Differences in Behavior Between Elderly and Nonelderly Captive Chimpanzees and the Effects of the Social Environment.

ABSTRACT: The population of NIH-owned or NIH-supported captive research chimpanzees is quickly becoming aged, and the 1998 NIH breeding moratorium has resulted in a skewed age distribution. As such, behavioral management programs aimed at refining the care of an aging captive chimpanzee population have become increasingly important. However, little research exists that addresses the ways in which captive chimpanzee behavior differs as a function of the interaction of age and aspects of the captive environment. We examined overall differences in behavior between elderly (35 y and older) and nonelderly (younger than 35 y) captive chimpanzees. Elderly chimpanzees exhibited significantly more rough scratching (a behavioral indicator of anxiety) and inactivity, less behavioral diversity, and less affilia

SUBMITTER: Neal Webb SJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6926406 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature