Behavior Ecology Of Rhesus Macaque(Macaca Mulatta) At The Badalin Safari World

During the winter of 2003 and the spring of 2004, the wild Rhesus macaque's individuals were rediscovered in Beijing Wulingshan area, where the species was last seen in 1985 or so. However, we still have no idea about the existence condition of those individuals in the field. Understanding of the social behaviors of semi-wild Rhesus macaque's group and the winter ecology will provide direct reference for the reestablishment of the field population in this area. From June of 2004 to April of 2005, group behavior study was conducted upon the captive semi-wild Rhesus macaque's in Badalin Safari World. The main results are as followings:(1) In the state of semi-captivity, feeding area and the amount of food were the key factors to limit the increase of macaque's group size. When the individual number of the group reached the critical point, the group will apart by itself.(2) Insufficient feeding increased the fights among macaque's individuals, which caused the inner structure in loose and accelerated the grouping split process.(3) The inner macaque's group relies on the manual facilities greatly in terms of wintering. The wintering behavior of the outside group is still not clear.(4) There are newborn babies both in the inner and outside of the macaque's groups.It showed from the above results that Rhesus macaque's could reproduce normally under the situation of manual provision of foods and wintering facilities. This research has provided some clues for the resumption of wild macaque's population in Beijing region. The feasibility of the process and suggestions were discussed taking the ecological environment into consideration.