Infant development in the slender loris (Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus)

In this article we present data on infant development in wild slender loris, a nocturnal primate species. The behavioural ecology of the grey slender loris Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus, a nocturnal strepsirrhine, was studied for 21 months (October 1997-June 1999) in a scrub jungle in Dindigul, south India. A total of 22,834 scans were collected during 2656 h of observation on identified and unidentified lorises using instantaneous point and ad libitum sampling methods. Developmental schedules were observed for twelve individuals born during the course of the study period. A greater number of twin births were observed than singleton births and more isosexuals than heterosexuals. Infants were parked at the age of 3 weeks and weaned by 5 months of age. Individuals showed significant developmental differences in their activity schedules. Females appeared to reach sexual maturity by 10 months of age. Social interactions with related conspecifics decreased with age and adult slender lorises did not show differences in social time spent with related and non-related conspecifics

Midnight's children?: Solitary primates and gregarious chiropterans

Some primate species exhibit a solitary social organization. Among several ecological and biological parameters that have been forwarded as correlates of a solitary lifestyle, a nocturnal activity cycle is considered an important determinant. However, several species of megachiropterans, a mammalian group that is completely nocturnal, live in large multimale–multifemale groups. A comparative review of primate and megachiropteran behavioural adaptations shows that megachiropterans do not exhibit the expected correlates of a nocturnal lifestyle. It is suggested that detailed studies of megachiropteran social structures may reveal important pointers to the adaptive bases of a solitary social life

Using Conditioned Taste Aversion to Reduce Human-nonhuman Primate Conflict: A Comparison of Four Potentially Illness-inducing Drugs

Human-wildlife conflict in the form of crop- and livestock depredation is escalating worldwide and many species of nonhuman primates are considered serious crop pests throughout areas within their ranges that humans inhabit. Animals become habituated to many non-lethal mitigation strategies, which then become ineffective at reducing crop-foraging intensities by nonhuman primates, so people have turned to culling to reduce crop losses. An example of this problem is primate crop depredation in northern India, where rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) have been declared vermin. Conditioned Taste Aversion (CTA) develops when humans and nonhuman animals associate the taste and odor of food with post-consumption illness and results in subsequent refusal to consume the food associated with illness. The length of time that the food is avoided indicates the aversion’s strength. CTA can be induced deliberately when food is paired with a drug that causes nausea. Thus, exploiting CTA could be a non-lethal and effective method to control crop damage caused by vertebrate pests. We tested four drugs on 88 rhesus macaques to assess their ability to induce a CTA and determine safe and effective doses. Our results suggest that fenbendazole, an anthelminthic drug with a high margin of safety, is ineffective. A similar drug, levamisole also was ineffective, as the monkeys detected it during the acquisition phase. However, we were able to create aversions using thiabendazole, another anthelminthic, and 17 alpha-ethynyl estradiol (EE). Once a dose appropriate to induce a CTA was determined, EE demonstrated a success rate of 86 %, and thiabendazole 46 %. Both drugs have strengths and weaknesses. Only a small dose of EE (25 mg/kg of body weight) was required to induce a CTA, which can be concealed in a small amount of food. However, it is a synthetic hormone, so access to the drug should be limited, and its distribution in the environment controlled. Thiabendazole required a considerably higher dose (160 mg/kg of body weight) to establish a CTA and may be a greater challenge to conceal. Nonetheless, both drugs appeared to go undetected in these tests and could be used with mild baits, e.g., wheat and corn/maize. We urge continued conditioned taste aversion studies across species to reduce crop damage

Living with elephants: Exploring the nature and cause of human-elephant conflict in India (NIAS Backgrounder No. B2-2010)

In February 2010, the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, issued an edict announcing the formation of a Task Force on Project Elephant. In the words of the memorandum, the objective of the Task Force is “to provide detailed recommendations to ‘upgrade’ the Project to bring about a more effective conservation and management regime for the species in Indi

Environmental decision making: The role of culture-induced divergence in cognition

Much has been written recently about heedless development policies and the environmental disasters they have re- sulted in. However, although it is easy in hindsight to recognize that certain environmental decisions were improperly made, in reality environmental decision- making is a challenging task. National or region-specific environmental decisions typically affect multiple stakeholders with diverse priorities or objectives. Hence reaching an accord that balances the integrity of the ecosystem with the needs of stakeholders requires multidiscipli- nary knowledge bases that integrate in- formation from the natural, social and medical sciences

Behavioural variation in the Mysore slender loris Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus

The Mysore slender loris, Loris lydekkerianus lydekkerianus is a nocturnal strepsirrhine primate endemic to India. As with other lorisine species, there have been few studies on this taxon and much still remains unknown about it. During a 21-month study on a Mysore slender loris population in Tamil Nadu, southern India, we collected data on the ecology and behaviour of 32 identified individuals. Certain aspects of diet and social behaviour of lorises in this population vary from what is already known for the Mysore slender loris in another part of southern India, offering a new perspective into behavioural variations in this taxon. Evidence for behavioural variation in the Mysore slender loris is significant for two reasons – one, there are few instances of clearly documented intraspecific variation in wild nocturnal primate species and two, this flexibility, it would appear, allows the Mysore slender loris to inhabit and survive in degraded and disturbed habitats across southern India, an adaptability that is thus critically linked to its conservation status

Of concern yet?: Distribution and conservation status of the bonnet macaque Macacaradiata in Goa, India

The bonnet macaque Macaca radiata, endemic to peninsular India, is typically ignored in conservation initiatives as it is considered a common species, ubiquitously present across its distribution. Recent studies in southern India, however, report drastic declines in its populations. From March to May, 2012, we carried out a study to investigate its conservation status at the northern end of its range, in the state of Goa on the western coast of India. We recorded bonnet macaques in less than 40% of the locations we visited where they had previously been reported, and found that local residents living in close association with bonnet macaque populations were largely intolerant of the species’ presence. Surveys and studies to monitor the population dynamics of such ‘common’ species as the bonnet macaque are urgently needed so that we can be better informed about their actual conservation status

Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde: The strange case of human- macaque interactions in India (Commentary)

As we hurtle headlong into the twenty-first century creating technologies, breathing development, and grabbing land and resources, most of us will readily acknowledge that we may be harming the natural world by our actions and that we must do what we can to correct this. Judging from the enthusiastic response to most wildlife campaigns nowadays, it would also appear that the human population, or a goodly portion of it, genuinely sympathises with the fate of wild animals today and seeks to preserve them and their habitats. The more difficult choice to accept is that of physical coexistence, or sharing our living space with them. It is relatively easy to think of saving wildlife when it is a matter of conserving their space, infinitely more challenging when the issue is one of sharing our space with them. Most primate specie

Evaluation of census techniques to estimate the density of slender Loris (Loris lydekkerianus) in Southern India

Reliable estimates of species density are fundamental to planning conservation strategies for any species; further, it is equally crucial to identify the most appropriate technique to estimate animal density. Nocturnal, small-sized animal species are notoriously difficult to census accurately and this issue critically affects their conservation status. We carried out a field study in southern India to estimate the density of slender loris, a small-sized nocturnal primate using line and strip transects. Actual counts of study individuals yielded a density estimate of 1.61 ha–1; density estimate from line transects was 1.08 ha–1; and density estimates varied from 1.06 ha–1 to 0.59 ha–1 in different fixed-width strip transects. We conclude that line and strip transects may typically underestimate densities of cryptic, nocturnal primates