The study compared the behavior of bonobos, chimpanzees, baboons and gorillas at a zoo and safari park in 2020, when they were hidden from human view during the lockdown, with how they behaved after visitors returned. The olive baboons exhibited less sexual and dominance behavior when visitors returned than they had shown during the lockdown, the researchers observed. They also approached visitor cars more often than they did the ranger’s vehicle when the park was closed. The study, published in the journal Animals, found that when visitors returned, the bonobos and gorillas spent less time alone, and the gorillas spent less time resting. The chimpanzees studied ate more and were more active in their enclosures when the zoo was open. According to the scientists, it is difficult to say whether the lockdown experiences were positive, negative or neutral for individual animals, but chimpanzees and baboons appeared to be especially stimulated by the return of visitors. Similarly, bonobos and gorillas spending less time alone could be considered positive. But the reduction in resting behavior in more sedentary gorillas could also indicate they were disturbed by visitors, the researchers say. The gorillas changed their use of their enclosure, suggesting they were able to modify their behavior to reduce potential hyperarousal and effectively manage their own experiences, the research suggests. According to the findings, while olive baboons may have been stimulated by visitors and the presence of cars, there was a threshold beyond which this did not increase. The study also states that their increased sexual behavior during confinement may be due to the fact that they did not have the stimulus of the presence of moving vehicles. Dr Samantha Ward, zoo animal welfare scientist at Nottingham Trent University’s School of Animal, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said: “Primates are some of the most cognitively advanced species in zoos and their interactions with visitors are complicated. “One limitation in understanding how visitors can influence the behavior of animals in zoos and parks is that they are rarely around the public for extended periods, so this gave us a unique opportunity.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Human-animal interactions and the effects of the presence of zoo visitors are considered critical to animal welfare, experts suggest. Research has shown that different species, even individual animals, respond differently to different people. Dr Ellen Williams, a zoo animal welfare researcher at Harper Adams University, said: “Our study showed the diverse ways in which visitors can influence the behavior of primates in captivity. “Behavioral changes and changes in enclosure use in the presence of visitors highlight the adaptability of zoo species to their environment. “Providing an environment that allows animals to actively adapt in this way is very important for their welfare.” Behavioral data for the study was collected between April and September 2020 and from November 2020 to January 2021, covering multiple open and closed periods during the coronavirus pandemic. Bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas were spotted at Twycross Zoo in Leicestershire, while baboons were watched by staff at Knowsley Safari in Merseyside.
