Enriching Zoo-Housed Ring-Tailed Lemurs (Lemur catta): Assessing the Influence of Three Types of Environmental Enrichment on Behavior
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 […]
Enrichment reduces stereotypical behaviors and improves foraging development in rehabilitating Eastern Pacific Harbor Seals (Phoca vitulina richardii)
There is empirical support for the efficacy of enrichment in decreasing stereotypical behaviors and increasing naturalistic behaviors in laboratory, agricultural, and zoological settings. However, little research has been done on the possible value of enrichment in facilitating appropriate behavioral development of rescued wildlife in rehabilitative captivity. Eastern Pacific harbor seal pups (Phoca vitulina richardii) often […]
Behavioral management of chimpanzees in biomedical research facilities: The state of the science
The current status of the behavioral management of chimpanzees housed in US research facilities is examined, and recent advances are described. Behavioral management includes the application of environmental enrichment, animal training, and environmental design for improving animal welfare. Authors surveyed the six major chimpanzee holding facilities and found that the vast majority of chimpanzees are […]
Control, Choice, and Assessments of the Value of Behavioral Management to Nonhuman Primates in Captivity
Many people have devoted considerable effort to enhancing the environments of nonhuman primates in captivity. There is substantial motivation to develop experimental, analytical, and interpretational frameworks to enable objective measurements of the value of environmental enrichment/behavioral management efforts. The consumer- demand approach is a framework not frequently implemented in studies of nonhuman primate welfare but […]
Managing the Socialization of an Adult Male Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) With a History of Social Deprivation
Most non-human primates exhibit aggression during changes in social group composition. In zoological parks, group membership changes are necessary for optimal population management, but can elicit problematic aggression. Furthermore, some primates with a long history of social deprivation are hyperaggressive when introduced to conspecifics. In this study of one male gorilla with a 30-year history […]
Evaluation of behavioral factors influencing reproductive success and failure in captive giant pandas
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10118.abs The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) breeding center in Wolong, China, has experienced a recent dramatic increase in reproduction, with the population nearly tripling in the past 7 years. Much of this success comes from the development of behavioral management strategies, guided by the application of scientific knowledge. Here we present statistics that illuminate […]
Positive reinforcement training to elicit voluntary movement of two giant pandas throughout their enclosure
Abstract 10.1002/zoo.10103.abs There is a great deal of interest in applying positive reinforcement training to improve the care and management of captive animals. The purpose of the present study was to test the usefulness of positive reinforcement training in managing the “shifting” behavior of two, young giant pandas. This report describes the steps in the […]
Videotapes as enrichment for captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Abstract 10.1002/1098-2361(2000)19:63.3.CO;2-V The effectiveness of showing videotapes to captive chimpanzees as an environmental enrichment was quantitatively tested. The responses of 10 subjects (3 adult males and 7 adult females) to videotapes of chimpanzees engaging in a variety of behaviors, to videotapes of other animals and humans, and to television programs were compared. Data collection consisted […]
Positive reinforcement training to enhance the voluntary movement of group-housed chimpanzees within their enclosures
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1998)17:43.3.CO;2-3 Positive reinforcement techniques were applied to train groups of chimpanzees to move voluntarily into the indoor portions of their enclosures at the request of trainers and to be briefly restricted to those areas. Subjects were 66 members of eight social groups, including 44 adults (14 males, 30 females), and 22 immatures (eight males, […]
Effects of human activity on chimpanzee wounding
Abstract 10.1002/(SICI)1098-2361(1997)16:43.3.CO;2-2 Reducing the frequency and/or severity of aggression and wounding is a major concern of people managing socially housed chimpanzees. One factor that has not been investigated intensively for its effect on captive chimpanzee agonism is the presence of humans. Therefore, we examined an archival database of wounding incidents among 88 adult and adolescent […]