Is social housing of primates always the optimal choice? In: Through the Looking Glass (1991)

Coe, C. L.

Abstract

Especially when new pairs are formed and dominance relationships are being established, there is a strong likelihood that the veterinarian will be kept quite busy suturing wounds. ... In a recent longitudinal assessment of six pairs of male rhesus monkeys, ... we found that introduction of female subjects into the housing area had a significant effect on other physiological systems, including the immune systems, of these male pairs. For example, both dominant and subordinate males showed a month-long decline in the natural killer-cell activity following the psychological stimulation evoked by housing two females in cages adjacent to the cages of the male pairs.