Novel Scent Enrichment Enhances Socio-Sexual and Olfactory Behaviors in Zoo-Housed Gentle Lemurs.

ABSTRACT: The Alaotran gentle lemur (Hapalemur Alaotrensis) is one of the most endangered primates in the world and shows a low success rate in captive breeding programmes. We tested a novel scent enrichment, made up of a synthesized mixture likely conveying information about female fertility, on four unsuccessful breeding pairs (n = 8 subjects) living at the Jersey, Birmingham, London (United Kingdom) and Mulhouse (France) zoos. We evaluated the effects of the scent enrichment on behavior (515 h of observation) and fecal endocrinology (cortisol and testosterone measurements) (n = 180 samples) comparing pre- enrichment, enrichment and post- enrichment phases. We found a small effect by sex on olfactory behaviors related to the enrichment. We also found that both male and female sexual behaviors sign

SUBMITTER: Fontani S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11655772 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature