Stereotypical Behaviors In Rescued Chimpanzees
This paper presents case studies of two chimpanzees who were orphaned and then raised in captivity in businesses throughout their youth. Decades after their rescue, and being sent to live at sanctuaries, the behavior of these chimpanzees was assessed to determine the impact of their early years of captivity. Through interviews with caregivers, noninvasive observation, and review of case files, the behavior of the chimpanzees was assessed. Both were found to engage in behaviors stereotypical of physical or psychological trauma, decades after their captivity had ended.
Article Abstract:
“Many orphaned chimpanzees whose mothers are illegally killed for their meat (bushmeat) in Africa are sold as pets or kept caged at hotels and businesses to attract tourists. As a result of being separated from their mothers and other chimpanzees at an early age, and spending years in impoverished captive conditions, some of these individuals engage in abnormal behaviors, including stereotypically scratching at their flesh and repetitively rocking back and forth.”
“This paper presents case studies of Poco and Safari, two chimpanzees who were rescued by sanctuaries after living alone on display for humans at businesses for the first 7 to 8 years of their lives. Decades after their rescue, they still engage in stereotypical behaviors as a result of the psychological and physical trauma they endured early on. This paper combines data from in depth interviews with caregivers and direct observations of abnormal behaviors to assess psychological distress in captive-living chimpanzees.”
“Our results highlight some lesser known harms of the bushmeat trade and the detrimental life-long consequences that keeping chimpanzees as “pets” can have on their mental health.”
A PDF of the full article can be downloaded here.
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-328X/3/1/1