Data from: Observational approaches to chimpanzee behavior in an African sanctuary: implications for research, welfare, and capacity-building

Research in African ape sanctuaries has emerged as an important context
for our understanding of comparative cognition and behavior. While much of
this work has focused on experimental studies of cognition, these animals
semi-free-range in forest habitats and therefore can also provide
important information about the behavior of primates in
socioecologically-relevant naturalistic contexts. In this ‘New Approaches’
article, we describe a project where we implemented a synthetic program of
observational data collection at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary in
Uganda, directly modeled after long-term data collection protocols at the
Kibale Chimpanzee Project in Uganda, a wild chimpanzee field site. The
foundation for this project was a strong partnership between sanctuary
staff, field site staff, and external researchers. We describe how we
developed a data-collection protocol through discussion and collaboration
among these groups, and trained sanctuary caregivers to collect novel
observational data using these protocols. We use these data as a case
study to examine: (1) how behavioral observations in sanctuaries can
inform primate welfare and care practices, such as by understanding
aggression within the group; (2) how matched observational protocols
across sites can inform our understanding of primate behavior across
different contexts, including sex differences in social relationships; and
(3) how more robust collaborations between foreign researchers and local
partners can support capacity-building in primate range countries, along
with mentoring and training students more broadly.