Personality assessment in the gorilla and its utility as a management tool

Abstract

Goals of the Gorilla Species Survival Plan (SSP) include increased captive propagation, maintenance of genetic diversity, and consideration of the psychological well-being of the population. The SSP Propagation Group has attempted to accomplish these goals through recommendations based on assessment of genetic, behavioral, and demographic variables. A need is recognized for the development of a methodology to assess behavioral variables that contribute to the success of animal moves. Personality profiles have been used in the past to aid animal management decisions in laboratory settings. This paper describes personality assessment techniques, reviews historical perspectives on primate personality assessment, and reports on a study to assess gorilla personality.The Gorilla Behavior Index (GBI), a subjective assessment instrument consisting of behaviorally based adjectives, was completed for 298 of 303 captive gorillas over 1 year of age. The results were subjected to common factor analysis, resulting in the identification of four main factors: extroverted, dominant, fearful, and understanding. Frequency distributions were calculated illustrating the ranges of each factor. Potential management uses for the GBI scores are discussed.

Personality structure and social style in macaques.

“…This is similar to the split between Extraversion and Agreeableness seen in humans (Costa & McCrae, 1992), chimpanzees , gorillas (Gold & Maple, 1994), and orangutans . Like chimpanzees and humans, Tonkean macaques have a high propensity to use affiliative contacts to reinforce bonds (De Marco, Cozzolino, Dessì-Fulgheri, & Thierry, 2011).…”

Personality in the behaviour of great apes: temporal stability, cross-situational consistency and coherence in response

“…The decision for a mixed sample composed of even smaller sub-samples in each species was based on multiple considerations. At the time of planning the study, there were already 12 studies on chimpanzees, but only three on gorillas and one in bonobos (Gold & Maple 1994;Murray 1996;Kuhar et al 2003), and no studies on orang-utans. Therefore, we decided that it was important to include great apes other than chimpanzees in the sample.…”

Novel Environmental Enrichment May Provide a Tool for Rapid Assessment of Animal Personality: A Case Study With Giant Pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

“…Though most personality research has been conducted on humans, there is a growing recognition that studies of animals can also be helpful in understanding personality (Gosling, 2001). In the last 10 to 15 years, there has also been a growing field of work on the implications of individual differences in behavior for captive management and breeding of animals in zoos and production settings (Carlstead, Fraser, Bennett, & Kleiman, 1999;Carlstead, Mellen, & Kleiman, 1999;Gold & Maple, 1994;Mendl, Zanella, & Broom, 1992;Powell et al, 2008). For example, male black rhinoceros, who were scored as being more dominant to conspecifics by their keepers, had lower reproductive success (Carlstead, Mellen, et al, 1999).…”