LAV, Viale Regina Margherita, 177, 00198, Roma, Italy.
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Veterinarie, Università di Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, 40064, Ozzano Emilia, BO, Italy.
Primates. 2021 Jul;62(4):585-593. doi: 10.1007/s10329-021-00908-8. Epub 2021 Apr 11.
Long-tailed macaques are highly social primates that are commonly used in biomedical research as animal models. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different kinds of enrichment on the behaviour and faecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) level in a colony of ex-laboratory long-tailed macaques during a programme of rehabilitation. The research was carried out in three periods, divided into two sessions each. Every period was composed of one control session (SC) and one session characterised by one type of enrichment: feeding enrichment (FE), manipulative enrichment (ME), and the last session during which manipulative and feeding enrichment were provided every day but in a mixed way (MIX). The results showed that manipulative and mixed enrichments caused positive changes to the activity budget of the colony, with a decrease in abnormal behaviour rates and an increase in play compared with control sessions. The rate of affiliative behaviours and low rate of aggression were probably because the group was composed mostly of females and it was stable, with a well-defined hierarchy. The research underlines the importance of a well-studied enrichment programme for the welfare of captive animals, which should exploit species-specific motivations.
长尾猕猴是高度社会化的灵长类动物，通常被用作生物医学研究中的动物模型。本研究旨在评估不同种类的丰容对一个实验室外长尾猕猴群体在康复计划中的行为和粪便皮质醇代谢物（FCM）水平的影响。研究分为三个时期，每个时期分为两个阶段，每个阶段包括一个对照阶段（SC）和一个以一种丰容类型为特征的阶段：喂养丰容（FE）、操作丰容（ME），以及最后一个阶段，每天提供操作和喂养丰容，但混合提供（MIX）。结果表明，操作和混合丰容对群体的活动预算产生了积极的变化，与对照阶段相比，异常行为率降低，游戏行为增加。亲附行为的比率和低攻击率可能是因为该群体主要由雌性组成，且群体稳定，具有明确的等级制度。研究强调了为圈养动物福利制定经过充分研究的丰容计划的重要性，该计划应利用特定于物种的动机。
