Influence of the presence of seeds and litter on the behaviour of red-capped mangabeys Cercocebus torquatus torquatus

Catherine Blois-Heulin (1) , Ronan Jubin (1)

1 EVE - Ethologie, éVolution, Ecologie

The aim of this study was to analyse the influence of the presence of seeds and litter on the time budget of a family group of red-capped mangabeys, to improve animal welfare. Five experimental situations were tested in succession: (1) bare ground (without making any particular modifications of the cage), (2) seeds added to fruits ration (seeds were dispersed over the bare ground), (3) litter on the ground and seed added to food ration, (4) litter added without seed, (5) bare ground as in first situation. Addition of seeds and litter modified to various degrees the behaviour of these animals. The addition of both litter and seeds induced a significant decline in self-directed activities and a significant increase in search for food. The presence of litter, with or without seeds, induced diversification of occupation of space. Behavioural responses to the different modifications of the environment in the cage varied between individuals with females varied more than males.

Mots clés: Foraging behavior; Mangabey; Time budget; Animal welfare; Cercocebus torquatus torquatus; Environmental enrichment

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Catherine Blois-Heulin, Ronan Jubin. Influence of the presence of seeds and litter on the behaviour of red-capped mangabeys Cercocebus torquatus torquatus. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 2004, 85 (3-4), pp.349-362. ⟨10.1016/j.applanim.2003.10.005⟩. ⟨hal-01320518⟩