Birth in bonobos: a case report

Birth in mammals is a crucial and delicate moment and it has been described in many species. Despite that, exhaustive descriptions of delivery in non-human primates are scarce. Moreover, in highly social animals there is a total lack of data on the reactions of other members of the group towards the mother and the newborn. This report describes a delivery in a captive group of bonobos (Pan paniscus) at Apenheul Primate Park (The Netherlands). Three observers followed the group: one of them collected data on the mother via focal animal sampling, the second one recorded the identities and behaviours of group members that were in proximity to the mother, and the third video-recorded the whole event, which lasted about a hour. The mother performed the characteristic squatting posture during contractions, touched her vaginal area and moved her hands from the vagina to the mouth and licked her fingers. Two adult, one ju venile, and one infant female were extremely interested in the mother and the newborn: they followed and frequently touched her. Males and the other pregnant female never approached the mother before the birth took place. We also observed the consumption of the placenta and its sharing among group members. Although the other pregnant female was one of the most important females in the group, she was never in proximity to the mother and she neither asked for the placenta nor received it