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The
Science of Chimpanzees
The care of animals as complex as
chimpanzees requires a sophisticated management strategy.
Luckily, chimpanzees are among the most-studied animals in the
world, and the SSP benefits from the wide range of behavioral
research being conducted on wild and captive apes. But even
with this vast array of information, there remain many unanswered
questions that can help address issues of animal husbandry,
wellbeing and the conservation of the species in the wild.
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Multi-institutional study of adolescent male chimpanzees |
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Managing
adolescent male chimpanzees, especially their aggressive
behavior, is currently the biggest challenge in the
management of the zoo chimpanzee population. If zoos can
manage young males through these difficult years, they often
mature into sociably compatible adults. However, there are
no relevant, published studies to guide decision-making
about how to house these young males, when aggression
warrants removal from a group, or what level of aggression
or wounding should be expected. This is a collaborative
research study to gather information on the social behavior,
hormonal status and wounding incidence of young male
chimpanzees living in different social settings. Our
findings will assist the SSP in better understanding and
handling behavioral problems with adolescent males,
improving the chimpanzee population management, as well as
the welfare of individual chimpanzees. This project is a
scientifically based research investigation that directly
meets stated priorities of the Chimpanzee SSP, and will also
generate scholarly publications. It is an excellent example
of how the scientific method can be applied to aid in the
management of zoo collections. |
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:: Information for observers
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