: Why monkeys attack sick members of their troop #IndiaNEWS Life in the wild can be tough, and sometimes animals do not have the luxury of taking time out when they are sick. That is certainly the reality

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Why monkeys attack sick members of their troop #IndiaNEWS
Life in the wild can be tough, and sometimes animals do not have the luxury of taking time out when they are sick. That is certainly the reality of life for vervet monkeys living in Southern Africa, even though parasites and viruses are an ever-present component of animal life.We know how people respond to infection. Loss of appetite and staying in bed or resting are some of the ways we adapt to being unwell. Being less active and eating less frees up energy to fight the infection – even digesting food uses energy. This behaviour may help us recover and is a key component of our survival.My colleagues and I wanted to understand more about how monkeys respond to illness, and how disease travels within and between animal groups. This is essential if we are to tackle the huge impact that infection can have on monkey population survival. While the causes of infection have been the focus of much attention until now we knew very little about the social consequences of infection in these monkeys.For over ten years our international team of researchers have studied the behaviour and physiology of wild vervet monkeys living in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. They live in large social troops – up...Read more

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