Science Summer School 2013 – New Mums depend on each other

summer school week 1 2013

From July 29th to August 9th RZSS Edinburgh Zoo runs a Science Summer School for teenagers aged 16-18 yrs. It is a week long introductory course into zoo and wildlife sciences.

Last week some of our students were observing our two new mothers in the West enclosure. Both Santi and Lana have recently had babies. The students were investigating who the group would spend more time with. Lana (the alpha female) and her baby or Santi and her baby (the newer baby). They found that the two mothers spent the most time together and the rest of the group and Diego the alpha male spent equal amounts of time with both the mothers.

Our students concluded that this result is very similar to human mothers who like spend time together bonding over the daily gripes of raising babies.

photo by kirsty banner

 

 

 

 

Photo by : Kirsty Cheyne

Leave a comment