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hdl:10101/npre.2008.1998.1
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Two cases of mother-infant cannibalism in orangutans
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- Sumatran Orangutan Society / Oxford Brookes University
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford
- Department of Botany and Zoology, Masaryk University
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- Date:
- Received 21 June 2008 10:34 UTC; Posted 21 June 2008
- Subjects:
- Evolutionary Biology and Ecology, Earth and Environment
- Abstract:
Two unrelated female orangutans (Pongo abelii) were observed on different occasions cannibalizing the remains of their infants, a behavior never before reported in apes. Both orangutans are free-ranging ex-captive individuals in an area of forest which also hosts large numbers of visiting tourists. The cannibalism events appear to have been aberrant behavior, perhaps due to stress and the environmental conditions of the area.
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Dellatore, David, Waitt, C., and Foitova, Ivona. Two cases of mother-infant cannibalism in orangutans. Available from Nature Precedings <http://hdl.handle.net/10101/npre.2008.1998.1> (2008)
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Noah Gray on 23 June 2008 16:55 UTC
Is there any other evidence that the mothers were under stress that could have led to what you contend is aberrant behavior? The fact that the mothers carried the deceased infants for up to 8 days prior to any consumption suggests that stress may not have played a significant role in the cannibalism. If stressed, wouldn’t it have been more likely that the mothers would begin to consume their infants immediately upon death, or perhaps even committed infanticide?
As you mention, there are many examples of other animals, including some primates, consuming dead progeny. Although I have little experience with this type of field work, is it easy to discount the nutritional value hypothesis simply because there was an abundance of fruiting trees at the time of the cannibalism? Fruits hardly provide the same types of nutrients that meat can provide. Therefore, it does not seem to be out of the question for the mothers to benefit from the nutritional value provided by their infants’ tissues.
It seems that more information is warranted in order to avoid setting up a straw man in favor of environmental/conservational action in this area. If stress in the orangutan population can be better-documented with additional evidence, such data should be presented, in order to better persuade those with the power to implement improved protection to respond.