Rhesus macaque kindergarten (2008)

Reinhardt, V.

Abstract

Weaned macaque infants are often raised alone or in pairs. It is my experience with rhesus macaques that an optimal environment for these youngesters is a kindergarten in which one adult animal keeps order. I always enjoyed observing the animals. The youngesters spent very much time of the day playing with each other, grooming each other and the nanny, and older infants would typically carry around younger infants and protectively cradle them as if they were their mothers. They developed strong affectionate bonds with each other which we respected when the time came to remove prepubertal animals and transfer them to same-sex pair-housing arrangements.