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Druelle F, Leti I, Bokika Ngawolo JC, Narat V. Vertical climbing in free-ranging bonobos: An exploratory study integrating locomotor performance and substrate compliance. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2024; 183:e24894. [PMID: 38180148 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Ecological factors and body size shape animal movement and adaptation. Large primates such as bonobos excel in navigating the demanding substrates of arboreal habitats. However, current approaches lack comprehensive assessment of climbing performance in free-ranging individuals, limiting our understanding of locomotor adaptations. This study aims to explore climbing performance in free-ranging bonobos and how substrate properties affect their behavior. METHODS We collected data on the climbing performance of habituated bonobos, Pan paniscus, in the Bolobo Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo. We analyzed 46 climbing bouts (12 ascents, 34 descents) while moving on vertical substrates of varying diameter and compliance levels. This study assessed the average speed, peak acceleration, resting postures, and transitions between climbing and other locomotor modes. RESULTS During climbing sequences and transitions, bonobos mitigate speed variations. They also exhibit regular pauses during climbing and show higher speeds during descent in contrast to their ascent. Regarding the influence of substrate properties, bonobos exhibit higher speed when ascending on thin and slightly flexible substrates, while they appear to achieve higher speeds when descending on large and stiff substrates, by using a "fire-pole slide" submode. DISCUSSION Bonobos demonstrate remarkable abilities for negotiating vertical substrates and substrate properties influence their performance. Our results support the idea that bonobos adopt a behavioral strategy that aligns with the notion of minimizing costs. Overall, the adoption of high velocities and the use of low-cost resting postures may reduce muscle fatigue. These aspects could represent important targets of selection to ensure ecological efficiency in bonobos.
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Affiliation(s)
- François Druelle
- Histoire Naturelle de l'Homme Préhistorique, UMR 7194, CNRS-MNHN-UPVD, Paris, France
- Functional Morphology Laboratory, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Innocent Leti
- NGO Mbou-Mon-Tour, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | | | - Victor Narat
- Eco-Anthropologie, UMR 7206, MNHN-CNRS-Univ. Paris Cité, Paris, France
- Bonobo Eco, Saint Brice sur Vienne, Vienne, France
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2
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Mitani JC, Abwe E, Campbell G, Giles-Vernick T, Goldberg T, McLennan MR, Preuschoft S, Supriatna J, Marshall AJ. Future coexistence with great apes will require major changes to policy and practice. Nat Hum Behav 2024; 8:632-643. [PMID: 38374442 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01830-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/21/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2024]
Abstract
The great apes-bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans-are critically threatened by human activities. We have destroyed their habitats, hunted them and transmitted fatal diseases to them. Yet we also conduct research on them, try to protect them and live alongside them. They are endangered, and time is running out. Here we outline what must be done to ensure that future generations continue to share this planet with great apes. We urge dialogue with those who live with great apes and interact with them often. We advocate conservation plans that acknowledge the realities of climate change, economic drivers and population growth. We encourage researchers to use technology to minimize risks to great apes. Our proposals will require substantial investment, and we identify ways to generate these funds. We conclude with a discussion of how field researchers might alter their work to protect our closest living relatives more effectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- John C Mitani
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
- Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
| | - Ekwoge Abwe
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA, USA
- Cameroon Biodiversity Association, Douala, Cameroon
| | | | - Tamara Giles-Vernick
- Anthropology and Ecology of Disease Emergence Unit, Institut Pasteur/Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Tony Goldberg
- Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA
| | - Matthew R McLennan
- Bulindi Chimpanzee and Community Project, Hoima, Uganda
- Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Jatna Supriatna
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Mathematics and Sciences, University of Indonesia, Depok, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Andrew J Marshall
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Program in the Environment, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- School for Environment and Sustainability, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Program in Computing for the Arts and Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
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3
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Teberd P, Sanz C, Zambarda A, Kienast I, Ebombi TF, Abea G, Mengoga D, Makisso JN, Kunz J, Judson K, Stephens C, Morgan D. Path To Acceptance and Refined Practices for Habituating Western Lowland Gorillas. Primates 2023:10.1007/s10329-023-01086-5. [PMID: 37656335 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01086-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/03/2023] [Indexed: 09/02/2023]
Abstract
