Lee, G. H., Christie, D. M., Kroeker, R. H. et al. 2013. Reaction to novel pool enrichment by indoor group-housed juvenile Macaca nemestrina. American Journal of Primatology 75(S1), 82. (36th Meeting of the American Society of Primatologists Scientific Program, Abstract #164)

Environmental enrichment is provided to laboratory-housed nonhuman primates to encourage species-typical behaviors. Some enrichment is labor intensive so quantitative studies should be undertaken to assure that the benefit is worth the effort expended. This study examined the effect of water enrichment (pools) for eleven juvenile female pigtail macaques (Macaca nemestrina) housed in two social groups. Scan sampling was used to record behavior and contact or close proximity to the pool every 75s for three hours each day, split evenly between morning and afternoon. After 6 days of baseline (no pool), the pool was given one day per week for 6 weeks. Two-sample t-tests revealed that several behaviors occurred less frequently when the pool was present compared to baseline (social play, p=0.004; cling, p=0.003; affiliation, p=0.007), while locomotion (p=0.001) and passiveness increased (p=<0.001). Levels of abnormal and exploratory behavior did not differ. During the 6 weeks of pool exposure the subjects did not spend time playing in the pool, however repeated measures ANOVA across successive pool days revealed that the subjects increased the time they spent near the pool [F=9.627, p=0.001]. These results suggest that the subjects were reacting to the novelty of the pool and that it can take an appreciable amount of time for laboratory-housed monkeys to acclimate to this type of enrichment.