The Mandrill Primate And The Primate

I primarily observed three orangutans, one male, one female, and one juvenile, of Sumatran and Bornean descent, scientifically known as Pongo abelli and Pongo pygmaeus, respectively, and to a lesser extent, two gibbons known as siamangs, or Symphalangus syndactylus. These primates share the same enclosure in the San Diego Zoo in California. I observed the orangutans from 12:58 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. CST on September 19th. During this time frame, the three orangutans mainly stayed high up in their man-made structures, consisting of multiple metal bars covered with nets, ropes, and hammocks. The female and juvenile orangutans stayed above ground from 12:58 P.M. to 1:31 P.M., and again from 1:48 P.M. until 2:00 P.M, approximately 45 minutes. During

A few weeks ago, I spent a lovely Monday afternoon observing two different primates at the Santa Ana Zoo. I got to the zoo around two in the afternoon, and to my surprise, the zoo was decently crowded. The Santa Ana Zoo is smaller in comparison to other zoos like the Los Angeles Zoo, but still had a decent amount of animals there. Covering a small 20 acres of land, I came across two primates that fit perfectly for the purposes of this course project. I chose to observe an endangered ape, the white-handed gibbon, and an endangered new world monkey, the golden-headed lion tamarin.

During my research of Orangutans and Mandrills I observed them in captivity at the San Diego Zoo. My observations included a 20 minute observation of each primate as it cohabitated with other Primates and with other members of its own species. My findings will support the research of Orangutans and Mandrills through firsthand observations.

“Of Primates and Personhood” is an op-ed piece written by Ed Yong. In Young’s op-ed piece he talks about the Great Ape Project (GAP) happening in Spain and a Swiss law that wants to protect the dignity of the original organism, and questioning if primates should have a set of basic rights. On his op-ed, Yong provided good information on the Great Ape Project and talks about what is happening with the Swiss law. The GAP wants to set a law demanding that all apes should have legal and moral rights. This law will protect all apes from experiments and they will have a better living conditions.

This requires sturdy materials and extensive planning. Zoo staff, zookeepers, tour guides, curators and exhibit organizers etc... essential for running and maintaining happy guests of both the animal and humanoid persuasion. Imagine going to the zoo and not peering through fence slots or windows to see confined wildlife, but instead being immersed in a seemingly untouched and wild habitat. Architect Bjarke Ingels runs the architectural firm, Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and is currently trying to design a revolutionary Zoo for the Givskud Zoo and Safari Park in Denmark.Ingels recently spoke with National Public Radio about the project, telling reporter Arun Rath that his ultimate goal and greatest challenge is to make a zoo that can create a "successful cohabitation between humans and different species of animals." This cageless Zoo concept would give park goers the capability of sharing experiences with the animals, almost as if they were on a Safari.

Orangutan was the primate I decided to select for this primate observation. The monkey was enclosed in a large cage with two other monkeys (same species). It seem to be comfortable and unbothered of its surroundings. The monkey was just sitting observing everything around them, for example us the visitors. These primates are known to be unique thinkers. They are very quiet than other primates, patient, and problem solvers. The staff from the Los Angeles Zoo, provides a variety of enrichment through diet, I noticed a staff giving the monkeys vegetables: carrots, lettuce, and other that I didn’t quite notice. Being able to observe the lives of the Orangutans enclosed in the zoo, are very different

In BrickLAB Zoo, students learn about the incredible adaptations of animals all over the globe. Every day of camp, they’ll camouflage with chameleons or shake claws with lobsters as they use the BrickLAB bricks to build different animals and immerse themselves in all the ecosystems the world has to offer. From the science of how a camel’s hump helps it survive in harsh deserts to the complicated languages of monkeys, each animal’s adaptation is essential for survival in a particular environment. These traits are the key to the questions that come up as students design and build their own zoo. From the tallest Himalayan peaks to the deepest parts of the ocean, with BrickLAB Zoo, it’s the student’s time to answer the call of the wild.

