Examining Social Interactions in Biological & Foster Mother and Offspring Orangutans
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Bond, Rachel
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Ragan, Christina
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Abstract
Orangutans, genus Pongo, are endangered animals mainly threatened by hunting and deforestation in Sumatra and Borneo. To combat the current population crisis, conservationists have worked with zoos to attempt establishing a foster system to promote repopulation within captivity. An orangutan foster system introduces an orphaned orangutan young to an existing family for interspecies socialization, assuming the foster family system socially emulates a biological family. It is hypothesized that foster mother-offspring social interactions resemble biological dyadic social interactions. This was evaluated through behavioral coding of social, active, and stationary behaviors of behavioral data obtained from biological and foster family units across multiple zoos. Analysis of key social behaviors displays an insignificant difference between foster and biological groups, providing evidence of proper orangutan development. Thus, supporting not only researchers’ prediction of trivial behavioral differences between biological and foster family groups, but also the idea that foster programs allow for proper social development. Verifying the effectiveness of the orangutan foster system evokes the question of maternal motivation for caregiving and is crucial in formally introducing this innovative solution to combat the threat of orangutan extinction.
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Undergraduate Research Option Thesis