Effects of infant-infant separation of young monkeys in a free-ranging natural environment

Five infant rhesus monkeys reared togather in free-ranging natural environment for about eight months were subjected to peer separation. Separation of an infant was inflicted by way of removing all the other infants from their home range. The infants so separated showed exceedingly high levels of locomotion and vocalizations in the beginning of separation phase, but their such excited behaviour did not last for more than a day, and during the remaining separation period they appeared to be quite depressed as mainly indicated by their reduced range of locomotion, reduced motivation for food and water, and reduced level of vocalization and environmental exploration. Thus, the animals showed a biphasic response to separation, which was characterized by an initial phase of ‘protest’ followed by a ‘despair’ stage, basically similar to what has been reported in infant rhesus monkeys subjected to peer or mother separation under laboratory conditions. The main project of which this research was a part is being financed by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).