Multigenerational Social Housing and Group-Rearing Enhance Female Reproductive Success in Captive Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta).

ABSTRACT: To optimize costs and reproductive success, rhesus macaques in biomedical primate research facilities are often peer-reared. Older, dependent infants are typically removed from their natal group to enhance female reproduction. The minimal husbandry age-norm of infant removal is ten months. These practices deviate from species-specific behavior and may reduce welfare, suggesting a trade-off between female reproduction and welfare. However, the effect of breeding group type and rearing history on female reproductive success (i.e., birth rate; inter-birth interval (IBI); offspring survival) is unclear. This retrospective study investigated whether group type (i.e., peer groups versus multigenerational groups) and rearing history (i.e., peer- or hand-reared; group-reared with peer- or hand-rea

SUBMITTER: Rox A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9311885 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature