Neal Webb Sarah J, Hau Jann, Schapiro Steven J
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, 650 Cool Water Drive, Bastrop, TX, 78602.
Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Blegdamsvej 3B 2200 Copenhagen N, Denmark.
Appl Anim Behav Sci. 2019 May;214:102-109. doi: 10.1016/j.applanim.2019.03.002. Epub 2019 Mar 8.
Voluntary participation in behavioural studies offers several scientific, management, and welfare benefits to non-human primates (NHPs). Aside from the scientific benefit of increased understanding of NHP cognition, sociality, and behaviour derived from noninvasive behavioural studies, participation itself has the potential to provide functional simulations of natural behaviours, enrichment opportunities, and increased control over the captive environment, all of which enhance welfare. Despite a developing consensus that voluntary participation offers these welfare enhancements, little research has empirically investigated the ways that participation in behavioural studies may affect welfare. In the current study, we investigated potential relationships between captive chimpanzee welfare and long-term, repeated voluntary participation in noninvasive behavioural studies. We collected behavioural data on 118 chimpanzees at the National Center for Chimpanzee Care (NCCC) in Bastrop, Texas, USA between 2016 and 2018 using 15-minute focal animal samples. Additionally, we collected information on 41 behavioural studies conducted between 2010 and 2018 with the NCCC chimpanzees that involved exposure to a stimulus or manipulation. The total number of behavioural studies in which chimpanzees had participated over the approximately eight-year period was then examined in relation to levels of behavioural diversity, abnormal behaviour, rough scratching, inactivity, and locomotion using a series of regression analyses that controlled for rearing status and age of the chimpanzee at the time of data collection. Analyses revealed significant, positive relationships between the total number of studies in which chimpanzees participated and 1) behavioural diversity scores, = .21, (3,114) = 11.25, < 0.001; and 2) rough scratching, = .11, (3,114) = 6.01, = 0.001. The positive relationship between behavioural diversity scores and the total number of studies in which chimpanzees participated seems unsurprising, although we cannot draw conclusions about the directionality of this relationship. The result that rough scratching and the total number of studies in which chimpanzees participated were positively correlated is unexpected. However, rough scratching made up less than 1% of all activity in the current study, and as such, this result may not be biologically meaningful. These findings suggest that participation in behavioural studies is not likely to be detrimental to chimpanzee well-being, and may even be beneficial. Data such as these, which empirically investigate existing recommendations can help inform decisions pertaining to the participation of chimpanzees in behavioural research.
非人类灵长类动物（NHPs）自愿参与行为研究能带来诸多科学、管理和福利方面的益处。除了通过非侵入性的行为研究能增进对非人类灵长类动物认知、社交性和行为的科学理解之外，参与本身还具有提供自然行为功能模拟、丰富机会以及增强对圈养环境控制的潜力，所有这些都能提升福利。尽管越来越多的人达成共识，认为自愿参与能提升这些福利，但很少有研究实证调查参与行为研究可能影响福利的方式。在当前的研究中，我们调查了圈养黑猩猩的福利与长期、重复自愿参与非侵入性行为研究之间的潜在关系。2016年至2018年期间，我们在美国得克萨斯州巴斯托普的国家黑猩猩护理中心（NCCC），使用15分钟的焦点动物样本收集了118只黑猩猩的行为数据。此外，我们收集了2010年至2018年期间与NCCC黑猩猩进行的41项行为研究的信息，这些研究涉及接触某种刺激或操作。然后，使用一系列回归分析，在控制数据收集时黑猩猩的饲养状况和年龄的情况下，研究了黑猩猩在大约八年期间参与的行为研究总数与行为多样性水平、异常行为、剧烈抓挠、不活动和运动之间的关系。分析显示，黑猩猩参与的研究总数与以下方面存在显著的正相关关系：1）行为多样性得分，β = 0.21，F(3,114) = 11.25，p < 0.001；2）剧烈抓挠，β = 0.11，F(3,114) = 6.01，p = 0.001。黑猩猩参与的研究总数与行为多样性得分之间的正相关关系似乎并不令人惊讶，尽管我们无法就此关系的方向性得出结论。黑猩猩参与的研究总数与剧烈抓挠呈正相关这一结果出乎意料。然而，在当前研究中，剧烈抓挠占所有活动的比例不到1%，因此，这一结果可能没有生物学意义。这些发现表明，参与行为研究不太可能对黑猩猩的福祉有害，甚至可能有益。此类实证调查现有建议的数据有助于为有关黑猩猩参与行为研究的决策提供参考。
