Separation and depression in infant gorillas.

Three 27-month-old infant gorillas living with their mothers and a silverbacked male were separated to a cage for 24 weeks. The infants initially showed threat responses and increased locomotion, characteristic of the protest stage of anaclitic depression in children. Within several days, these were replaced by dorso-ventral contact among the infants as well as self-holding and fetal positioning. Additionally, social and solitary play and object examination occurred at lower levels through separation than in the pre-separation condition. These changes were characteristic of the despair stage of separation. There was a substantial recovery of many infant nonsocial and social behaviors in the later months of the separation. Upon reunion, the infants did not immediately engage in attachment behaviors with their mothers, and spent more time in contact with each other than with their mothers for the first several days, indicating detachment. Following this, there was an increase in mother-infant attachment behaviors.