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. 2023 Nov 13;13(22):3501.
doi: 10.3390/ani13223501.

Social Network Analysis as a Tool in the Care and Wellbeing of Zoo Animals: A Case Study of a Family Group of Black Lemurs (Eulemur macaco)

Max Norman  1 , Cassie Jones  2 , Kara Watson  2 , Renato L Previdelli  3
Affiliations

Social Network Analysis as a Tool in the Care and Wellbeing of Zoo Animals: A Case Study of a Family Group of Black Lemurs (Eulemur macaco)

Max Norman et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Social network analysis (SNA) is an increasingly utilised technique in the literature examining the social structures and organisation of animals and understanding the bonds between groups and individuals. Using a case study as an illustration, the applications of SNA are explored, including the identification of dominance hierarchies and detection of sources of social pressure, with a particular focus on the applications of SNA to holistic assessments of animal welfare alongside other methods. Based on the examination of social dynamics in a family group of four black lemurs (Eulemur macaco), a primate whose social organisation is characterised by patterns of female dominance, it is demonstrated that SNA can be used to examine the affiliative and agonistic interactions between individuals living in human care. SNA showed species-typical forms of female dominance that were largely directed towards the two males, characterised by the initiation of aggressive interactions and male submission. More intricate relationships and consistent social roles across networks were revealed through the examination of SNA. It is concluded that SNA has wide-ranging benefits in the assessment of effects of environmental changes, such as informing social management decisions, developing enrichment and intervention programs, and guiding overall improvements to the housing and care of individual animals. SNA, as part of an animal welfare toolbox, could, therefore, be a pivotal technique for modern animal welfare assessment that considers individual animals and their social lives. By sharing a case study of the technique in use, it is hoped that animal collections may adopt similar modern and evidence-based assessment methods.

Keywords: animal management; animal welfare; black lemur; primates; social behaviour; social network analysis; zoos and aquariums.

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Conflict of interest statement

Max Norman works for Animal Concepts, a consultancy company working with zoos and other animal care facilities worldwide. Otherwise, the authors declared no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total counts for each behaviour for the whole day (aggression, aversion, and affiliation) over the 10 separate sample days during the 2-month study period, with the point of enclosure change marked by a vertical line.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The relationships between feeding times and the rates of (a) aggressive, (b) aversive, and (c) affiliative behaviours (expressed as behaviours/hour). Significant differences between pairs are denoted with an asterisk (*).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sociogram for total (a) aggressive, (b) aversive, and (c) affiliative interactions witnessed in a family group (1.1.2) of black lemurs. Line thickness is proportional to the number of interactions observed between dyads. Letters represent the animal ID. The direction of arrows indicates the initiator vs. receiver of behaviour.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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