Page 119 - Zoo Animal Learning and Training

5.4 Adult Life 91

VetBooks.ir exploration is to gather information for the primates, housing females together maxim-
ises females learning infant care skills from
future (Berlyne 1960; Russell 1983). Learning
about future opportunities in the environ-
the longest duration of single parental care of
ment can be particularly useful for animals each other (Bard 1995). The orangutan has
living in changeable environments and there- any mammal, weaning young at around eight
fore inquisitive exploration could be thwarted years of age (Galdikas and Wood 1990).
by relatively static zoo environments (Clark During this period of one‐on‐one learning,
2018). I touch on this more below, in the the young orangutan will be learning what
‘solving complex problems’ section. foods are safe to eat, and how to build a nest;
when orangutans are orphaned and find their
way into zoos or sanctuaries, the rehabilita-
5.4.4 Mating and Parenting
tion process involves humans or surrogate
I have already discussed the young animal’s apes attempting to mimic natural parenting
need to recognise and bond to a parent, and in what have been dubbed ‘forest schools’
how mate choice can be learned at a young (Russon et al. 2016). In contrast to direct
age (sexual imprinting). But when animals are teaching from parent to offspring, meerkats
sexually mature, how do they learn to find a (Suricata suricatta) have a social system
mate and eventually care for their own off- characterised by alloparental care; offspring
spring? In zoos, where mate choice is signifi- are reared by their parents as well as addi-
cantly restricted (as humans are responsible tional group members called ‘helpers’ or ‘car-
for creating and maintaining social assem- ers’ (Thornton and McAuliffe 2006).
blages), is mate recognition and mating
behaviour really that important? I would 5.4.5 Avoiding Danger
argue affirmatively, since animals must learn
how to mate effectively, even if their choice of What dangers do zoo animals face? Although
potential mates is few. Birds are frequently good zoos provide their inhabitants with
cited as having elaborate courtship displays shelter, warmth, comfort, and food, no envi-
which may include sequenced head bobbing, ronment can ever be 100% safe. Zoo animals
wing flapping, and crouching movements may still face a threat of predation (e.g. in the
(Rogers and Kaplan 2002). The male golden‐ UK, native fox predation on zoo birds),
collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus), for wounding aggression from conspecifics (e.g.
example, performs an elaborate courtship Alford et al. 1995; Hosey et al. 2016;
display including a sequence of acrobatic Ruehlmann et al. 1988), and the growing
jumps unique to the individual (Fusani et al. impact of climate change on ex situ conser-
2007). When the mating season begins, males vation in zoos (Mawdsley et al. 2009).
repeatedly practise their display to establish a Some responses to salient danger cues will
choreographed routine (Coccon et al. 2012). be instinctive whilst others will be shaped by
This represents one animal’s learning experi- experience. Animals that have lived their
ence over time, whereas other animals may whole lives in zoos may still respond to wild
learn courtship behaviours off each other. In predator alarm calls, showing that antipreda-
brown‐headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), tor responses are not necessarily lost in species
courtship behaviours can be socially trans- living under human care. As an example,
mitted across generations, and different pop- Hollén and Manser (2007) found that meer-
ulations of birds have slightly different kats living in zoos demonstrated the same suite
courtship behaviours as a result. of alarm calls documented in wild meerkats,
This brings us to parenting skills. Many under broadly similar contexts. Furthermore,
primates must learn infant care from parents the zoo meerkats could discriminate between
and siblings in order to be successful. When faeces of carnivores (potential predators) and
managing the breeding of highly social zoo herbivores (nonpredators), even though they