—Morgan Breen (Mentors: Andrew Conroy and Silke von Eynern)
Increasingly higher rates of orphan Vervet Monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) are ending up in rehabilitation centers all over Africa. This species is viewed as a pest and is often hunted or killed by humans, however, they play a vital role in their ecosystem. They also have extremely complex social hierarchies, living in large matriarchal troops which makes them difficult to rehabilitate. Through the use of surrogate mothers, orphans can learn survival skills and be reared without relying solely on human care. This study aims to assess how to provide these orphaned monkeys with the best chance of survival once released by studying the behaviors of infants raised in a surrogate troop and comparing them to those raised by their biological mothers. Two key behavioral interactions were evaluated between the groups: Play behavior and Dominant Behavior, as these are how infants learn to interact and perform critical life skills. I hypothesized that individuals raised biologically would display more intraspecific dominant behaviors and partake in more play interactions than those raised by surrogates. However, an independent t-test determined that the infants raised via surrogacy displayed significantly more play and dominant behaviors. Further research could ensure these infants are set up for success.
