Examining deep litter as environmental enrichment for a family group of wolf's guenons, Cercopithecus wolfi

Abstract

Manipulable substrates promote species-typical behavior and decrease abnormal behavior in a variety of primate species. However, the effects of providing litter to arboreal primates are not as well studied, and there is little information specifically concerning enrichment for guenons. To inform the captive management of an under-studied species, we evaluated deep litter substrate as environmental enrichment for a family group of Wolf's guenons, Cercopithecus wolfi. We expected it to promote species-typical behavior and to act as an intervention by reducing aggressive behaviors targeted toward a juvenile group member by his parents. We compared the guenons' behavior during baseline periods in which normal husbandry routines were followed to periods when the entire floor of their enclosure was covered with 30 cm of straw or wood wool. We then evaluated the group's preference between litters by comparing their relative use. The guenons spent more time feeding and were more active during both litter conditions, but relative to their respective baselines, they spent more time examining straw and less time examining wood wool. Straw, but not wood wool, promoted some affiliative behavior as well as greater tolerance of the juvenile's social proximity to others. However, the addition of deep litter did not ameliorate patterns of agonistic behavior among our subjects. Our results suggest that straw conferred greater behavioral benefits than wood wool as a deep litter substrate for this guenon group and may constitute a form of environmental enrichment for this species.

Long-Term Spatial Restriction Generates Deferred Limited Space Use in a Zoo-Housed Chimpanzee Group

“…Within the bounds set by practical limitations such as available space and financial costs [ 7 ], these designs seek to recreate both aesthetic and functional aspects of the natural environment [ 8 , 9 ] and the beneficial impacts of such enclosures are well documented across a wide range of species from amphibians [ 10 ] to apes [ 11 ]. Through the provision of appropriate behavioural opportunities mirroring the native environment of the species [ 12 ], naturalistic environments promote species-typical behaviour [ 13 , 14 , 15 ], increase overall activity and novel behaviour [ 16 , 17 ] and reduce abnormal [ 18 ] and potentially undesirable behaviour, such as aggression(while aggression, a natural behaviour, is not inherently problematic, it may be viewed as undesirable in captivity given the welfare risks associated with fighting and injury, as well as the potential for damage to infrastructure and harm to caregivers [ 8 ]). Given the evidence in their favour, naturalistic enclosures are becoming a standard housing system for zoo animals.…”

Case studies of infant development in two guenons, the Wolf's guenon Cercopithecus pogonias wolfi and Allen's swamp monkey Allenopithecus nigroviridis, at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo

“…We also attempted to use deep‐litter substrate in another effort to defuse aggression within the group. For the infant's 47th–48th week of life, the entire floor of the Wolf's guenon exhibit was covered to a depth of 30 cm with straw (Fuller et al , in press). For both groups, on most days one to two bales of straw, or occasionally the equivalent volume of mulch, woodchips or shredded paper, were placed on the concrete exhibit floor to provide stimulation and foraging opportunities.…”