Although western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) are the most numerous and widespread gorilla subspecies, they have remained relatively unstudied. International tourism has been initiated at several sites in the Congo Basin, which necessitates habituation of gorillas to human presence. However, habituation has proven difficult due to several obstacles, including relatively low population densities, small group sizes, and thick understory vegetation. In this article, we propose refinements to current approaches to habituating western lowland gorillas that maximize safety and emphasize adaptive responses based on empirical evidence. In addition to reviewing published reports, our approach is informed by the recent habituation of the Mététélé group in the Djéké Triangle, an area that was recently included in the Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park in Republic of Congo. We evaluate progress in habituation according to time spent in the presence of the gorillas and their reactions to humans. The Mététélé group is composed of 14 individuals and has a home range that overlaps with two habituated gorilla groups. Early in the habituation process, we discovered that three of Mététélé's group members were individuals who had previously been habituated as members of other groups. The presence of these individuals expedited the habituation process. Familiarity with humans may have also reduced aggressive responses during the habituation process. The overall result is a refined step-by-step approach to the habituation of western lowland gorillas that includes procedures and assessments to meet best-practice guidelines and ensure the wellbeing of both gorillas and humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Prospère Teberd
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo.
| | - Crickette Sanz
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | - Alice Zambarda
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Ivonne Kienast
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | | | - Gaston Abea
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Donatien Mengoga
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jean Noel Makisso
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Julia Kunz
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, BP, 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Kathryn Judson
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | - Colleen Stephens
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, Missouri, 63130, USA
| | - David Morgan
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA
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Fasbender D, Yamba U, Keuk K, Hart T, Hart J, Furuichi T. Bonobo social organization at the seasonal forest‐savanna ecotone of the Lomami national park. Am J Primatol 2022; 84:e23448. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David Fasbender
- Department of Primatology and Wildlife Science, Graduate School of Science Kyoto University Inuyama Japan
| | - Uyulu Yamba
- Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - Kenneth Keuk
- Department of Primatology and Wildlife Science, Graduate School of Science Kyoto University Inuyama Japan
| | - Terese Hart
- TL2 Project of the Frankfurt Zoological Society Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo
| | - John Hart
- TL2 Project of the Frankfurt Zoological Society Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo
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Cornec C, Ngofuna M, Lemasson A, Monghiemo C, Narat V, Levréro F. A pilot study of calling patterns and vocal turn-taking in wild bonobos Pan paniscus. ETHOL ECOL EVOL 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/03949370.2022.2044387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Clément Cornec
- Université Jean Monnet de Saint Étienne, CNRS, Équipe Neuro-Éthologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL UMR 5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Étienne, France
| | | | - Alban Lemasson
- Éthologie Animale et Humaine, Université de Rennes/Université de Normandie, CNRS, EthoS – UMR 6552, Rennes, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Victor Narat
- Éco-Anthropologie, CNRS/MNHN/Université de Paris, France
| | - Florence Levréro
- Université Jean Monnet de Saint Étienne, CNRS, Équipe Neuro-Éthologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL UMR 5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, Saint-Étienne, France
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The Habituation Process in Two Groups of Wild Moor Macaques ( Macaca maura). INT J PRIMATOL 2022; 43:291-316. [PMID: 35043025 PMCID: PMC8758468 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-021-00275-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
When studying animal behavior in the wild, some behaviors may require observation from a relatively short distance. In these cases, habituation is commonly used to ensure that animals do not perceive researchers as a direct threat and do not alter their behavior in their presence. However, habituation can have significant effects on the welfare and conservation of the animals. Studying how nonhuman primates react to the process of habituation can help to identify the factors that affect habituation and implement habituation protocols that allow other researchers to speed up the process while maintaining high standards of health and safety for both animals and researchers. In this study, we systematically described the habituation of two groups of wild moor macaques (Macaca maura), an Endangered endemic species of Sulawesi Island (Indonesia), to assess the factors that facilitate habituation and reduce impact on animal behavior during this process. During 7 months, we conducted behavioral observations for more than 7,872 encounters and an average of 120 days to monitor how macaque behavior toward researchers changed through time in the two groups under different conditions. We found that both study groups (N = 56, N = 41) became more tolerant to the presence of researchers during the course of the habituation, with occurrence of neutral group responses increasing, and minimum distance to researchers and occurrence of fearful group responses decreasing through time. These changes in behavior were predominant when macaques were in trees, with better visibility conditions, when researchers maintained a longer minimum distance to macaques and, unexpectedly, by the presence of more than one researcher. By identifying these factors, we contribute to designing habituation protocols that decrease the likelihood of fearful responses and might reduce the stress experienced during this process.
