Zoos and Botanic Gardens Contributions on Behavioral Studies of Non-human Primates

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce a Special Issue of the JZBG for research that contributes to the field of zoos and botanical gardens (BG) and the study of non-human primate (NHP) behavior, in order to remedy the lack multidisciplinary studies on Zoo–NHP or BG–NHP behavior currently found in the scientific literature. There are approximately 500 non-human primates (NHP) species in the world. While most still live in forests and savannas, a small population lives in zoos or botanical gardens. Some individuals simply cannot be reintroduced to their original habitats, and must rely on the care they receive in zoos and BGs. A small portion of NHPs lives freely in zoos and BGs due to the lack of available green areas in many cities. Many of these NHPs are housed in captivity for educational and conservation purposes. Moreover, captive NHPs face many daily challenges, such as a lack of stimulation and exotic foods, space restrictions, and an influx of pathogens originating from a restricted micro-ecosystem created by humans. Captive NHPs are a challenge for professionals to properly manage, and thus research results addressing this topic must be widely published. Considering the roles of zoos and BGs in this field of human activity, we must understand the needs and well-being of primates by studying primate behavior.

In zoos or BGs, free-ranging NHPs struggle to adapt to the diversity of substrate-adapting climates, food sources, and to contact with humans. Particularly worrisome is the situation of free-ranging NHPs that invade spaces, attack visitors, and consume food intended for other species in captivity. On the other hand, the study of these free-ranging NHPs is an important source for understanding their behavior. Zoos and BGs are used for studies on the behavior of NHPs due to the logistical ease and opportunity to observe animals that are adapted to human presence. Behavioral studies on free-ranging NHPs in zoos and BGs are diverse but remain under-reported in the scientific literature.

NHPs are predominantly consumers of plant foods, and most species are arboreal. Thus, botanical studies are important for understanding the proximal and distant causes of behavior. BGs are important sources for the study of plant species and are used by primates in nature. BGs serve as sources for data collection from taxonomy, phenology, and other characteristics of botanical species used by NHPs.

There are still studies that are restricted to presentation in academic theses and dissertations, without widespread dissemination as scientific articles. Young and experienced researchers have difficulty finding a journal that covers the intertwined topics of NHP behavior in zoos and BGs. Even though they were written a long time ago, many studies are still original and can make an important contribution to research on the behavior of NHPs.

Articles are the most widely accepted scientific communication. Within the scope of this Special Issue of the JZBG, there is an opportunity to disseminate studies on the behavior of NHPs linked to zoos and BGs. All manuscripts will undergo a careful editorial evaluation and peer review, ensuring that the highest quality of articles are published. Therefore, we invite researchers from various fields to send their contributions to this Special Issue of the JZBG on the study of the behavior of NHPs in zoos and BGs.

We look forward to your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Vanner Boere
Prof. Dr. Sérgio Luiz Gama Nogueira-Filho
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. Journal of Zoological and Botanical Gardens is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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.

• non-human primate in zoos
• non-human primate in botanical gardens
• non-human primate cognition
• non-human primate emotion
• non-human primate management
• human–non-human primate relationships
• non-human primate–visitor interactions
• non-human primate history in zoos and botanical gardens