Baboons had more sex when zoos were closed during lockdown.
Baboons had more sex during lockdown
A new study has analysed how the behaviour of primates changed as people were forced to stay away from zoos due to the coronavirus pandemic and has revealed that olive baboons decided to pass the time by mating.
The study was conducted at a number of zoos in the UK and also discovered that chimpanzees ate more and had more engagement with their enclosures once people started returning to safari parks.
Dr. Samantha Ward, from Nottingham Trent University, said: "Primates are some of the most cognitively advanced species in zoos and their interactions with visitors are complex.
"A limitation to understanding how visitors can affect behaviour of animals in zoos and parks is that they rarely close to the public for prolonged periods, so this provided us with a unique opportunity."