Parenting Behavior Patterns of Female Agile Gibbon (Hylobates Agilis Lesson, 1829) at Schmutzer Primate Center, Ragunan Zoo

The greatest parental care in monogamous agile gibbons (Hylobates Agilis Lesson, 1829) is done by the female while the male plays an indirect role. This study aims to analyze the parenting behavior patterns of a female agile gibbon without the presence of a male in ex-situ conservation. The subjects of this study were two agile gibbon individuals consisting of a female parent and an offspring in a separate cage or not sharing a cage with other agile gibbons at the Schmutzer Primate Center, Ragunan Zoo. Observation methods used focal animal sampling with an interval of 5 minutes without pause and ad-libitum sampling for 21 days which was four consecutive weeks from October to November 2021. Based on the result, female agile gibbons showed parenting behavior divided into affiliative, neutral, and agonistic behavior. Affiliative behavior is mostly done, especially breastfeeding behavior with a percentage of 48.04% (242.58 minutes). There is agonistic behavior with a small percentage value of 0.15% (45 seconds) shown by throwing or dropping the child. A high percentage of affiliative behavior indicates that the agile gibbon mother has a strong maternal instinct to meet the needs of the child, while the emergence of agonistic behavior is thought to be influenced by the sound made by visitors.