Chimpanzee immigration: Complex social strategies differ between zoo-based and wild animals
Chimpanzee inter-group encounters are typically aggressive in nature, as individuals have evolved the predisposition to jointly defend their home range against neighbouring groups. In the current study, we present data on the behavioural strategies of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) during the integration of one male and two female into a well-established group at Basel Zoo, Switzerland. […]
Changes in Nearest-Neighbor Associations in a Captive Group of Western Lowland Gorillas After the Introduction of Five Hand-Reared Infants
The successful management of a captive gorilla population often necessitates the hand-rearing of infants and their subsequent re-integration into social groups of conspecifics. In the present study we quantified the changes in nearest-neighbor associations in a group consisting of a silverback male, three adult females, and two sub-adult females after the introduction of five hand-reared […]
Definition of criteria for overall assessment of animal welfare
Welfare is multidimensional, comprising good health, comfort, expression of behaviour, and so on. Its overall assessment therefore requires a multicriteria evaluation. The set of criteria shall be exhaustive (no missing item), minimal (only necessary items), agreed by stakeholders, and legible (a limited number of criteria). Furthermore, the interpretation from one criterion shall not depend on […]
Introducing Dogs into Kennels: Prediction of Social Tendencies to Facilitate Integration
Ethological observations of the introduction of new charges into a large mixed-sex group in a dog shelter, and the later behaviour of the dogs in the run, were used to investigate a method of early assessment of the dogs’ reactions to the new situation. Subjects were divided qualitatively into four categories according to their interactional […]
Network Analysis of Social Changes in a Captive Chimpanzee Community Following the Successful Integration of Two Adult Groups
Chimpanzees are highly territorial and have the potential to be extremely aggressive toward unfamiliar individuals. In the wild, transfer between groups is almost exclusively completed by nulliparous females, yet in captivity there is often a need to introduce and integrate a range of individuals, including adult males. We describe the process of successfully integrating two […]