple variables in the ‘welfare equation’ can improve captive management and increase the well-being of bonobos, a species that is much closer to humans than to other non-human animals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity)
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19 pages, 3017 KiB  
Article
Enriching Zoo-Housed Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta): Assessing the Influence of Three Types of Environmental Enrichment on Behavior
by Marta Caselli, Patrizia Messeri, Francesco Dessì-Fulgheri and Francesca Bandoli
Animals 2022, 12(20), 2836; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12202836 - 19 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 5298
Abstract
Environmental enrichment is a management tool used to promote positive animal welfare by stimulating species-specific behaviors and providing animals with opportunities to exert choice and control over the environment. Our study aimed to evaluate the combined effect of three enrichment types and environmental/individual [...] Read more.
Environmental enrichment is a management tool used to promote positive animal welfare by stimulating species-specific behaviors and providing animals with opportunities to exert choice and control over the environment. Our study aimed to evaluate the combined effect of three enrichment types and environmental/individual factors (i.e., individual age and rank position) on the behavior of six adult Lemur catta hosted at Pistoia Zoo (Italy). We collected data from June to September 2013 using a within-subject experimental design consisting of five conditions: Baseline, Food-based enrichment, Physical enrichment, Auditory enrichment and No enrichment provided. We conducted six 30-minute observation sessions per sampling day (total = 107 h). We recorded the animals’ behavior via 2-minute focal animal sampling per individual per observation period and analyzed data with Generalized Linear Models. The study group only performed normal species-specific behaviors. Enrichments decreased stress-related behavioral patterns, whreas environmental and individual factors influenced the other recorded behaviors. Our study confirmed the usefulness of employing an integrated methodological approach to enrichment assessment for enhancing captive lemur care. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity)
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15 pages, 310 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation of Ethograms Measuring Distinct Features of Enrichment Use by Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
by Julia L. Greeson, Kara I. Gabriel, J. B. Mulcahy, Bonnie King Hendrickson, Susan D. Lonborg and Jay C. Holloway
Animals 2022, 12(16), 2029; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12162029 - 10 Aug 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2368
Abstract
Environmental enrichment provides mental stimulation and minimizes abnormal behaviors in captive animals. In captive chimpanzees, individual animals may vary in the ways in which they benefit from enrichment or use enrichment devices, so investigating nuances in enrichment use may improve the welfare of [...] Read more.
Environmental enrichment provides mental stimulation and minimizes abnormal behaviors in captive animals. In captive chimpanzees, individual animals may vary in the ways in which they benefit from enrichment or use enrichment devices, so investigating nuances in enrichment use may improve the welfare of captive chimpanzees. In the current study, three ethograms measuring distinct features of enrichment use (i.e., enrichment object, manipulation behavior, and social context) were evaluated by coding videos of captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum, WA. A total of 732 min and 58 s of video footage was coded from a larger video archive (i.e., 2054 videos) of enrichment use that spanned a decade. A principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that different categories of enrichment objects were more often associated with specific manipulation behaviors and social contexts, suggesting that enrichment objects might fulfill different behavioral and social needs in captivity. Specifically, toy objects were associated with active tactile behaviors in affiliative contexts while oral behaviors were used with foraging objects in solitary contexts. Additionally, individual chimpanzees showed unique preferences for enrichment objects, indicating that caregivers of captive chimpanzees should consider individual needs instead of a “one size fits all” approach to enrichment provisions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity)
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Review

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19 pages, 331 KiB  
Review
Promoting Good Nonhuman Primate Welfare outside Regular Working Hours
by Sabrina Brando, Augusto Vitale and Madison Bacon
Animals 2023, 13(8), 1423; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13081423 - 21 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2986
Abstract
Promoting good primate welfare outside of daylight hours is an important task. The responsibility to provide a complex environment and environmental enrichment is an essential element of primate wellbeing programs that should be approached from a 24-h perspective and planned according to the [...] Read more.
Promoting good primate welfare outside of daylight hours is an important task. The responsibility to provide a complex environment and environmental enrichment is an essential element of primate wellbeing programs that should be approached from a 24-h perspective and planned according to the species and individual needs, including giving animals the ability to interact with and control their environment during hours when animal care staff are not present. One must be aware, however, that their needs may differ at night-time from their care needs during the day when staff are present. Assessing welfare and providing enrichment during times when staff are not on hand can be achieved through the use of a variety of technologies, such as night-view cameras, animal-centred technologies, and data loggers. This paper will address the relevant topics concerning the care and welfare of primates during off-hours, and the use of related technologies to facilitate and assess wellbeing at these times. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Care Strategies of Non-Human Primates in Captivity)
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