An explorative study on visitor's behaviour and their effect on the behaviour of primates at Chittagong zoo

Abstract

Visitors are vital components of a zoo, and their importance has led to a research area dedicated to understanding the visitor-animal relationship. To study the influence of 'visitor presence' on captive primates, a behavioral study was conducted on four species of monkeys at Chittagong zoo. The behavior of the visitors was studied, and it was found that they tend to tease the monkeys during their visit. Among these people, about 40% tease rhesus monkeys, 30% tease the capped langur, 20% tease the pigtailed macaque, and 10% tease the olive baboon on average. All of these effects are consistent with an interpretation that visitors are a source of stressful excitement rather than enrichment. The behavior of monkeys in response to visitors' activity was recorded independently when 'on-exhibit' in enclosures. In the presence of visitors, primates were found to be less affiliative, more active, and more aggressive. These changes were particularly marked in arboreal monkeys, especially in smaller species. Detailed observations of a group of primates indicated that with increasing numbers of visitors, the monkeys showed a linear increase in attention to visitors, in activity, and in stereotyped behavior. Visitor presence was thus found to influence the behavior of captive monkeys in a negative way, suggesting that 'visitor presence' might adversely affect their welfare.