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Pougnault L, Levréro F, Leroux M, Paulet J, Bombani P, Dentressangle F, Deruti L, Mulot B, Lemasson A. Social pressure drives "conversational rules" in great apes. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:749-765. [PMID: 34873806 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Revised: 11/19/2021] [Accepted: 11/25/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, two hypotheses, one on the evolution of animal vocal communication in general and the other on the origins of human language, have gained ground. The first hypothesis argues that the complexity of communication co-evolved with the complexity of sociality. Species forming larger groups with complex social networks have more elaborate vocal repertoires. The second hypothesis posits that the core of communication is represented not only by what can be expressed by an isolated caller, but also by the way that vocal interactions are structured, language being above all a social act. Primitive forms of conversational rules based on a vocal turn-taking principle are thought to exist in primates. To support and bring together these hypotheses, more comparative studies of socially diverse species at different levels of the primate phylogeny are needed. However, the majority of available studies focus on monkeys, primates that are distant from the human lineage. Great apes represent excellent candidates for such comparative studies because of their phylogenetic proximity to humans and their varied social lives. We propose that studying vocal turn-taking in apes could address several major gaps regarding the social relevance of vocal turn-taking and the evolutionary trajectory of this behaviour among anthropoids. Indeed, how the social structure of a species may influence the vocal interaction patterns observed among group members remains an open question. We gathered data from the literature as well as original unpublished data (where absent in the literature) on four great ape species: chimpanzees Pan troglodytes, bonobos Pan paniscus, western lowland gorillas Gorilla gorilla gorilla and Bornean orang-utans Pongo pygmaeus. We found no clear-cut relationship between classical social complexity metrics (e.g. number of group members, interaction rates) and vocal complexity parameters (e.g. repertoire size, call rates). Nevertheless, the nature of the society (i.e. group composition, diversity and valence of social bonds) and the type of vocal interaction patterns (isolated calling, call overlap, turn-taking-based vocal exchanges) do appear to be related. Isolated calling is the main vocal pattern found in the species with the smallest social networks (orang-utan), while the other species show vocal interactions that are structured according to temporal rules. A high proportion of overlapping vocalisations is found in the most competitive species (chimpanzee), while vocal turn-taking predominates in more tolerant bonobos and gorillas. Also, preferentially interacting individuals and call types used to interact are not randomly distributed. Vocal overlap ('chorusing') and vocal exchange ('conversing') appear as possible social strategies used to advertise/strengthen social bonds. Our analyses highlight that: (i) vocal turn-taking is also observed in non-human great apes, revealing universal rules for conversing that may be deeply rooted in the primate lineage; (ii) vocal interaction patterns match the species' social lifestyle; (iii) although limited to four species here, adopting a targeted comparative approach could help to identify the multiple and subtle factors underlying social and vocal complexity. We believe that vocal interaction patterns form the basis of a promising field of investigation that may ultimately improve our understanding of the socially driven evolution of communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Loïc Pougnault
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, Rennes, 35042, France.,Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, 23 rue Paul Michelon, Saint-Etienne, 42023, France.,ZooParc de Beauval & Beauval Nature, Avenue du Blanc, Saint Aignan, 41110, France
| | - Florence Levréro
- Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, 23 rue Paul Michelon, Saint-Etienne, 42023, France
| | - Maël Leroux
- Department of Comparative Linguistics, University of Zürich, Thurgauerstrasse 30, Zürich-Oerlikon, 8050, Switzerland.,Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda.,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zürich, Plattenstrasse 54, Zürich, 8032, Switzerland
| | - Julien Paulet
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, Rennes, 35042, France
| | - Pablo Bombani
- NGO Mbou-Mon-Tour, Nkala, Territoire de Bolodo, Maï-Ndombe, Democratic Republic of the Congo
| | - Fabrice Dentressangle
- Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, 23 rue Paul Michelon, Saint-Etienne, 42023, France
| | - Laure Deruti
- Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS, Equipe Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle, ENES/CRNL, UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S 1028, 23 rue Paul Michelon, Saint-Etienne, 42023, France
| | - Baptiste Mulot
- ZooParc de Beauval & Beauval Nature, Avenue du Blanc, Saint Aignan, 41110, France
| | - Alban Lemasson
- Univ Rennes, Normandie Univ, CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie animale et humaine) - UMR 6552, 263 avenue du Général Leclerc, Rennes, 35042, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, 1 rue Descartes, Paris, 75231, France
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Vicente-Alonso S, Sánchez-Sánchez L, Álvarez Solas S. On the way to systematize habituation: a protocol to minimize the effects of observer presence on wild groups of Leontocebus lagonotus. Primates 2021; 62:407-415. [PMID: 33428014 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-020-00877-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Habituation is used in most field research with primates to minimize observer effects on their behavior. Despite its importance, there is little published on the methods used to habituate different taxa of primates or how these methods vary in different habitat types. We assessed changes in behavior and space use of two groups of Leontocebus lagonotus in the Ecuadorian Amazon in order to document this process. Although the subjects had not been studied before, visitors and researchers were more frequently in the home range of Group 1 than of Group 2. We followed both groups for 2 months, collecting behavioral data through scan sampling and recording the use of space (ground, understory, subcanopy, and canopy) and the routes along which we followed the groups. We then divided our data into two equivalent stages, randomized the data for each stage and looked for significant differences using Wilcoxon tests. Our results show a significant decrease in submissive behaviors toward the observer for both groups and a significant increase in resting and foraging for Group 1. In addition, Group 2 used the subcanopy significantly less and the understory more during the second stage. The routes the animals used were significantly longer in the second stage for Group 1, but not for Group 2. We conclude that our methodology is adequate to advance in the habituation of L. lagonotus in less than 2 months and that a group will habituate more quickly if it has had some previous neutral exposure to humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Vicente-Alonso
- Fundació Universitat de Girona: Innovació i Formació and Fundació Mona, Girona, Spain.
| | - Lidia Sánchez-Sánchez
- Fundació Universitat de Girona: Innovació i Formació and Fundació Mona, Girona, Spain
| | - Sara Álvarez Solas
- Universidad Regional Amazónica Ikiam, Tena, Ecuador.,Grupo de Estudio de Primates del Ecuador (GEPE), Quito, Ecuador.,Grupo de Investigación de Biogeografía y Ecología Espacial (BioGeoE2), Tena, Ecuador
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10
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Demuru E, Pellegrino F, Dediu D, Levréro F. Foraging postures are a potential communicative signal in female bonobos. Sci Rep 2020; 10:15431. [PMID: 32963261 PMCID: PMC7608273 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-72451-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2020] [Accepted: 08/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Body postures are essential in animal behavioural repertoires and their
communicative role has been assessed in a wide array of taxa and contexts. Some body
postures function as amplifiers, a class of signals
that increase the detection likelihood of other signals. While foraging on the ground,
bonobos (Pan paniscus) can adopt different crouching
postures exposing more or less of their genital area. To our knowledge, their potential
functional role in the sociosexual life of bonobos has not been assessed yet. Here we
show, by analysing more than 2,400 foraging events in 21 captive bonobos, that mature
females adopt a rear-exposing posture (forelimb-crouch) and do so significantly more often when their anogenital
region is swollen than during the non-swollen phase. In contrast, mature males almost
completely avoid this posture. Moreover, this strong difference results from a diverging
ontogeny between males and females since immature males and females adopt the forelimb-crouch at similar frequencies. Our findings suggest
that the forelimb-crouch posture may play a
communicative role of amplification by enhancing the visibility of female sexual
swellings, a conspicuous signal that is very attractive for both males and females.
