Comparative Behavioral Biology Presents:

Jason Wark 

Lincoln Park Zoo 

The Influence of the Sound Environment on Zoo-housed Callitrichine Monkeys

Wednesday, February 24 @ 12pm

in Biopsychological Sciences Building (BPSB), 940 E 57th St., Seminar Room 122

ABSTRACT: Animals in the zoo environment are exposed to a multitude of sounds.  Some sounds, such as those from the visiting public, are inexorable components of the sound environment of a zoo and may, in some cases, have a negative impact on the behavior of animals.  Auditory masking of visitor noise, such as from waterfall features, may alleviate adverse effects of noise but this has not yet been evaluated.  Other sounds, such as music or habitat sounds, may be introduced in an attempt to enrich the animals but their utility is questionable.  This project investigated the influence of the sound environment on four species of callitrichine monkeys: pied tamarin, white-fronted marmoset, golden lion tamarin, and callimico.  The goal of this research was to identify enriching and adverse sound environments and, in the case of the latter, evaluate strategies to ameliorate this effect and promote positive welfare.