Comparison of Qualitative Behaviour Assessment by laypersons with observed behaviour in captive white-faced saki monkeys (Pithecia pithecia) and ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta)

Evidence-based welfare audits are essential when assessing the impact of human-managed care on non-human primates living in zoos. Over the years, numerous methodologies have been proposed for evaluating animal welfare, predominantly focusing on either the care inputs provided in the form of housing, nutrition, and veterinary care or the meeting of other needs. However, recent research has increased its focus on animal-based outputs in the form of health and behaviour, while less attention has been placed on the psychological wellbeing of animals, owing to the difficulty of measuring subjective affective states in animals and questioning of whether measuring animal emotion is valuable, valid, and reliable in determining wellbeing.

The present study examines the use of qualitative behaviour assessment (QBA) in saki monkeys (Pithecia pithecia) and ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta). Observers were recruited through an online survey and varied in their familiarity with non-human primate behaviour and the management of primates in captivity. They were instructed to use a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) to assess video clips of animals housed at an animal care college and zoo. The same videos were also scored by the author using a traditional quantitative ethogram and then correlated with the generated components from the QBA.

The aim is for the findings of this research to indicate whether there are potential associations between the identified dimensions of emotionality in non-human primates and traditional quantitative methods of measuring behaviour, even when rated by laypersons.