Given the high social relevance of this sexual signal, our study emphasizes that
postural signalling in primates probably deserves more attention, even outside of
reproductive contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Demuru
- Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, Université de Lyon, CNRS-UMR5596, Lyon, France. .,Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS-UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S1028, Saint-Etienne, France.
| | - François Pellegrino
- Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, Université de Lyon, CNRS-UMR5596, Lyon, France
| | - Dan Dediu
- Laboratoire Dynamique du Langage, Université de Lyon, CNRS-UMR5596, Lyon, France
| | - Florence Levréro
- Equipe de Neuro-Ethologie Sensorielle ENES/CRNL, Université de Lyon/Saint-Etienne, CNRS-UMR5292, INSERM UMR_S1028, Saint-Etienne, France
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12
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Green VM, Gabriel KI. Researchers' ethical concerns regarding habituating wild-nonhuman primates and perceived ethical duties to their subjects: Results of an online survey. Am J Primatol 2020; 82:e23178. [PMID: 32700383 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 05/20/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
While the process of habituation is essential for researchers to observe primates in their natural habitats, ethical dilemmas may arise from its consequences. We collected data from 286 participants via an online survey to investigate: (a) how primatologists perceive their ethical duties toward their subjects; (b) the extent to which primatologists are concerned about the potential ethical consequences of habituation; and (c) the methods primatologists use to reduce potential harms caused by habituation. Overall, primatologists felt an extremely strong duty to mitigate harms that they may cause (e.g., to not stress individuals during observation, treat injuries, and reunite separated individuals) and expressed very high concern for habituation's potential to increase the vulnerability of their subjects to poaching and disease transfer. Ratings for those items were so high that they could not be included in subsequent exploratory factor analyses that were designed to reveal constructs underlying respondents' ratings of their ethical duties and concerns. Factor analysis of ratings of ethical duties revealed that primatologists reported a strong duty to mitigate harms caused by other humans and a lower perceived duty to mitigate naturally occurring harmful events. Factor analysis on ethical concern ratings revealed that respondents were concerned about harms during the habituation process, the presence of unhabituated behavior after habituation had been established, and indirect harms of habituation. Concerns for unhabituated behavior and indirect harms were rated slightly higher than concern for harms during the habituation process. To mitigate potential harms, primatologists primarily reported engaging in strategies to reduce stress in their subjects. Our findings reveal a disconnect between primatologists' ratings of their ethical concerns and their reported mitigation practices that may, in part, stem from gaps in knowledge about the true impacts of habituation. We suggest areas of discussion and research in the field necessary to address those gaps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria M Green
- Primate Behavior Program, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington
| | - Kara I Gabriel
- Department of Psychology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington
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Demichelis C, Oszwald J, Gasquet‐Blanchard C, Narat V, Bokika J, Pennec F, Giles‐Vernick T. Multidimensional analysis of landscape dynamics in a Central African forest‐savannah mosaic. Afr J Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Johan Oszwald
- Laboratoire LETG‐UMR CNRS 6554 Université de Rennes Rennes France
| | - Clélia Gasquet‐Blanchard
- Laboratoire ESO‐UMR CNRS 6590 Université de Rennes Rennes France
- Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Santé Publique Rennes France
| | - Victor Narat
- Institut Pasteur Unité d'Anthropologie et Ecologie de l'Émergence des Maladies Paris France
- CNRS MNHN Paris Diderot Paris France
| | | | | | - Tamara Giles‐Vernick
- Institut Pasteur Unité d'Anthropologie et Ecologie de l'Émergence des Maladies Paris France
