Discussion - Outdoor presence
Ring-tailed lemurs’ outdoor presence
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No enrichment:
They were frequently present outdoors (around 75% of the time), which matches their diurnal activity patterns as found in previous studies.
Enrichment:
Their unexpected decrease in outdoor presence could be explained by the effect of visitor presence and meteorological conditions.
Visitor presence:
The ring-tailed lemurs were lured out by the caretakers when visitors were present, especially during the baseline, which partially explains the unexpected decrease in outdoor presence.
Meteorological conditions:
The ring-tailed lemurs preferred sunny and warm conditions, which happened more often during the baseline, also explaining the unexpected decrease in outdoor presence.
Red ruffed lemurs’ outdoor presence
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No enrichment:
They were present outdoors somewhat infrequently (around 40% of the time), maybe because of their natural activity peaks at dawn and dusk as found in previous studies, combined with an initial skittishness.
Enrichment:
They significantly increased their outdoor presence during the food enrichment period, confirming the powerful effect of food as an enrichment tool.
Visitor presence:
The red ruffed lemurs were lured out by the caretakers when visitors were present, although the effect was weaker than for the ring-tailed lemurs.
Meteorological conditions:
As with the ring-tailed lemurs, the red ruffed lemurs preferred the sunny and warm conditions for being outdoors.
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Last updated:
05/28/21