2024 Grantees

CONSERVATION GRANTEES 2024

Nicolas Gorostiaga

Influence of a yellow fever outbreak on the demography and genetic variability of a public health sentinel species (Alouatta caraya) in North-eastern Argentina 

Yellow fever (YF), a Flavivirus disease, persists in the tropical forests of South America and Africa. Notable Yellow Fever Outreak (YFO) occurred in Argentina during 2008-2009. Howler monkeys (Alouatta spp.) serve as vital sentinels for epidemiological and public health surveillance. During the recent YFO in Misiones, Argentina, hundreds of howler monkey deaths occurred, resulting in a change in the IUCN conservation status of A. caraya from "Least Concern" to "Vulnerable." This project aims to evaluate population dynamics, changes in genetic variability, and a potential bottleneck event in howler monkey populations at YFO-affected (Misiones) and unaffected control sites (Corrientes).

Project awarded Born Free Foundation funding.

Photo shared with permission.

Matt Wisdom

The role of lemurs and other frugivores as facilitators of ecological restoration in the Ambatotsirongorongo Protected Area, south-east Madagascar

Maintaining plant-frugivore interactions and seed dispersal dynamics are vital to the natural regeneration of tropical forests, and understanding the nuances of these processes is critical in the pursuit of long-term, sustainable ecological restoration. Using a combination of phenological and vegetation surveys, focal observations, camera trapping, and seed germination trials, this project will conduct a thorough study of frugivore-plant interactions and seed dispersal dynamics in the fragmented forest of the Ambatotsirongorongo Protected Area in south-east Madagascar, with the aim of integrating knowledge of these processes into the local forest restoration programme, and in other restoration projects across Madagascar.

Photo shared with permission.

Aislinn Olthoff and Lilli Stenger

Distribution, abundance, and human perceptions of Trachypithecus auratus (VU) and Macaca fascicularis (EN) on Bali and Lombok

Ebony langurs (Trachypithecus auratus; VU) and long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis; EN) are both endemic to Indonesia and classified as threatened by the IUCN. Understanding their distribution and human perceptions is vital to understand interactions in increasingly converted forested habitats like mangrove forests and agroforestry areas. We will collect and update distribution data throughout Bali and Lombok, in agroforestry areas and mangrove forests, using line transects and recce walks. Simultaneously, we will conduct interviews with local communities in these areas. Using our multifaceted approach, we aim to predict future distribution, guide conservation priorities for these monkeys, and foster sustainable coexistence with local communities, ensuring their long-term survival.

Project awarded Trentham Monkey Forest funding.

Photos shared with permission.

RESEARCH GRANTEES 2024

CAPTIVE CARE GRANTEES 2024

Vu Hoang 

Prosocial responses to stress-related non-verbal behaviours in captive gibbons (Hylobatids)

This project aims to investigate prosocial responses to stress-related non-verbal behaviours in Hylobatids species which have potential for informing welfare management. While stress-related behaviours have been found to be associated with affiliative behaviour in other primate species (e.g., macaques), little is known about their use in gibbons. By testing whether stress-related behaviours are associated with increase prosocial responses from conspecifics, we can understand more about their function and relevance to welfare. The proposed study uses an observational approach to study N=10 gibbons (4 species; agile, pileated, siamang and Northern white-cheeked) at Twycross Zoo. I will use focal sampling methods to record stress-related behaviours (e.g,. self-scratching), facial behaviours (using GibbonFACS) and prosocial responses to these behaviours from conspecifics. I will use BORIS software to code these behaviours. By identifying behaviours linked to stress and examining their social outcomes, this study seeks to understand the adaptive value of these behaviors and their role in gibbon social dynamics. Overall, this research contributes to the understanding of gibbon welfare and social behavior, offering insights into their well-being and potential methods for welfare assessment.