Estudo do comportamento e do bem-estar de primatas cativos do zoológico do CIGS ( Manaus, AM)

Abstract

Understanding the behavioral repertoires of primates, including behavior indicative of stress is very important, since they are bases to discover a way to improve the techniques of management and conservation of primates, besides being a source of information about species described in free life. The objective of this work was to describe the behaviors of the primates from the zoo known as Centro de Instrução de Guerra na Selva in Manaus, to verify the impact of visitation on the behavior of this primates, as well as the differences in behavior in face of stressors, besides analyzing the degree of well-being of each species. In this study five primate species were observed (Ateles chamek, Ateles paniscus, Ateles belzebuth, Lagothrix cana and Sapajus spp.), totalizing 16 primates of both sexes. The behaviors were recorded through the ad libitum and focal animal method, with 10 minutes of the sample period and 5 of interval. During the observations, the primates behaviors were recorded in relation to the absence and presence of active and passive visitors. From October 2017 to October 2018 observations were made for a total of 105 days, 259 hours and 7208 scans records. The results show that Ateles species (A. chamek, A. belzebuth and A. paniscus) are more frequently standing still (46.4%, 35.1% and 37.7%), and the less constant behaviors in the species of A. chamek and A. paniscus were social (4.6% and 5%), whereas for A. belzebuth the foraging behavior was less observed (5.3%). L cana had a higher percentage of sightings in the standing behavior (40%), and a lower percentage in social behavior (3.2%). For the Sapajus species the behavior of locomotion was the most presented (38.3%) and the social one was the less presented (2.4%). During the study it was verified that 53.7% of the behaviors of the primates were before the visitation. Although the behavior of visitors was 91.2% passive, these were enough to alter the behavioral repertoires of the species. This impact varied among species, in which it was possible to build a ranking of the most affected species. Although the possible behavior indicators of stress represent only 3.3% of the total behavior of the species, it was possible to conclude that most of them were closely related to the visitation. Regarding the well-being of the species, it was possible to conclude that the species L. cana, Sapajus spp. and A. chamek are under greater stress, indicating poor well8 being. Environmental education activities as well as structural modifications can support the zoo to provide better quality of life for captive primates.