The rights for animals is a debated topic and goes back and forth with the idea that animals should have rights just like humans. The idea that animals should have rights is argued in the article “Primates and Personhood” by Ed Yong where it speaks about how chimps and gorillas should have rights and protections. The organization GAP works on helping make laws for animal rights.

Primates are one of the most interesting mammals on earth, not only because of their complex social structures, but because they hold so many similar characteristics to humans. Primates are often cited as our closest living relatives and on two separate occasions I observed four separate species of primates at the San Diego Zoo that can justify their use of their physical characteristics and behaviors that may be similar as well as different to the other primates and ours.

Within this essay, we will study more in depth the behavioral as well as physical traits of two primates at a zoo from their interaction with their peers to their place in the group. This observation would enable us to further understand the possible existing correlation between humans and primates. First, I studied a female chimpanzee with her baby, and then, a dominant male gorilla, in San Francisco Zoo at about noon, on May 23, 2015, for an hour each. Even though they share some similarities such as having a large brain, living for a long time, and being bored in their enclosure, they are still different; when gorillas are the largest, chimpanzees are the smartest. In fact, chimps use tools to catch food, they would not be able to reach

Goodall, J. (1971). In the Shadow of Man. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. The author’s goal in writing this book is to discuss her experiences and what she had learned from studying wild Chimpanzees. Goodall wrote this book in order to convey her knowledge of a species of animal she loves very much, so that others may become educated and join her in protecting them. She dreamed of going to Africa to see them, and was offered a job by Dr. Lewis Leakey. Goodall wanted nothing more than a chance to help. Her experiences in surrounding herself with them have completely changed the way scientists conduct field research. Whether she intended to or not, the data she has collected has debunked myths and uncovered truths about chimpanzees, while bringing more light to human behavior.

There are many regulations and procedures in order to correctly keep animals in captivity; many of which focus on the safety of the viewing public, the staff involved, and the welfare and safety of the animals in question. Appropriate enclosure design is critical to all three parties.

Over the centuries, wild animals have always fascinated humans. As a result, wild animals have been put on display, but the logistics of these displays have changed throughout the years to resemble zoos humans now visit (Rutledge et al, 2014). Enclosures were once very small and did not provide the opportunity for stimulation that the animals need. There has been a shift from small, sterile enclosures to larger, more natural enclosures (Shepherdson, 1998). This change in the care of captive animals was caused by an interest in studying the animals (Shepherdson, 1998). Studies have revealed the importance of providing captive animals with an environment in which behaviors typical of the captive species, when in the wild, can be exercised in the enclosures in which they are housed (Shepherdson, 1998). By mimicking a natural habitat, scientists are able to observe more natural behavior. If enrichment is not provided, stereotypic behavior such as pacing, aggression, and abnormal behavior, may occur. In order to discourage these stereotypic behaviors, zoologists have begun implementing enrichment programs to stimulate the captive animals to exhibit more natural behaviors (Swaisgood and Shepherdson, 2005).

Bwindi Inpenetrable Forest is a national park situated in the south west of Uganda, close to the borders of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo. It covers an area of 321 km2 and is largely made up of mountain and forest and is home to a number of flora and fauna. As well as having a diverse array of wildlife, Bwindi is also one of only two places in the world where mountain gorillas are found. This particular type of gorilla is one of the world’s most endangered species, in the mountain gorilla census of 2006, the world population stood at 720, about half of which live in Bwindi. By inviting small groups of tourists to the area to view the gorillas it brings a vital boost to the local and national economy. At present there are five habituated gorilla groups in Bwindi, four tourist and one research, and this report aims to recommend whether or not another group for tourism would be beneficial to the area. I have included evidence both supporting and opposing the possibility of habituating another group of gorillas for tourism in the park and after considering the evidence, I have concluded my recommendations in the following report.

“Zoos try to make the animal’s enclosure as interesting as possible. One way of doing this is through ENVIRONMENTAL ENRICHMENT. Enrichment is the use of novel objects or ideas to increase the natural behaviour of the animals. Different objects and methods are used for different animals.” (1)