Muriqui House 717
PLATE 1 (a) An adult female (ECO-S) northern muriqui Brachyteles hypoxanthus with her infant, ELI-IB, the first northern muriqui born in the Muriqui House complex (Fig. 1). Photo: Fred Crema. (b) Muriqui House, showing the enclosure and part of the surrounding fenced forest patch. Drone photo: Fabiano R. de Melo.
social interactions, as has occurred in other populations in which solitary females were translocated and released into established mixed-sex groups (Tabacow et al., 2021). We concluded that more controlled conditions of captiv- ity would be necessary to increase the opportunities for social interactions that would lead to the formation of a group with reproductive potential. We implemented a new approach, bringing the animals
into an open-air 20 × 8 m, 9 m high, wire enclosure con- structed adjacent to a 1.84 ha patch of native secondary forest vegetation 11 km from Mata dos Luna. The enclosure, the adjacent forested area and the surrounding open area bounded by electric fencing form a complex that we named Muriqui House. The enclosure part of Muriqui House has two sections
separated by a wire mesh window and wooden door that can be opened or closed whenever it is necessary to separate any of the animals. There are hatches that open into each section for offering food and four platforms for resting. Within this enclosure a variety of wooden supports and some remnant native trees permit the northern muriquis to engage in their typical suspensory mode of locomotion. In addition, there are sheltered areas that provide protection from poor weather conditions. At each end there are pas- sages that can be opened to permit access to the forest adjacent to the enclosure (Plate 1). A total of 146 native plant species have been identified in
this forested area within the Muriqui House complex, 30 of which are known to be eaten by wild northern muriquis elsewhere (Strier, 1991). Four supplemental feeding plat- forms (1 × 1 m) were constructed 3 m above the forest floor. The entire Muriqui House complex (enclosure plus forest and an open area under restoration) is surrounded by 3.83 ha of cleared habitat, where 2,500 plants of various native species have been planted for vegetation restoration.
The perimeter is surrounded by nets and electrical wires to protect the northern muriquis from predators and to prevent escapes (Fig. 1). We captured the two adult males, BER-IB and LUN-IB,
and released them into theMuriqui House enclosure in May and August 2019, respectively, where they joined a solitary female (ECO-S) known to be c. 9 years of age. She had been translocated from the area surrounding the Reserva Particular do Patrimônio Natural (Private Natural Heritage Reserve) Mata do Sossego in Simonésia, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and we released her into the enclosure in March 2019 (Tabacow et al., 2021).Wetranslocated a second solitary female (SOC-S), estimated to be c. 20 years of age, from the same area as ECO-S and introduced her into the enclosure in October 2019, completing what became the four-member founder group. We carried out all captures in accordance with previous recommendations (Oliveira et al., 2020; Teixeira et al., 2022). Veterinarians monitored the animals closely follow- ing pre-established protocols for sedation during capture through to their transport and release into the enclosure (Valença-Montenegro et al., 2021). From the outset we provisioned the occupants of
Muriqui House with a diet that resembled the leaves and fruits that northern muriquis are known to eat in the wild, supplemented with flowers, nectar and seeds (Strier, 1991). We experimented by adjusting food quantities and substi- tuting items whilst striving to maintain an appropriate nu- tritional balance rich in fibre, protein and carbohydrates. The acceptance of the northern muriquis of green, leafy ve- getables, including collard greens, broccoli and cabbage,was important as these items contributed significant quantities of fibre to their diets. We developed a diet composed of four menus offered on alternating days, with the food pro- vided at different times and locations in the enclosure to
Oryx, 2024, 58(6), 715–719 © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S0030605324000644
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