Hot search! Why do monkeys bully the cats they live with?

Recently, the issue of the coexistence of cats and monkeys in the Monkey Mountain of Kunming Zoo has caused a lot of controversy online, with netizens expressing their opinions. Currently, two cats have been removed from the Monkey Mountain of Kunming Zoo. Today, I will explain it from the perspective of animal behavior and welfare.

01. Are monkeys sexually assaulting cats?

I've seen many people saying that monkeys are sexually assaulting cats. To be honest, this is very difficult to prove, but from the perspective of animal behavior research, there are several explanations.

Generally speaking, primates have age and time requirements for estrus. For example, macaques generally reach sexual maturity at 3-4 years old, and their estrus period is generally from July to September. Judging from the video, it does not look like the sexual behavior of monkeys.

However, this does not mean that the monkeys' behavior is not similar. In fact, "sexual imitation" behavior is common in animals, such as the typical behavior of mounting. That is, animals imitate sexual postures, but do not engage in sexual activities. In particular, in all-male units, "same-sex mounting" will occur, which is generally considered to be imitation and learning of sexual behavior. If it is a sexually mature male monkey, it tends to be interpreted as relieving sexual impulses.

There is a similar hierarchy in monkey groups. A paper titled "The Multi-layered Society of Animals" was previously published in "Progress in Evolution and Ecology", which describes the hierarchy and group distribution of golden monkeys. It will appear that only the leader has the right to mate, and other monkeys who have lost the right to mate may form a bachelor alliance. Of course, in the observed natural environment, the "bachelor alliance" will tend to grow stronger and compete for female monkeys in the family units that have already formed, but in the special environment of the zoo, the group is not formed naturally, so whether there is abnormal release is hard to say.

Of course, sexual coercion also exists among animals, and even cross-species sexual assault occurs, such as seals sexually assaulting penguins and elephants sexually assaulting rhinos. However, more evidence is still needed to rigorously prove this animal behavior, especially since many cross-species sexual assaults are often accompanied by serious violence. Many elephants that sexually assault rhinos will kill them. Therefore, some people tend to believe that it is a violent act of sexual dissatisfaction.

02. If it is not sexual assault, then what is it?

Judging from the current situation in Kunming Zoo, it is more like a status confirmation (although this term is very mild, it is actually quite cruel in reality).

In fact, in animal groups, status confirmation is a very important step, and this step is often accompanied by competition and even fierce fighting. Among the behaviors that show competitive advantage, there are operations similar to climbing.

Some scholars have found that some male monkeys only hug or climb on the back of the same sex, but without further pelvic thrust and hip thrust, so they believe that this is a ritualized behavior, through which they express competitive advantage. There are many similar behaviors, which often form more exaggerated practices, such as climbing and the familiar exposed abdomen of the defeated.

03. So how do you understand the relationship between cats and monkeys in Kunming Zoo?

I personally tend to go from imbalance in the past to balance and then to imbalance today. Animal groups are more likely to form a certain balance.

I believe that if you have watched various documentaries, you will definitely notice that many animals actually coexist in multiple species, even those that exist in competition or even predation relationships with each other.

In theory, cats and primates are in different ecological niches, and there is no competition between the two. However, the problem is that zoos are unnatural! Primates and cats need much more space than zoos, which actually leads to competition.

Kunming Zoo initially released two cats, but they were quickly killed by the monkeys as intruders. Seven more cats were later released, and by then the cats had formed enough strength to achieve a certain competitive balance. Some cats even reproduced, with the maximum number reaching 12.

However, this balance may change if there is a difference in numbers. Currently, there are only two cats in the zoo, so the balance is broken and the monkeys have the upper hand. So the competition for status confirmation appears again.

Faced with this situation, the best thing for Kunming Zoo to do is to remove the stray cats. After all, the zoo is an abnormal environment constructed by humans, so removing the cats is normal.

In fact, from the perspective of animal welfare, zoos that are not for protection or breeding purposes are often not in line with animal ethics.