Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EnPrim (The Enriched Primate)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2021-01-11 do 2023-01-10
What is the problem being addressed?
With almost 60% of primate species currently classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), primate conservation is now of primary importance.
Among captive animals, zoo populations are unique as they are usually managed to educate the public regarding wildlife and their habitats. The maintenance of the genetic diversity of such captive populations is imperative because these populations may serve as buffers against extinction and thus need to be viable for reintroduction into the wild.
To maintain healthy populations zoos apply numerous husbandry and environmental enrichment techniques, including sensory enrichments. However, most scent-based enrichments still use spices or essential oils rather than biologically relevant scents.
Why is it important for society?
Non-human primates are of vital importance to tropical biodiversity and the livelihoods and cultures of several indigenous societies. With many species rapidly declining, the issues of primate conservation are of growing interest worldwide, moving political and economic forces. In this context, zoos play a major role as they can help to preserve endangered species through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes (aligned with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal target 15.5 which uses the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species to assess the risk of biodiversity extinction).
This Action therefore contributed to tackling important societal issues, providing promising findings to enhance the European captive conservation breeding programme of an endangered primate species by using chemical communication to improve well-being and trigger sexual behaviours. Specifically, this project focused on the gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates, which is not only critically endangered in the wild but also showing low reproductive success in captivity.
What are the overall objectives?
The specifics objectives of this Action were:
(a) to conduct the first detailed chemical analyses of anogenital secretions in female gentle lemurs during fertile and non-fertile periods and thus identify the chemical signature conveying information about sexual receptivity and fertility;
(b) to reproduce the female fertile odour signature and present this synthetized chemical mixture to male conspecifics to test whether it triggers olfactory, sexual and mating behaviours; and
(c) to evaluate the effects of such novel scent enrichment by combining behavioural observations, faecal hormone measurements and microbiota analyses, thus deepening our understanding of the complex mechanisms linking reproduction, stress, and health conditions in captive lemurs.
With almost 60% of primate species currently classified as endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), primate conservation is now of primary importance.
Among captive animals, zoo populations are unique as they are usually managed to educate the public regarding wildlife and their habitats. The maintenance of the genetic diversity of such captive populations is imperative because these populations may serve as buffers against extinction and thus need to be viable for reintroduction into the wild.
To maintain healthy populations zoos apply numerous husbandry and environmental enrichment techniques, including sensory enrichments. However, most scent-based enrichments still use spices or essential oils rather than biologically relevant scents.
Why is it important for society?
Non-human primates are of vital importance to tropical biodiversity and the livelihoods and cultures of several indigenous societies. With many species rapidly declining, the issues of primate conservation are of growing interest worldwide, moving political and economic forces. In this context, zoos play a major role as they can help to preserve endangered species through captive breeding and reintroduction programmes (aligned with United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal target 15.5 which uses the IUCN’s Red List of Threatened Species to assess the risk of biodiversity extinction).
This Action therefore contributed to tackling important societal issues, providing promising findings to enhance the European captive conservation breeding programme of an endangered primate species by using chemical communication to improve well-being and trigger sexual behaviours. Specifically, this project focused on the gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), one of the world’s 25 most endangered primates, which is not only critically endangered in the wild but also showing low reproductive success in captivity.
What are the overall objectives?
The specifics objectives of this Action were:
(a) to conduct the first detailed chemical analyses of anogenital secretions in female gentle lemurs during fertile and non-fertile periods and thus identify the chemical signature conveying information about sexual receptivity and fertility;
(b) to reproduce the female fertile odour signature and present this synthetized chemical mixture to male conspecifics to test whether it triggers olfactory, sexual and mating behaviours; and
(c) to evaluate the effects of such novel scent enrichment by combining behavioural observations, faecal hormone measurements and microbiota analyses, thus deepening our understanding of the complex mechanisms linking reproduction, stress, and health conditions in captive lemurs.
Overview and dissemination of the results
The Fellow invested her first period at University of Wolverhampton (UoW) completing an extensive review of the literature and outlining a detailed plan of the six Work Packages (WPs), including contingency plans due to the restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
After a pilot study at Wild Place Project (UK) to try all the research methods, the study focused on a gentle lemur group hosted at Jersey Zoo (Channel Islands) during both non-breeding and breeding periods. The Fellow collected behavioural data as well as anogenital odour and faecal samples of the breeding female and determined the female fertile window by combining the cyclical changes in faecal progesterone and oestradiol levels with observations of mating behaviour. She then investigated the volatile component of the odour secretions, and identified a total of 78 distinct peaks in 35 swab samples, including a small pool of compounds which were present only during the fertile window (WP1). The Fellow re-synthetised this female fertile chemical signature and then evaluated the male lemur response via behavioural assays at Birmingham Zoo (UK) (WP2). After that, she tested such novel olfactory enrichment on four non-breeding pairs hosted at Jersey, Birmingham, London (UK) and Mulhouse (France) zoos, combining behavioural observations with faecal endocrinology (WP3). Unplanned circumstances (e.g. delays due to the implications of the Covid-19 outbreak) prevented the Fellow from completing microbiota analyses within the project time frame. However, she was granted a Visiting Scholarship by UoW to carry out these analyses at Florence University within six months from the end of the project’s funding period (WP4).
