Introduction There has been many advancements in the field of enrichment taking place inside zoos. I decided to study the White Handed Gibbons at the Utica Zoo in New York State. I wanted to learn about the Whitehead Gibbons and see if their life in the Sue is similar to how they are supposed to act in the wild. I also wanted to see what kind of enrichment they may need to improve their life in captivity. These amazing primates are unique and vibrant in many ways and that must be shown me even while in captivity.
Methods
While studying White Handed Gibbons I went to the Utica zoo to see the three white handed gibbons they have in captivity. They have two adult females and one adult male. I watched and studied the three gibbons for about an …show more content…
For much of my observation Mila and Snowflake would groom each other. I found this to show their strong relationship of mother and offspring. The bond between mother and offspring is the strongest bond of primates. This bond usually carries throughout their lifetime if they stay at family social group. (Susan Lappan, Danielle Whittaker, Thomas Geissmann.. 2009) One thing I found very interesting about the behavior between Snowflake and Malay was that at one point there was a show of aggression and irritation with each other. I find that this may not just be from living with each other but also the fact that in most cases in the wild mail of being her age would have already left her parents to find a mate and start a family of her own many years ago. (Susan Lappan, Danielle Whittaker, Thomas Geissmann.. 2009) Something that really stood out to me while I was observing the gibbons is that whenever it came to going inside or coming back outside or retrieving food snowflake was always the first one to lead the way. She was always the first one inside and the other two would follow she would be the first one coming out with food and then the other two would follow. It seemed that she was the leader of the group. Recently, researchers studied multiple groups of gibbon in the finding that female gibbon or gibbons tended to be the leaders of the group. Lead …show more content…
The gibbons seem to still show a lot of the characteristics of a wild gibbon and receive enrichment every day from zookeepers to enhance them. They are still extremely active in the active brachiation and show that Snowflake is still the leader of the pack. In conclusion, the White Handed Gibbons at the Utica zoo are what you can consider a great example of a natural White Handed Gibbon.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Utica zoo for allowing me to come to their zoo and observe their White Handed Gibbons. I would also like to thank Mohawk Valley Community College’s Library and staff for providing me with such great resources and databases for my research toward these Gibbons. Last but not least I would like to thank Lauren Lloyd for observing these Gibbons alongside me. She was a great help for taking field notes especially when these primates move so fast, if you blink you could miss it
Methods
While studying White Handed Gibbons I went to the Utica zoo to see the three white handed gibbons they have in captivity. They have two adult females and one adult male. I watched and studied the three gibbons for about an …show more content…
For much of my observation Mila and Snowflake would groom each other. I found this to show their strong relationship of mother and offspring. The bond between mother and offspring is the strongest bond of primates. This bond usually carries throughout their lifetime if they stay at family social group. (Susan Lappan, Danielle Whittaker, Thomas Geissmann.. 2009) One thing I found very interesting about the behavior between Snowflake and Malay was that at one point there was a show of aggression and irritation with each other. I find that this may not just be from living with each other but also the fact that in most cases in the wild mail of being her age would have already left her parents to find a mate and start a family of her own many years ago. (Susan Lappan, Danielle Whittaker, Thomas Geissmann.. 2009) Something that really stood out to me while I was observing the gibbons is that whenever it came to going inside or coming back outside or retrieving food snowflake was always the first one to lead the way. She was always the first one inside and the other two would follow she would be the first one coming out with food and then the other two would follow. It seemed that she was the leader of the group. Recently, researchers studied multiple groups of gibbon in the finding that female gibbon or gibbons tended to be the leaders of the group. Lead …show more content…
The gibbons seem to still show a lot of the characteristics of a wild gibbon and receive enrichment every day from zookeepers to enhance them. They are still extremely active in the active brachiation and show that Snowflake is still the leader of the pack. In conclusion, the White Handed Gibbons at the Utica zoo are what you can consider a great example of a natural White Handed Gibbon.
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank Utica zoo for allowing me to come to their zoo and observe their White Handed Gibbons. I would also like to thank Mohawk Valley Community College’s Library and staff for providing me with such great resources and databases for my research toward these Gibbons. Last but not least I would like to thank Lauren Lloyd for observing these Gibbons alongside me. She was a great help for taking field notes especially when these primates move so fast, if you blink you could miss it