Prevalence of Regurgitation and Reingestion in Orangutans Housed in North American Zoos and an Examination of Factors Influencing its Occurrence in a Single Group of Bornean Orangutans

Cassella, Christine M.; Mills, Alyssa A; Lukas, Kristen E.

doi:10.1002/zoo.21000

Cited by 19 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…Similarly, a recent survey on N=154 Orangutans in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan® (SSP) population in North American zoos, found that the youngest Orangutans to engage in R/R were 5 years old (Cassella et al, 2012). In that study, the overall prevalence of R/R was 32% (N=49 out of 154 animals), which rose to 36% (N=60) after removing the 17 Orangutans aged 4 years or younger from the analysis.…”

Section: Prevalence Of R/r In Great Apesmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Hill, unpubl. data), followed by filled cheeks and mastication, and so the behaviour could potentially be easily missed if the observer is not well-practised in recognising it (Cassella et al, 2012).…”

Section: R/r In Non-human Great Apesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Baker & Easley, 1996;Baker, 1997;Herrelko et al, 2015), Orangutans Pongo sp (e.g. Cassella et al, 2012), Bonobos Pan paniscus (Miller & Tobey, 2012), and Western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla (e.g. Lukas, 1999;Lukas et al, 1999;Hill, 2009;Fuller et al, 2017), as well as some other primates (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Lukas, 1999;Lukas et al, 1999;Hill, 2009;Fuller et al, 2017), as well as some other primates (e.g. see Cassella et al, 2012, andMiller &Tobey, 2012, for a brief review). A similar behaviour to R/R is also known to occur in people, another member of the great ape taxonomic family, which will be referred to later in this review.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Regurgitation and reingestion’ (R/R) in great apes: a review of current knowledge

Hill

2018

International Zoo Yearbook

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Research indicates that regurgitation and reingestion (R/R) is a relatively common behaviour in zoo-housed great apes, with most work to date carried out on Western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Chimpanzees Pan troglodytes. It is an abnormal behaviour because great apes are not anatomically adapted to regurgitate their food as part of their normal feeding processes, and because this behaviour is not seen in members of the species living freely in the wild, in conditions that would allow a full behavioural range. In this article, I give an overview of the published literature on R/R in great apes, which suggests that this behaviour is probably multifactorial and may be linked to inappropriate feeding environments (e.g. in terms of nutritional composition of the diet and/or presentation of food), and possibly also social and other factors as well. A similar behaviour to R/R, known as rumination disorder, can also occur in another great ape species, humans, in whom it is classified as a feeding and eating disorder, and there are potential consequences to people's physical health as a result of oral acid. There have been no known studies to date to identify whether or not similar health consequences can occur in non-human great apes, but the regurgitant has been found to be significantly more acidic in gorillas than the food they ingested originally, meaning it is potentially injurious in non-human great apes. There is much that is not yet known about this behaviour and how to reduce or eliminate it when it does occur, as the research indicates that there are a range of factors involved, and these can vary by individual animal. More research into this behaviour is clearly needed to ensure that zoos and sanctuaries are providing the best possible care for these animals, and I make some suggestions for future research directions.

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Section: Prevalence Of R/r In Great Apesmentioning

confidence: 91%

Section: R/r In Non-human Great Apesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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‘Regurgitation and reingestion’ (R/R) in great apes: a review of current knowledge

Hill

2018

International Zoo Yearbook

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“…R/R has been recorded among captive primates (macaques, baboons and the apes) [Baker and Easley, 1996], but ours is the first evidence of this phenomenon in prosimians. R/R behaviour has been linked to boredom in captivity, space restriction, stress, low levels of stimulation, suboptimal diet [Capitanio, 1986;Lukas, 1999;Cassella et al, 2012] or the absence of feeding opportunities after the daily food portion had been served and eaten [Baker and Easley, 1996]. The number of R/R events in our study was low (20 occurrences), they were noticed more frequently for the female, and most events were observed when it rained -usually between the 3rd and 4th h of the animals' activity.…”

Section: Activity Patterns Of Tarsius Syrichtamentioning

confidence: 99%

Activity Patterns of Captive Philippine Tarsiers (<b><i>Tarsius syrichta</i></b>): Differences Related to Sex and Social Context

Wojciechowski¹,

Kaszycka²,

Wielbass³

et al. 2019

Folia Primatol

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Among tarsiers, nocturnal, obligatory faunivorous primates inhabiting islands of South-East Asia, the Philippine tarsier (Tarsius [= Carlito] syrichta) is one of the least studied. To date, activity patterns of this threatened species have not been the subject of any investigation. In the present study, we provide the first quantitative data on how captive male and female T. syrichta apportion their time for various activities in two social contexts: solitary and paired. We found that the sexes do not differ in activity budgets during the non-mating season, both spending most of their time scanning, resting, foraging and travelling. Comparison of activity budgets of the sexes between the mating and non-mating seasons revealed that although both tarsiers noticeably increased travelling time at the expense of time spent resting, the male changed his behaviour to a much greater extent than the female. We also report on fluctuations in the tarsiers’ activities throughout a night and compare time budgets of T. syrichta with available data on the western and eastern species of tarsiers. The results extend the current knowledge of tarsier behaviour and may also assist in practical considerations for keeping this highly sensitive, difficult-to-breed species in captivity.

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The role of great ape behavioral ecology in One Health: Implications for captive welfare and re‐habilitation success

Chappell

Thorpe

2021

American J Primatol

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Behavior is the interface through which animals interact with their environments, and therefore has potentially cascading impacts on the health of individuals, populations, their habitats, and the humans that share them. Evolution has shaped the interaction between species and their environments. Thus, alterations to the species‐typical “wild‐type” behavioral repertoire (and the ability of the individual to adapt flexibly which elements of the repertoire it employs) may disrupt the relationship between the organism and its environment, creating cascading One Health effects. A good example is rehabilitant orangutans where, for example, seemingly minor differences from wild conspecifics in the time spent traveling on the ground rather than in the forest canopy can affect an individual's musculoskeletal and nutritional health, as well as social integration. It can also increase two‐way transmission of infectious diseases and/or pathogens with local human populations, or potentially with neighboring wild populations if there are no geographical barriers and rehabilitants travel far enough to leave their release area. Primates are well known ecosystem engineers, reshaping plant communities and maintaining biodiversity through seed dispersal, consuming plants, and creating canopy gaps and trails. From the habitat perspective, a rehabilitant orangutan which does not behave like a wild orangutan is unlikely to fulfill these same ecosystem services. Despite the importance of the diversity of an ape's behavioral repertoire, how it compares to that of wild conspecifics and how it alters in response to habitat variation, behavior is an often under‐appreciated aspect of One Health. In this review, focusing on orangutans as an example of the kinds of problems faced by all captive great apes, we examine the ways in which understanding and facilitating the expression of wild‐type behavior can improve their health, their ability to thrive, and the robustness of local One Health systems.

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Prevalence of Regurgitation and Reingestion in Orangutans Housed in North American Zoos and an Examination of Factors Influencing its Occurrence in a Single Group of Bornean Orangutans

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

‘Regurgitation and reingestion’ (R/R) in great apes: a review of current knowledge

‘Regurgitation and reingestion’ (R/R) in great apes: a review of current knowledge

Activity Patterns of Captive Philippine Tarsiers (<b><i>Tarsius syrichta</i></b>): Differences Related to Sex and Social Context

The role of great ape behavioral ecology in One Health: Implications for captive welfare and re‐habilitation success

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