MARMOSET GENERAL COMMENTS
There is an undeniable connection between a person’s surroundings and their actions. As a result of living in an impoverished environment, social behaviors like grooming and playing, as well as other behaviors like scent marking and locomotion, become less common (C. jacchus, Schoenfeld, 1989). In addition, there is abundant evidence suggesting that the effects of environmental stress on the reproductive success of marmosets can also be observed. A common marmoset (C. jacchus) colony that was disrupted by nearby construction work was the subject of a recent study that demonstrated that parity was suppressed and the number of spontaneous abortions increased after the colony was disrupted (Johnson et al., 1991).
This has been a rather brief overview of the many different aspects that are involved in enhancing conditions in captivity and encouraging naturalistic behaviors. Already, a great number of zoos and research facilities are putting environmental enrichment techniques into practice. This is being done not only to improve the quality of life of the monkeys, but also to enhance the educational value of zoo exhibits.
In closing, I would like to emphasize how important it is to collect behavioral data in order to determine whether or not the change you have made in the environment has actually had the effect you were hoping for. The collection of these data will provide you with some objective measures relating to how the behavior has changed over time. Martin and Bateson (1986) and Shepherdson provide information on how to set up a scientific study to measure behavior, in addition to detailing the various data recording techniques that can be utilized (1989).