This study has contributed to improving our understanding of lemur reproductive biology and supported the hypothesis that fertile odour signals may play an important role in sexual communication and convey information about female lemur fertility. The study findings also suggest that using biologically relevant scents as environmental enrichment may help trigger naturalistic species-specific behaviours, even if with high individual variability.
The Fellow disseminated the results to both the scientific community and the public (WP5). She took part into seven conference presentations and two academic journal articles over the project period. She also engaged with public events such as The European Researchers’ Night, Science is Wonderful!, UoW’s SciFest and FUTURES2022, as well as writing three articles for the UoW newsletter WLV Insider.
The project was managed under WP6, which was intended to give the Fellow a full training in project management as well as several academic and research skills. Specifically, she was involved in managing the research project and attended a wide range of training courses, seminars, and public lectures at UoW. She also gained teaching and supervisory experience, by delivering a range of lectures, seminars, and workshops, as well as acting as co-supervisor for four project students.
During the pilot study, the Fellow collaborated to a research project on the effects of Covid-19 zoo closures on captive primate welfare by applying her faecal endocrinology expertise. Results of this study were presented at the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum (June 2022) and published in the peer-reviewed journal Animals.
Exploitation of the results
UoW will ensure that the knowledge arising from the research project results is properly managed and that IP is protected and exploited effectively. UoW will look at the possibility of applying for a European patent and then commercialising the newly designed scent enrichment through the establishment of a spin-out company.
The Fellow invested her first period at University of Wolverhampton (UoW) completing an extensive review of the literature and outlining a detailed plan of the six Work Packages (WPs), including contingency plans due to the restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic.
After a pilot study at Wild Place Project (UK) to try all the research methods, the study focused on a gentle lemur group hosted at Jersey Zoo (Channel Islands) during both non-breeding and breeding periods. The Fellow collected behavioural data as well as anogenital odour and faecal samples of the breeding female and determined the female fertile window by combining the cyclical changes in faecal progesterone and oestradiol levels with observations of mating behaviour. She then investigated the volatile component of the odour secretions, and identified a total of 78 distinct peaks in 35 swab samples, including a small pool of compounds which were present only during the fertile window (WP1). The Fellow re-synthetised this female fertile chemical signature and then evaluated the male lemur response via behavioural assays at Birmingham Zoo (UK) (WP2). After that, she tested such novel olfactory enrichment on four non-breeding pairs hosted at Jersey, Birmingham, London (UK) and Mulhouse (France) zoos, combining behavioural observations with faecal endocrinology (WP3). Unplanned circumstances (e.g. delays due to the implications of the Covid-19 outbreak) prevented the Fellow from completing microbiota analyses within the project time frame. However, she was granted a Visiting Scholarship by UoW to carry out these analyses at Florence University within six months from the end of the project’s funding period (WP4).
This study has contributed to improving our understanding of lemur reproductive biology and supported the hypothesis that fertile odour signals may play an important role in sexual communication and convey information about female lemur fertility. The study findings also suggest that using biologically relevant scents as environmental enrichment may help trigger naturalistic species-specific behaviours, even if with high individual variability.
The Fellow disseminated the results to both the scientific community and the public (WP5). She took part into seven conference presentations and two academic journal articles over the project period. She also engaged with public events such as The European Researchers’ Night, Science is Wonderful!, UoW’s SciFest and FUTURES2022, as well as writing three articles for the UoW newsletter WLV Insider.
The project was managed under WP6, which was intended to give the Fellow a full training in project management as well as several academic and research skills. Specifically, she was involved in managing the research project and attended a wide range of training courses, seminars, and public lectures at UoW. She also gained teaching and supervisory experience, by delivering a range of lectures, seminars, and workshops, as well as acting as co-supervisor for four project students.
During the pilot study, the Fellow collaborated to a research project on the effects of Covid-19 zoo closures on captive primate welfare by applying her faecal endocrinology expertise. Results of this study were presented at the EAZA Animal Welfare Forum (June 2022) and published in the peer-reviewed journal Animals.
Exploitation of the results
UoW will ensure that the knowledge arising from the research project results is properly managed and that IP is protected and exploited effectively. UoW will look at the possibility of applying for a European patent and then commercialising the newly designed scent enrichment through the establishment of a spin-out company.
This Action has contributed to the fields of animal welfare and captive breeding conservation research in numerous ways. It has allowed us to deepen our knowledge of the chemical changes underlying reproductive quality in lemurs and opened new avenues in zoo enrichment science, with potential implications for Ex-situ conservation initiatives.
The newly designed scent enrichment is expected to be adopted by the five host zoos and extended to other European institutions through changes in management policies released by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s Ex-situ Programme Coordinator for the gentle lemur.
This project also contributes to the European policy objectives on scientific and sustainable development, supporting the advancement of animal welfare science and helping to halt biodiversity loss.
The newly designed scent enrichment is expected to be adopted by the five host zoos and extended to other European institutions through changes in management policies released by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria’s Ex-situ Programme Coordinator for the gentle lemur.
This project also contributes to the European policy objectives on scientific and sustainable development, supporting the advancement of animal welfare science and helping to halt biodiversity loss.