Twenty-three-year demographic history of the Affenberg Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), a translocated semi-free-ranging group in southern Austria

Demographic studies on translocated primate groups provide a unique opportunity to study population dynamics, social strategies, and reproductive parameters of a species adapting to new environments. In 1996, 38 Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) of the Minoo-H group (Osaka Prefecture, Japan) were...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Primates 2021-09, Vol.62 (5), p.761-776
Main Authors:	Pflüger, Lena S., Pink, Katharina E., Wallner, Bernard, Radler, Claudia, Dorner, Markus, Huffman, Michael A.
Format:	Article
Language:	eng
Subjects:	Animal Ecology Animals Austria Behavior Behavioral Sciences Biomedical and Life Sciences Birth control Births Breeding success Contraception Demographics Dynamic tests Evolutionary Biology Female Females Infant mortality Infants Life expectancy Life Sciences Life span Macaca Macaca fuscata Male Males Mate selection Monkeys & apes Offspring Original Original Article Population Population Dynamics Population studies Pregnancy Progeny Reproduction Trees Zoology
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Summary:	Demographic studies on translocated primate groups provide a unique opportunity to study population dynamics, social strategies, and reproductive parameters of a species adapting to new environments. In 1996, 38 Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ) of the Minoo-H group (Osaka Prefecture, Japan) were translocated to Affenberg Landskron, a four-hectare naturally forested park in southern Austria. By January 2020, the population had increased to 160 individuals, and a total of 223 births were recorded. Births peaked in late April to late May, and the timing was influenced by neither offspring sex nor parity status of the mother. Infant mortality was low (8.97%), mostly involving primiparous females, and the average interbirth intervals were shorter following the death of an infant (1.10 years) than a surviving infant (1.77 years). Females rarely had offspring with the same males repeatedly, and the reproductive success among males declined with increasing years of presence in the group. The main aspects of reproduction, mortality, and mate choice are consistent with published data on natural and provisioned populations in Japan and those translocated to other countries. The life expectancy for females, however, was relatively high (11.72% chance of reaching the age of 20), whereas birth control prevented them from using their lifetime reproductive potential. By January 2020, the number of old individuals (> 18 years; 17.5%) was close to that of juveniles (
ISSN:	0032-8332 1610-7365