Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

2023. 06, 29
Affiliation/Position

Wildlife Research Center/M1

NameSaidi, Mohamed Mohamed

1. Country/location of visit
Japan Monkey Center
2. Research project
Zoo science course for M1 students
3. Date (departing from/returning to Japan)
2023. 06. 23 – 2023. 06. 25 (3 days)
4. Main host researcher and affiliation
Prof. Shinya Yamamoto, WRC, Kyoto University & Dr. Yuta Shintaku, Curator at Japan Monkey Center
5. Progress and results of your research/activity (You can attach extra pages if needed)
Pleaseinsert one or more pictures (to be publicly released). Below each picture, please provide a brief description.
Centre.

The zoo science field training constituted of lectures, animal observation exercises, JMC Museum collection visit,
assignments and caring for animal’s shelter.
a) Lectures
During the first day, the JMC curator Dr. Yuta Shintaku, introduced the history bounding the establishment of Japan
Monkey Center in 1956 connecting it with start of Primatology research in Japan which dates back to 1948. I learned
roles of JMC especially in the promotion of primate research and cultural tourism as well as provision of education
related to primates’ life to public audience through organized lectures for students and public exhibition. As aresearcher, I learned that JMC kept animals, provide valuable resource for research purposes in areas related to primate
behavior, morphology, genetics and cognitive sciences given that the center has collection of more than 55 different
species of primates in total of about 745 individuals marking the world’s largest collection center for primates.
The second lecture focused on animal exhibition. I had an opportunity to learn different forms of animal exhibitions
that include Morphological exhibitions that involves showing animals on their wild setting, ecological exhibition thatinvolve mimicking animal’s captive environment to wild environment and behavioral exhibitions that entails toenhance relationship between human and wild animals.
On the third day, zoo curator Ms. Akami, introduced her research activities she carried during her undergraduate andgraduate education that are related to JMC main activities. Moreover, Curator Takano provided a lecture on Museology
from which I learned roles of museum such as JMC as being collection, research, education and exhibition.
b) Animal observation
During all the three days of field training, I visited different areas at JMC to observe animals focusing on the behavioral
characteristics. I learned difference in behavior for many species for instance aggressiveness of Rhesus monkey(Macaca mulatta) and primate food preferences.
c) Visit to JMC Museum and Veterinary unit
In the day two, I got an opportunity to visit museum center of the JMC where primate remains dated back to 1948 arecontinuously kept that includes other precious items like book and iron utensils. I also learned how JMC is dedicatedtowards maintain primate health by treating animal once gets ill and diagnosing source of animal death through surgery.
d) Assignments
During the second and third day, I was given an assignment to accomplish, the second day assignment was to observe
animals and formulate a tentative research subject of which I managed to come with research topic named “Comparing
mating behaviour of Japanese macaque during the summer and winter at JMC: The influence of temperaturedynamics”. The third day assignments were to explain to the class my first zoo experience, explain impressive zooexperiences and whether zoo experiences affected my life, my answers were: my first zoo experience is actually Japanat JMC, and impressive zoo experience is to learn that zoo can be used as source of history of a place or nation andSubmit to：report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2022.06.28 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

zoo experience affected positively my life now because I have become more concerned with animal welfare especiallycoming from part of the world where animal cruelty concerns are extremely high. Also, I was given an assignment
titled “customer survey” that intended to gather information’s that would suggest visitors interest at JMC for continuous
improvement of service. I went to Monkey valley as my observation site and my findings were that, the main interestof visitors at monkey valley is to observe difference in feeding behavior (Dominance) of monkey especially between
female individuals and infants because visitors are permitted to feed primates at this area. My suggestion was that JMC
can separate dominant individuals from the rest of the group and provide exciting opportunity for visiotrs to observe
feeding behavior of female individual with infant ones as well as in a male dominant group.
e) Caring for animal shelter
On this aspect, I managed to clean two rooms or cages where long tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis) lives as agesture for caring to animals’ welfare and shelter since the exercise involved taking out food remains and mopping thefloor of the caged rooms for animals’ well-being.

I have learned that comparing Japanese monkey and other relative macaque species, Rhesus Macaques are very
aggressive essentially when human see their eyes. I therefore developed interest to study behavioral dynamics of these
Japanese monkey using DNA technology for understanding their social behavioral that is significance for a harmonizedinteraction between humans and these iconic primates.

Submit to：report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2022.06.28 version

Research Activity Report
Supported by “Leading Graduate Program in Primatology and Wildlife Science”(Please be sure to submit this report after the trip that supported by PWS.)

I have learned best practices important for animal individual identification based on their facial morphology in termsof color, eye alignment and nostril shapes. For instance, the lemur individuals above can be distinguished and identified
based on their face color pattern given, the left individual named Putaha is female with black spot on the face, a feature
which is absence to individual named Chidori on the right.

6. Others
Acknowledgements▪

I am especially grateful to Professor Shinya Yamamoto (sensei) for the teaching and guidance during
this field training and most important for translating accepting to translate Japanese language fromJapanese speaking visitor during executing my assignment at the Monkey valley, thank you very much.

▪

Appreciations to all Japan Monkey Center staff for delivering lectures and instructions during these thirddays of intensive field training.

▪

I am also thankful to my fellow M1 student whom we went together in this field training, they made mytrip very joyous as they showed me good places with historical narrations as well as dinner and drinks,
we had together.

Submit to：report@pws.wrc.kyoto-u.ac.jp

2022.06.28 version