The response of group-housed baboons to three enrichment toys. Lab Anim

The behaviour of group-housed baboons was compared before and after the provision of durable cage toys. One adult male hamadryas baboon and 13 adult female olive baboons living in a large enclosure were observed after they were given seven nylon bones, seven Kong ™ toys and seven Plaque Attackers™. Observations were conducted four times per week on each subject over a 6-week period. Abnormal, cage-directed, inactive and self-directed behaviours all significantly decreased after the provision of the toys, while enrichment-directed activities significantly increased. Aggression did not differ between the no toy and toy conditions. Approximately 26 % of the baboons were using the toys at anyone time, and use of the Kong™ toys and the bones was higher than that of the Plaque Attackers™. Individuals who used enrichment structures already present were also those who used the new toys the most. Keywords Enrichmentj baboon; Papio sp.j manipulable objectsj abnormal behaviour Environmental enrichment is now common practice in most facilities housing nonhuman primates, with the goal of providing a more stimulating captive setting which may elicit species-typical behaviour patterns and reduce behaviours not normally found in the wild counterpart (Chamove &. Anderson 1989). Studies to determine the behavioural and physical effects of enrichment techniques have commonly been conducted with maca-que species (Fajzi et al. 1989), and informa-tion on baboons has not been as prevalent, especially for group-housed baboons. Several types of enrichment, including social pairing, foraging devices, natural foods and activity cages, were found to have positive effects on singly-caged baboons (Bennett &. Specto