 |
Primate Care Manual
The Ultimate Resource for
It is not the purpose of this section to promote or encourage the breeding of monkeys, as this part of primate caretaking is definitely not for everyone. However, it is completely natural for healthy, well-adjusted primates, maintained in pairs or groups, to mate and produce offspring. Primates which breed and successfully rear their offspring often reflect that they are content and secure within their environment, and have developed proper socialization skills from infancy. Primates born and reared within a family group stand the best chances of mating and becoming successful parents. Instinct plays a vital role in reproduction and rearing of offspring; however, primates learn necessary skills in both of these areas by early social experience and the observation of other group members mating and rearing offspring. (The Psychological Wellbeing Section covers this in more depth) Hand-reared and socially deprived primates have been known to reproduce offspring and some have even been adequate parents. More often, though, they are sexually dysfunctional, and incapable of providing proper parental care. In many situations when a socially deprived female gives birth, she will either reject, abuse, or kill the infant. Therefore, one should take great consideration in whether or not to let such an individual mate.
Contact the For Quality Website Design copyright 2003 |
|
