Empty Nest: A Case Study of Maternal Response to Separation From a Juvenile Offspring in a Captive Sumatran Orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus abelii)

Abstract

Improving the welfare of captive nonhuman primates requires evaluating the stressors created by the captive environment and reducing their negative effects. Social separation, although sometimes necessary for managing the genetic diversity of captive populations of animals, causes both psychological and physiological stress in human and primate monkey infants. Few studies have examined the maternal response of great ape mothers to separation from their offspring. This article describes the behavioral changes of a mother orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus abelii) after separation from her juvenile daughter. We collected data on measures of proximity and social behavior before the separation of the mother-infant dyad and of locomotion, arboreality, abnormal behavior, solitary behavior, and vocalization both before and after separation. We observed no behavioral indications of protest but observed some indications of despair after separation: decreased locomotion, increased inactivity, and increased self-directed behavior. In addition, we observed increases in arboreality and object-oriented behavior during morning sessions. These findings suggest that mother-juvenile separation in orangutans might be less stressful for mothers than might be expected. Such research has implications for the welfare and management of captive animals.The social bond between mothers and their infants has been studied extensively in nonhuman primates, primarily by examining the behavioral and physiological responses of the infant to separation from the mother (Mineka & Suomi, 1978).

The effects of rearing method on social behaviors of mentored, captive‐reared juvenile California condors

“…Seventeen behaviors were recorded, as defined in Table 1; these were classified as affiliative, agonistic, solitary, or feeding [cf. Rhine and Flanigan, 1978;Schu¨lke and Kappeler, 2003;Tarou et al, 2000]. We included only one feeding behavior (feeds alone) because of inconsistency in recording feeding in a group during the two years and because other recorded behaviors (particularly agonistic ones) frequently accompanied group feeding.…”

Effects of early care on joint attention and social behavior in Pan, Gorilla & Pongo

“…The m aternal deprivation w ork w ith rhesus macaques (H arlow, 1958, 1960Harlow & H arlow , 1966;H arlow & Zim m erm an, 1959) theoretical and em pirical studies have been conducted w ith nonhum an prim ates using the attachm ent fram ework (e. g., B ard & Gardner, 1996;B loom sm ith et al, 2003;Dienske & Griffin, 1978;K ond o -Ik em u ra& W aters, 1995;M cKenna, 1979;N adler, 1994;N adler & Codner, 1983;R ogers & D avenport, 1970;Suomi, 1995Suomi, , 2005Tarou, Bashaw, & M aple, 2000;W eaver & de Waal, 2002W eaver & de Waal, , 2003, although the m ajority o f the attachm ent literature has focused on hum an children (see Cassidy & Shaver, 1999).…”

“…Studies w ith orangutans were limited to broader areas o f attachm ent, such as infant response to separation and reunion (N adler & Codner, 1983;Tarou et al, 2000) and general discussions o f m aternal com petence (N adler, 1994 Gold, 1992;M eder, 1989 (Brent, et al, 1995), and displayed less com petent m aternal behavior (Brent e ta l., 1996). Research w ith gorillas who had early exposure to hum an caregiving elucidated sim ilar trends.…”