AS-HOPE report

Number: AS-23-005

Stress of Wild Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in Bossou: Behavioral

Report: YUMI YAMANASHI

Date: 2011/12/11 - 2012/3/15

My main academic interest is animal welfare and environmental enrichment for captive animals. When considering animal welfare of captive chimpanzees, the idea of stress is quite important and usually reducing the stress is consideredto enhance welfare. However, sometimes it is controversy since wild chimpanzeesalso feel stress and it is one of the crucial parts in their life. Nevertheless, little is known about stress of wild chimpanzees and how they cope with stress. Understanding the way wild chimpanzees cope with environmentis useful when we consider the welfare of captive chimpanzees. Therefore, the purpose of this visit is to collect the behavioral and physiological measure ofstress of wild chimpanzees and how it is affected by social and physical factors. I followed chimpanzees from morning to evening and recorded Self-directed behaviors (SDBs) such as self-scratching and nose touching behaviors and social behaviors. In addition, I collected fecal samples to analyze the stress related hormone, cortisol, after going back to Japan. In addition, I recorded the behaviors when crossing the road with video camera toanalyze how they cope with stressful event. I could collect the behavioral andfecal samples from 12 out of 13 chimpanzees. I am now analyzing the patterns and frequency of behaviors on individual basis.

A juvenile chimpanzee scratching his body


Chimpanzees crossing the road

AS-HOPE Project<>