A meta-analysis, led by The University of Warwick, has found that primates under human care prefer cognitively challenging enrichment activities, such as training and games, over socialising with other primates or more ‘passive’ enrichment methods.

All animals need certain provisions to survive and thrive in captivity. Providing the best care for non-human primates (hereafter ‘primates) is essential to nurture their complex minds, relationships and experiences.

In this large-scale meta-analysis, published in Animals, Warwick researchers, in collaboration with the University of the Witwatersrand, designed a new scoring system, to analyse over 200 enrichment protocols to find the most effective ways to boost primate wellbeing based on the physiological and wellbeing impact of the activity.

Luke Duncan, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Department of Psychology, University of Warwick said: “Many primates are housed in zoos, research centres, rehabilitation centres, sanctuaries, and even private collections worldwide. Primates are highly intelligent, which can leave them susceptible to boredom, frustration, or helplessness in captivity. We have an ethical responsibility to provide the best possible care for them; this is why we embarked on this study.”

From that analysis, the three most beneficial enrichment activities for primates were found to be training sessions with human carers, cognitively challenging games and feeding activities, such as trying new foods and foraging games.

Less beneficial enrichment methods included providing new objects, toys, smells, sights and introducing novelty to the primate enclosure. These methods are widely used, require minimal human intervention, but are fairly passive for the primate. Instead, this study suggests that primates respond best when challenged.

More controversially, social activities with other primates only had an intermediate level of enrichment. Training tasks with a human were twice as effective as social activities, which is unexpected for primates whom we see as highly social animals.

Luke added: “Social enrichment is beneficial, especially for primates housed in relative isolation. However social changes can be disruptive for established primate groups, which can result in stress or aggression that can counterbalance the benefits. Even in humans, meeting new people can be stressful and filled with uncertainty. It may also be that beneficial effects of social enrichment emerge with time and are missed in some studies, because enrichment is typically evaluated in the short-term.”

Much like humans, primates benefit most from mentally stimulating and cognitively challenging activities rather than passive changes to their environment. New toys and objects are easier to introduce, but challenging our evolutionary cousins by finding new opportunities for training and puzzle-solving could be more beneficial in situations where primates are under human care.

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Image Credit: Wikimedia commons (Graham Beards)

This work was started at the School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, and completed at The University of Warwick.

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