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A comparison of the development of behaviour in free-living and safari park baboons
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mixed in one enclosure. This is not as yet a perfected art and fatalities often occur as a result of inter-specific aggression, especially when equines are the aggressors and when very young animals are the victims. Intra-specific aggression is also important as, in the presence of females (and, in some cases, at other times), adult male ungulates rarely tolerate male conspecifics, including juveniles. Female to female aggression is seldom serious hut in some species, notably sable and wildebeeste, the aggression of male to female precludes keeping sexes together, except during the female’s oestrous period. Factors influencing this probably include the size of the enclosure and the number of animals in it. In herding species, numbers are likely to have a psychologically comforting effect. Management of ungulates must have regard for natural species-specific behaviour. For example, management of horses and asses, must be different, since a herd of horses is dominated by one stallion while a herd of asses is not. Problems can arise in species in which the flight distance is normally great since these animals are easily panicked and, in this state, they tend to run, fatally, into solid objects. It is thus advantageous to reduce the tendency to flee by taming but this sometimes results in other problems, such as animals approaching visitors and being fed unsuitable stuff, for example, sweets, which can lead to enteritis or gastritis. The natural feeding behaviour of ungulates (and other creatures) is commonly overlooked, and this is likely to be a reason for the occurrence of many health problems. Desert antelope have not evolved to be able to deal with lush grass, and neither have leaf-eaters, such as giraffe or gerenuk. On the other hand, desert antelope can derive nourishment from quantities of scrub vegetation, which is why attempts are being made to ranch them, with some degree of success.
A COMPARISON OF THE DEVELOPMENT LIVING AND SAFARI PARK BABOONS
OF BEHAVIOUR
IN FREE-
C. G. ROWLAND and N. R. CHALMERS Open University, Milton Keynes (Great Britain) ABSTRACT Free-living infant baboons in Kenya show peaks in the frequencies of non-social locomotor patterns earlier in their lives than baboons in two British safari parks. However, safari park infants spend more time on their mothers than wild baboons of the same age and this might reduce the time available for locomotion. Four differences between wild and safari park conditions are suggested as possible causes of the safari park mothers’ apparent restrictiveness: (a) climate, (b) visitors’ cars, (c) an excess of adult males and consequently more fighting, (d) less need for mothers to have hands free for foraging. The excess of males is considered to be the most likely. When not on their mothers, safari park infants appear more mobile; both sexes show higher frequencies of non-social walking and females show more non-social running. Males show similar or slightly higher frequencies of non-social running. Non-social jumping occupies the same proportion of off-mother time in each habitat. No explanation is offered. In the play of free-living baboons, there are earlier peaks in the frequencies of playrunning and play-jumping compared with safari park baboons. No explanation is offered, but it serves as a reminder that conditions might affect the development of play and, consequently, the social development of the animals. .-
mixed in one enclosure. This is not as yet a perfected art and fatalities often occur as a result of inter-specific aggression, especially when equines are the aggressors and when very young animals are the victims. Intra-specific aggression is also important as, in the presence of females (and, in some cases, at other times), adult male ungulates rarely tolerate male conspecifics, including juveniles. Female to female aggression is seldom serious hut in some species, notably sable and wildebeeste, the aggression of male to female precludes keeping sexes together, except during the female’s oestrous period. Factors influencing this probably include the size of the enclosure and the number of animals in it. In herding species, numbers are likely to have a psychologically comforting effect. Management of ungulates must have regard for natural species-specific behaviour. For example, management of horses and asses, must be different, since a herd of horses is dominated by one stallion while a herd of asses is not. Problems can arise in species in which the flight distance is normally great since these animals are easily panicked and, in this state, they tend to run, fatally, into solid objects. It is thus advantageous to reduce the tendency to flee by taming but this sometimes results in other problems, such as animals approaching visitors and being fed unsuitable stuff, for example, sweets, which can lead to enteritis or gastritis. The natural feeding behaviour of ungulates (and other creatures) is commonly overlooked, and this is likely to be a reason for the occurrence of many health problems. Desert antelope have not evolved to be able to deal with lush grass, and neither have leaf-eaters, such as giraffe or gerenuk. On the other hand, desert antelope can derive nourishment from quantities of scrub vegetation, which is why attempts are being made to ranch them, with some degree of success.
A COMPARISON OF THE DEVELOPMENT LIVING AND SAFARI PARK BABOONS
OF BEHAVIOUR
IN FREE-
C. G. ROWLAND and N. R. CHALMERS Open University, Milton Keynes (Great Britain) ABSTRACT Free-living infant baboons in Kenya show peaks in the frequencies of non-social locomotor patterns earlier in their lives than baboons in two British safari parks. However, safari park infants spend more time on their mothers than wild baboons of the same age and this might reduce the time available for locomotion. Four differences between wild and safari park conditions are suggested as possible causes of the safari park mothers’ apparent restrictiveness: (a) climate, (b) visitors’ cars, (c) an excess of adult males and consequently more fighting, (d) less need for mothers to have hands free for foraging. The excess of males is considered to be the most likely. When not on their mothers, safari park infants appear more mobile; both sexes show higher frequencies of non-social walking and females show more non-social running. Males show similar or slightly higher frequencies of non-social running. Non-social jumping occupies the same proportion of off-mother time in each habitat. No explanation is offered. In the play of free-living baboons, there are earlier peaks in the frequencies of playrunning and play-jumping compared with safari park baboons. No explanation is offered, but it serves as a reminder that conditions might affect the development of play and, consequently, the social development of the animals. .-