Video Conference Technology as a Tool for Pair Introduction in Rhesus Macaques

Simple Summary While pair housing macaques is known to improve welfare over single housing, the process by which animals are socialized can be stressful if the animals do not get along. To assess whether or not potential partners are compatible, they typically need to be located in visual contact with one another, which often involves moving one or both animals to a new location. Such relocations can cause stress for animals, particularly if the introduction attempt is not successful. In this study, we examined whether allowing rhesus macaques to interact via video conferencing technology (Zoom) could help us determine compatibility before they were relocated. We provided a Zoom session between partners for 42 pairs of monkeys and coded their behavior. We then examined whether these behaviors predicted future pair success. The monkeys in our study spent surprisingly little time attending to the screen, and attention did not predict pair success. However, the similarity of attention shown by individuals in the pair (e.g., amount displayed by the partners relative to one another) did. Pairs in which attention was primarily shown by one animal were more likely than others to be successful. While additional work is needed, video conferencing technology may help staff determine compatibility between potential partners. Pair housing is known to promote welfare for macaques in captivity. However, finding compatible partners can be challenging, particularly when animals are not located near one another. Because macaques show interest in videos of conspecifics, we examined the use of video conference technology (Zoom) as a potential tool to assess compatibility in 84 rhesus macaques (2-22 years old) prior to pair introduction. Monkeys involved in the pairs (12 female-female, 21 male-male, 9 female-male) were unfamiliar with each other. We set up a 10 min Zoom session between potential partners (on an iPad in front of the cage). We scored attention to the screen, anxiety, and prosocial behaviors and examined whether these behaviors predicted future pair success. Monkeys spent relatively little time attending to the tablet (median = 13.3%), and attention did not predict pair success (B = -0.06, NS). However, pairs in which attention was primarily shown by one animal had a higher chance of success than those in which both individuals showed similar levels (B = -4.66. p = 0.03). Neither prosocial (B = 0.89, NS) nor anxiety (B = -1.95, p = 0.07) behavior correlated with pair success. While preliminary, our data suggest that video conferencing technology may be useful as a tool for introducing unfamiliar partners prior to a socialization attempt.