Between August – October 2021, five infant macaques in our study groups were orphaned, possibly as a result of human-macaque conflict. We observed different patterns of their caretaking and survival.
Interestingly, we found a correlation between the rank of the mother and the number of caregivers of the infant. The higher ranking a female, the more individuals participated in caring for her infant after her death. In this paper, we elaborate further on these infants being ‘adopted’ by other troop members.
Anand, A., Balakrishna, N., Singh, M. et al. Infant adoptions in wild bonnet macaques (Macaca radiata). Primates (2022).