Efficacy of environmental enrichment for garnett's bushbaby (Otolemur garnettii) (2002)

Watson, S. L., Gray, A., Taylor, E. et al.

Abstract

There is little empirical evidence to establish whether strategies recommended by the USDA are beneficial for prosimians....We examined 10 male and 8 female individually housed bushbabies to .... determine extent of interaction with ... manipulanda only, ... swinging/climbing apparati only, and .. both manipulanda and swinging/climbing apparati. The animals were video-recorded for 15/min day for 6 days over a 3 week period. ... Bushbabies interacted with swinging/climbing apparati significantly more than with manipulanda.... Animals that had access to swinging/climbing apparati ... spent less time grooming than those with manipulanda only...All animals spent significantly more time at the top than at the bottom of their cages (t(17)=3.3, p=.004). ...The bushbabies did not use manipulanda even if it was the only form of enrichment present. These results suggest that provision of vertical space and swinging/climbing opportunities may be more effective forms of enrichment for bushbabies than provision of manipulanda.