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Hanson KT, Riley EP. Beyond Neutrality: the Human–Primate Interface During the Habituation Process. INT J PRIMATOL 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-017-0009-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Beaune D, Hohmann G, Serckx A, Sakamaki T, Narat V, Fruth B. How bonobo communities deal with tannin rich fruits: Re-ingestion and other feeding processes. Behav Processes 2017; 142:131-137. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2017.06.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2017] [Revised: 06/26/2017] [Accepted: 06/26/2017] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Abstract
This article explores the sensory dimensions of scientific field research in the only region in the world where free-ranging bonobos ( Pan paniscus) can be studied in their natural environment; the equatorial rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo. If, as sensory anthropologists have argued, the senses are developed, grown and honed in a given cultural and environmental milieu, how is it that field scientists come to dwell among familiarity in a world which is, at first, unfamiliar? This article builds upon previous anthropological and philosophical engagements with habituation that have critically examined primatologists' attempts to become 'neutral objects in the environment' in order to habituate wild apes to their presence. It does so by tracing the somatic modes of attention developed by European and North American researchers as they follow bonobos in these forests. The argument is that as environments, beings and their elements become familiar, they do not become 'neutral', but rather, suffused with meaning.
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Des bonobos distinguent les braconniers des scientifiques. REVUE DE PRIMATOLOGIE 2016. [DOI: 10.4000/primatologie.2617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
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Narat V, Guillot J, Pennec F, Lafosse S, Grüner AC, Simmen B, Bokika Ngawolo JC, Krief S. Intestinal Helminths of Wild Bonobos in Forest-Savanna Mosaic: Risk Assessment of Cross-Species Transmission with Local People in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. ECOHEALTH 2015; 12:621-633. [PMID: 26369331 DOI: 10.1007/s10393-015-1058-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2014] [Revised: 08/05/2015] [Accepted: 08/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Phylogenetic and geographic proximities between humans and apes pose a risk of zoonotic transmission of pathogens. Bonobos (Pan paniscus) of the Bolobo Territory, Democratic Republic of the Congo, live in a fragmented forest-savanna mosaic setting, a marginal habitat for this species used to living in dense forests. Human activities in the forest have increased the risk of contacts between humans and bonobos. Over 21 months (September 2010-October 2013), we monitored intestinal parasites in bonobo (n = 273) and in human (n = 79) fecal samples to acquire data on bonobo parasitology and to assess the risk of intestinal helminth transmission between these hosts. Coproscopy, DNA amplification, and sequencing of stored dried feces and larvae were performed to identify helminths. Little difference was observed in intestinal parasites of bonobos in this dryer habitat compared to those living in dense forests. Although Strongylids, Enterobius sp., and Capillaria sp. were found in both humans and bonobos, the species were different between the hosts according to egg size or molecular data. Thus, no evidence of helminth transmission between humans and bonobos was found. However, because humans and this threatened species share the same habitat, it is essential to continue to monitor this risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victor Narat
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, Site du Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France.
| | - Jacques Guillot
- Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort, Parasitology department, Dynamyc research group, 7 avenue du Général De Gaulle, 94700, Maisons-Alfort, France
| | - Flora Pennec
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, Site du Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Sophie Lafosse
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, Site du Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
| | - Anne Charlotte Grüner
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, CP135, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231, Paris Cedex, France
| | - Bruno Simmen
- Centre national de la recherche scientifique, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, CP135, 57 rue Cuvier, 75231, Paris Cedex, France
| | | | - Sabrina Krief
- Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, UMR7206 (MNHN-CNRS-Paris7) Eco-anthropologie et ethnobiologie, Site du Musée de l'Homme, 17 place du Trocadéro, 75016, Paris, France
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