Urinary cortisol responses to unusual events in captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes).
This study investigated the urinary cortisol stress response to one known stressor (anaesthesia) and three unusual events hypothesized to result in increases in cortisol (confinement to one half of an enclosure for several days due to a hurricane, an enrichment exercise, and a change in group composition) in young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Although a cortisol stress response to a variety of laboratory experiences has been documented in captive animals, it is unclear whether other types of atypical events are stressful, including those that are not necessarily negative. Cortisol was measured in 519 urine samples collected from 20 awake, unrestrained chimpanzees; individuals were compared against their own baseline values. A significant increase in urinary cortisol concentration was found as a result of the stress of anaesthesia, but no significant change in urinary cortisol resulted from the three other potential stressors. A lack of a urinary cortisol response to these events may indicate that the events were not actually stressful for the chimpanzees, but may have resulted from the limited temporal resolution of measuring cortisol excretion as an indicator of integrated secretion, or from changes in rates of agonistic behaviors.
Reproductive Ecology Laboratory and Department of Anthropology, Yale University, P. O. Box 208277, New Haven, CT 06520-8277, USA. stephanie.anestis@yale.edu
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D000374:Aggression / Q000502:physiology; D000378:Agonistic Behavior; D000758:Anesthesia / Q000009:adverse effects; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology; D004338:Drug Combinations; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000652:urine*; D008297:Male; D002679:Pan troglodytes / Q000652:urine*; D010988:Play and Playthings; D012919:Social Behavior; D012930:Social Dominance; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000652:urine*; D013992:Tiletamine / Q000009:adverse effects; D015041:Zolazepam / Q000009:adverse effects
D004338:Drug Combinations; C006131:tiletamine, zolazepam drug combination; D013992:Tiletamine; D015041:Zolazepam; D006854:Hydrocortisone