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Regurgitation and reingestion in captive gorillas: Description and intervention
Author(s) -
Gould Edwin,
Bres Mimi
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
zoo biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.5
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1098-2361
pISSN - 0733-3188
DOI - 10.1002/zoo.1430050302
Subject(s) - biology , regurgitation (circulation) , intervention (counseling) , captivity , incidence (geometry) , ethogram , demography , zoology , psychology , medicine , physics , psychiatry , sociology , optics
Direct observation of regurgitation and reingestion (r/r) of captive gorillas was used to describe and catalog this behavior and thus lay the groundwork for possible intervention in the r/r cycle. Analysis of questionnaires regarding 117 gorillas at 17 zoos suggests that social deficits during early development contribute to the occurrence of r/r later in life. Wild‐caught and captive‐born, hand‐reared gorillas show higher incidence of r/r than that of mother‐reared infants. R/r increases the daily ingestion time. Feeding browse decreases r/r and increases time spent feeding from about 11% of the day to 27% of the day.