Assessment of resilience through aggressive and non-aggressive behaviour in baboons in semi-natural setting

• Main Author: Toh, Abigail Yi Shuen
• Other Authors: Mitra Rupshi
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Science::Biological sciences::Zoology::Animal behavior
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/63625
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Each individual has different levels of stress resilience and types of coping mechanisms, and this includes animals like the Hamadryas baboon (Papio hamadryas). This project aims to determine if aggressive baboons are more stress resilient than non-aggressive baboons, by taking a shorter duration of time to overcome a period of Stress-Related State. It also aims to determine coping mechanisms unique to the individual groups. P.hamadryas were observed over 28 days using Ad Libitum Sampling to choose ten baboons and group them in fives, as Aggressive and Non-Aggressive. Each subject was then observed using Focal Sampling for four days. Focal Sampling data was analysed using independent-samples 1-tail and 2-tail t-test to look for significance. Results suggest that Aggressive baboons were more stress-resilient than Non-Aggressive ones only when displaying Conflict and Tension behaviours during Stress-Related State. They also suggest that Non-Aggressive baboons tend to use coping mechanisms that do not inflict stress on others, while Aggressive baboons tend to perform mechanisms that inflict stress on the recipient of the action. However Non-Aggressive individuals are not exempt from performing coping mechanisms that stresses others and should they do so, they tend to choose individuals who pose a lesser threat to themselves.