Attachment in orangutans in rehabilitation to human care givers, the factors effecting attachment formation and the consequent effects of this on huma

Attachment is concerned with the bonds between people, which is considered key to development in
humans. Research has shown attachment and maternal deprivation in human infants can affect
behaviour in later life. Further research has found similar effects in rhesus monkeys and chimpanzees
highlighting the evolutionary need for secure attachment. The proposed study will examine attachment
to human caregivers in infant orangutans in a rehabilitation centre who have experienced attachment
disruption and maternal deprivation, assessing factors that effect the formation of attachment. In
human's, caregiver sensitivity, infant temperament and personality have been found to effect
attachment formation; while for children in care, factors such as age at entry to the care system, age at
assessment, level of previous deprivation, experiences and maltreatment have been found to play a role.
Given this, these factors will be examined in the proposed study. The proposed study will also investigate
the effects of infant attachment on behaviour in later life, specifically human orientation and social
relationships with other orangutans. Human orientation and social relationships between orangutans are
important to rehabilitation as they can have large effects on the acquisition of key survival skills,
therefore investigating the effect of attachment on these factors may contribute to furthering knowledge
on how to improve rehabilitation and therefore enhance conservation in an endangered species.