Play Picture Making Music Emotional Enrichment (PME) as wellness improvement in captive non-human primates

The research reported complied with the European Directive 2010/63/EU and the International Primatological Society (IPS) Guidelines for the Use of Nonhuman Primates in Research. The Play Picture Making Music Emotional Enrichment (PME) is an experimental enrichment proposed for Great Apes in captivity, through free painting activity, music (earing music and playing drums), play and interspecies relationship as mediators. A simplified method (music, play and interspecies interaction) was also proposed in a Macaca sylvanus colony in Bernezzo (Italy). PME is based on the hypothesis that the individual psychological and social welfare could be improved by having fun playing, free expressing one-self through creativity (that tends to integrate perception, thoughts and feelings), interacting with colors and art materials (multi-level stimulant). The artistic and relational mediators also stimulate self and group interaction (human or nonhuman Primates). The method provides free access to materials, precludes any form of coercion and any reinforcement, except for a positive and respectful interaction human-non human. PME has been realized in Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary - CSWCT (Uganda) on 11 subjects (5 ♀, 4 ♂, 2 ♀ babies), in 84 work sessions (43 in 2012 and 41 in 2013) of variable length (20–70 min), in the same work area. In order to objectively evaluate emotional variations, facial images of Macaca sylvanus were acquired by a thermo-camera before and during PME sessions. Surface temperature changes, that could be considered as an emotional variation index, were codified as bi-dim matrix and then elaborated using a devoted interactive software as imageJ (http://imagej.nih.gov/ij/). The PME's participants generally proved to really appreciate the work, expressing interest in materials, involvement and enterprising spirit. They had different approach to the materials, personal style in painting, a reduction of anxious or compulsive behaviors during the work sessions.