HOPE report

Number:20-012

A study on the development of social behavior in captive bonobos

Report:Yasuko Tashiro

Date:2009/02/18 - 2009/03/12

I studied the social behavior of bonobos at Lola ya Bonobo Sanctuary, Democratic Republic of the Congo, from 18th February to 12th March 2009. Data was collected 17days during the study period. There were 61 individuals in this Sanctuary, and the focal individuals included six infants (1?3 years old) and their mothers. I recorded the behavior of focal animals, especially social interactions between the focal individuals and other group members, using a video camera. I also recorded participants involved in, and patterns of, genito-genital contact. Infants tended to spend longer time with the members of group instead of their mothers compared to similar data taken on the same mother-infant pairs previously. Some of infants began to move by themselves instead of carried by mother. These data will be analyzed to show the developmental changes of infant sociality of bonobos.

mother-infant pair of bonobo


social play between infant and young male

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