Enfrentando o estresse: um estudo comportamental e fisiológico em macacos-prego (Sapajus libidinosus) cativos

Abstract

Considering the welfare of animals in captivity is findamental to take care of the physical and psychological health of individuals. However, despite several indicators available (eg, behavioral, biochemical and physiological), the integration of results still raises doubts about the actual state of well-being of an individual. In this paper we test the hypothesis that the incongruity between well-being indicators occurs because the animals within the same population differ in the way they behave and react to the stimuli. We used, as model, captive capuchin-monkey under the care of CETAS de Natal / RN and Cabedelo / PB and the zoo of João Pessoa / PB. In the first chapter, we review several concepts and methodologies of the study of the animal personality. In the second chapter, we define the axes of the behavioral profile (GNB - Gender Normative Behavior) and stress coping (BPIS - Behaviors Potentially Indicative of Stress), and the physiological profile (Metabolites of Fecal Glucocorticoids - MFG) of animals in chronic stress of captivity. In the third chapter, we analyze whether the different behavioral types react to an acute stress of change of enclosure. Our main results were: Individuals who move more exhibit faster BPIS (eg head twirl), while more inactive individuals exhibit more stationary BPIS (eg crouching). At both ends of the activityinactivity axis, the animals show physiological signs of low welfare. More sociable animals are more resilient, both physiologically and behaviorally level to captivity stress. After an acute stress, the individuals that score positively in the Sociability and Exploration axes exhibit better adaptation to the new environment. Our results corroborate models indicating the existence of different behavioral profiles that react differently to stress and that present physiological profiles. The pattern found resembles that described in other works for other species and may shed light on behavioral evolution and plasticity of the animal kingdom.