‘Social interactions in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and their responses to enrichments’.

• Main Author: Chatziiosifidou, Eirini-Spyridoula
• Format: Others
• Language: English
• Published: Linköpings universitet, Institutionen för fysik, kemi och biologi 2020
• Subjects: captive chimpanzees; social dynamics; social interactions; aggression; enrichment; Natural Sciences; Naturvetenskap
• Online Access: http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-173540

Chimpanzees are highly social animals, presenting a wide variety of social interactions among them. In this study, we compared the social dynamics in a group of 20 captive chimpanzees at Kolmården Wildlife Park between two different exhibits: outdoors (summer) and indoors (autumn). Furthermore, different types of enrichment were offered in both environments and we investigated how the presence and the type of enrichment (food-based) affected the social interactions in the group. Then, we used the frequencies of the social interactions to analyse the social dynamics in the group. Our results showed that the chimpanzees had significantly higher frequencies of proximity, allogrooming and displacement in the outdoor exhibit compared to indoor one and higher frequencies of threat and display indoors compared to outdoors. Moreover, we found that associative and affiliative behaviours increased in both outdoor and indoor exhibits when enrichment was absent compared to when it was present and also when enrichment was absent compared to when food-based enrichment was offered. Furthermore, three pairs of individuals, all mother-daughter dyads, were found to have preferred relationships. In the allogrooming network, one female, the only one that was in estrus, was found to be the most common recipient of allogrooming. Finally, the oldest male, father of all offspring, was, as expected, ranked as the most dominant in the group, based on the agonistic interactions. Our results may be used by the zoo staff to further develop their management practices to improve chimpanzees’ welfare.