Introduction
Orangutans’ natural behaviors and tendencies are significantly altered when they are taken from their natural habitat and kept in zoos.
Methods
Orangutans were observed via the live webcam at the San Diego Zoo to carry out this study. Observations were made for two hours on two distinct days. Outputs were at timespans seconds each, and attention was paid to some actions. The actions are resting, grooming, using tools, engaging in friendly and aggressive behaviors, and so on. The focus was to see how Orangutans act in their artificial environment, where all of their needs are met, as opposed to their natural habitat. It is where they must not only provide for themselves but also no longer have the “safe environment” provided by humans.
Data
During both observation times, a small group of orangutans was observed, and the first hour of observation was not particularly exciting. A group of three people occupied the hammocks for most of the observation time, resting. Although there were a few instances of friendly behavior, such as brachiating, the focus was not on these behaviors because more time was spent m in hammocks. The second hour of the observation was significantly busier. What started as two orangutans relaxing in the hammocks has grown to include five orangutans. Observation entails two of the orangutans interacting with objects and engaging in friendly behaviors, although none of them remained in view for the entirety of the observation. Like the first observation, most of the time was spent relaxing in hammocks; however, some bipedal walking and using tools were also observed, and no eating or aggressive behavior was observed.
Analysis
Orangutans are described as semi-solitary in their natural environment, Indonesia’s heavily forested Borneo and Sumatra islands. Adult male orangutans are the most solitary. While male orangutans occasionally interact with other orangutans, they typically only socialize with female orangutans for reproduction and do not contribute to the upkeep and care of their children. Orangutans’ female social structure differs slightly from their male counterparts in that, although they are typically solitary, they also take on the responsibility of caring for and raising their offspring. The observations and research led conclusion that the hypothesis was correct; Orangutans’ natural behaviors and tendencies change when taken from their natural habitats and kept in zoos, but not in the way I expected. During the observations, it surprised by how much time the orangutans spent hanging out in their hammocks. Although it was initially believed that the orangutans’ artificial habitats’ size played a role in this behavior, later it was learned that several studies have found that the complexity of the enclosure is significantly more important than its size.
Conclusion
Although it was confirmed that the hypothesis that orangutans removed from their natural habitats and kept in zoos alter their natural tendencies and behaviors, it was surprising to discover that these “changes” in behavior are not entirely antagonistic, orangutans spend much time foraging for food and building nests in their natural environment. Even though it initially thought the small enclosure would be a problem, the zoo provides an environment where these needs are easily met. It was discovered that orangutan behavior in captivity is most affected by the complexity of the domain rather than the size of the enclosure. The artificial structures and objects provided to orangutans in captivity encourage this deviation from the activities they would typically engage in within the context of their natural habitats. Even though all of their needs are met in a manner that promotes much more “relaxed” behavior than one would observe in orangutans in their natural environments. The relationship between humans and orangutans kept in captivity and their curiosity, as well as the fact that they become less wary of new objects in captivity as opposed to the wild, was fascinating.
References
Jurmain, Robert, et al. Introduction to Physical Anthropology. Cengage Learning, 2018.
Forss, Sofia I. F. et al. “Contrasting responses to novelty by wild and captive orangutans.” American journal of primatology 77 10 (2015): 1109-21.
Hosey, G.R. How does the zoo environment affect the behaviour of captive primates?. Appl. Anim. Behav. Sci. 2005;90:107–109.