Perbandingan Preferensi Beruk (Macaca nemestrina) Usia Muda terhadap Perangkat Pengayaan Lingkungan di Pusat Studi Satwa Primata IPB

Abstract

Beruk (Macaca nemestrina) adalah satwa primata endemis Indonesia dan digunakan sebagai salah satu hewan model dalam penelitian. Pemanfaatan beruk dalam dunia biomedis harus mengacu pada prinsip kesejahteraan hewan. Pemeliharaan beruk pada penangkaran ex situ atau fasilitas buatan berpotensi memengaruhi perilakunya menjadi abnormal, sehingga pengayaan lingkungan penting untuk mempertahankan perilaku alaminya. Penelitian ini bertujuan mengetahui respon beruk terhadap pemberian objek baru yang dapat dijadikan sarana pengayaan lingkungan yang memperkaya aktivitas satwa sehari-hari. Penelitian ini menggunakan tujuh ekor beruk berkoloni usia 1 – 2 tahun. Pengamatan perilaku dilakukan saat pemberian perangkat pengayaan lingkungan berupa puzzle ball dan rumput sintetis sebagai sarana pemberian sayuran. Perilaku yang diamati adalah eating, exploring, foraging, socializing, aggressiveness, fighting, playing, dan inactive. Berdasarkan studi ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa pengamatan perilaku Macaca nemestrina di Pusat Studi Satwa Primata IPB yang diberikan perangkat pengayaan lingkungan berupa puzzle ball dan rumput sintetis menunjukkan perilaku yang didominasi perilaku eating, exploring, dan foraging. Pemberian perangkat pengayaan akan mendorong sifat alamiahnya pada beruk, khususnya perilaku foraging dan exploring. Sementara, perilaku yang teramati tanpa pemberian perangkat pengayaan didominasi perilaku inactive dan playing.

Pigtail macaque (Macaca nemestrina) is an endemic primate of Indonesia and is used as one of the model animals in research. The use of macaques in the biomedical world must refer to the principles of animal welfare. The maintenance of macaques in ex situ captivity or artificial facilities has the potential to influence their behavior to become abnormal, so environmental enrichment is important to maintain their natural behavior. The purpose of this research is to determine the ape's response to giving new objects that can be used as a means of enriching the environment that enriches the daily activities of animals. This study used seven macaques in colonies aged 1 – 2 years. Behavioral observations were made when giving environmental enrichment in the form of puzzle balls and synthetic grass as a means of giving vegetables. The observed behaviors were eating, exploring, foraging, socializing, aggressiveness, fighting, playing and silent. Based on this study, it can be concluded that observations of the behavior of Macaca nemestrina at the Primate Research Center of IPB University, which were given environmental enrichment, showed behavior that was dominated by eating, exploring, and foraging behavior. The provision of enrichment will encourage their natural properties in macaques, especially foraging and exploring behavior. Meanwhile, the observed behavior without the provision of enrichment was dominated by silent and playing behavior.