By Breanne Cyr, Primate Behavior Specialist
“Monkey Bars” are aptly named, not only because monkeys like to jump and swing around; but physical activity and play behaviors are also very important to their physical and psychological well being.
Play can take many forms. It can be social or it can be solitary. It can exercise the body or it can exercise the mind (or both!). It can help with energy release, mental stimulation, relaxation, diffusing social tension, developing social bonds, learning social cues and problem-solving skills, reducing boredom and anxious behaviors, or it can just plain be for fun. Regardless of the reason (or lack thereof), it is all an important part of primates’ behavioral repertoire.
Because monkeys are so cognitively and socially complex, they need stimulation and entertainment or else they can become bored and frustrated. This makes them more likely to try to recreate that missing mental stimulation and energy output, which can sometimes end up manifesting as maladaptive behaviors such as pacing, plucking their own hair, or even aggression toward themselves or others.
There are many ways play happens in the wild and in the sanctuary. While we generally try to give the monkeys options that are similar to play they would have in the wild, we also take into account that nothing can replace being in the wild, so some of our human-made play items can also make great entertainment for the monkeys.
So how do we create opportunities for play at the sanctuary? While our monkeys do get a rotation of various play toys to explore, as you may notice with children or even cats and dogs, simply providing toys often isn’t enough to keep them entertained for long. They often want or need interactive play.
Socialization, or giving monkeys compatible partners or group mates is one of the best ways to allow the monkeys to have natural social play. Some of our monkeys, like Jojo, also love playing with caregivers (from a safe distance). We will play games like “chase” in his outdoor tunnel, “keep away” with toys, or “monkey see, monkey do” where he will look at us upside down with his head through his legs and then we at least try to do the same back as he jumps up and down with excitement.
We also strive to give the monkeys environmental enrichment such as branches, perches, ropes, ladders, climbers, hammocks, etc. so that they can use as much vertical space as possible in their enclosures. This gives them ample space to run, climb, chase, and hide from one another while getting good physical exercise. In the summer, the monkeys have kiddie pools to splash around or play with toys in. Noah loves to swim or play with hose water and he loves to repeatedly dunk his mirror under the water.
Many of our dietary enrichment devices, or items/puzzles that create interactive foraging or playing are highly prized by our monkeys. While of course many of the monkeys are extra motivated by the food rewards they contain, monkeys may also be motivated to solve problems without food rewards. Some of our monkeys have shown that they like to try to take things apart or figure out how to fit large or oddly shaped items through their enclosure bars. Batman, especially, loves a good challenge with disassembling things with carabiners, knots, or materials that we think are indestructible. He has also demonstrated that he likes retrieving his daily produce out of a food puzzle rather than having it just be served to him in his food bin.
Additionally, we try to appeal to all five senses when giving the monkeys enrichment or play toys. Each monkey gets blankets and stuffed animals at all times. Junior especially loves his stuffed Tigger so staff are always certain to make sure one of his two Tigger stuffed animals are with him at all times. Seasonally, monkeys get snow, leaves, water, or fresh plants and nature to play with. Staff play nature sounds, meditations, different genres of music, public radio (which monkeys seem particularly fond of!), or play scenic movies or disco lights for monkeys to watch. Maddie and Noah, who are fascinated by screen time, also like to supervise the computer work I am doing within their view. I kindly thank them for their help.
Monkeys also get new toys in their enclosures that are swapped out regularly to maintain novelty and interest. These toys may include special monkey-designed toys, or just children’s play toys that don’t have small parts. Some monkeys, like Batman, enjoy fidgeting with the knobs and buttons that pop open doors. Others, like Izzle, really like mirrors and are always excited to have new mirrors and ways to explore their environment. Of course, sometimes the best toys are not the toys themselves, but the boxes that they come in.
While play may just seem like all fun and games, it is nonetheless crucial for overall well being. After all, they don’t name things like “monkey bars” and “monkey in the middle” for no reason!
Mars
Izzle
Noah
Bella and Jojo