Behavior and husbandry of a captive group of woolly monkeys: A case study

Abstract

With the addition of six woolly monkeys to its colony in the mid-1980s, the Louisville Zoo began a decade of successful breeding with 21 live births. We also initiated a systematic study of behavioral and environmental correlates of uri- nary cortisol excretion with the goal of understanding factors that contribute to hypertension in captive woolly monkeys. Urinary cortisol had a curvilinear relationship with social standing as measured by scream incidents. Cortisol was higher in females than males. Cortisol increased as females approached the normal term of their pregnancies. Three breeding females showed an association between cortisol and visitors, which may be confounded by ambient temperature. Otherwise, sea- son, age, and housing condition (bachelor, breeding, mixed nonbreeding) did not affect cortisol excretion. Several varieties of social greetings were observed during calm interactions as well as after conflicts. Proximity among individuals reflected matrilineal grouping for mother-raised monkeys. Species-typical behaviors such as chest rubbing, predation, and social greetings were consistent with these behaviors as described in wild populations.