Especial Primates from Solitary to Social: the Process of Resocialisation of Rescued Primates

Generally, non-human primates are social species. Literature indicates that suboptimal housing conditions and social deprivation may lead to the development of abnormal behaviour, which is considered a sign of impaired welfare (Shyne, 2006; Novak et. al, 2002; Novak, 2003; Dellinger-Ness and Handler, 2006). Most non-human primates that are rescued by AAP, a rescue centre for exotic animals, have a history which is characterized by social deprivation or isolation. Therefore, it is no surprise that many of these animals display abnormal behaviour when they arrive at AAP. Social housing of rescued primates is essential for improving their welfare and usually leads to an increase in natural behaviour and a decrease in abnormal behaviour. Social housing of primates is an important part of the resocialisation process, which is defined as reverting to a natural behaviour repertoire as much as possible. Social housing starts with introducing rescued primates to conspecifics, further referred to as social introductions. This paper will discuss some of the issues to take into account when performing social introductions.