Zoo Monkeys in Finland Prefer Traffic Noise Over Nature Sounds

Zoo monkeys in a Finnish zoo have displayed a significant preference over traffic noise over natural sounds like the jungle. The researchers have installed a tunnel fitted with sensors in the enclosure of the monkeys at Helsinki's Korkeasaari Zoo to see how technological advances have affected the captive animals.

They allowed the primates to choose what to listen to by giving them four choices: traffic, rain, zen sounds, and dance music. But they walked away with a shocking discovery that the zoo monkeys prefer traffic noise over the nature sounds and other soothing music.

Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, a researcher at Finland's Aalto University, said that they thought the monkeys would enjoy more the sounds of nature, but the opposite happened as they are more triggered by the traffic noise.

Traffic noise over nature sounds

The researchers had one goal in conducting their study: to make life more comfortable for the captive animals by giving them the choice of music to listen to, according to Futurism.

But the sound of vehicles rumbling past has proven that the animals like it so much that sometimes they are caught inside the tunnel sleeping or grooming themselves, which they do not typically do, Hirskyj-Douglas said.

According to Kirsi Pynnonen, zoo research coordinator, the monkeys like the sound of the screeching tire very much because it is the most familiar sound to them.

"In the wild, these monkeys use high-pitched hissing, squeaking, and croaking to stay in contact," Pynnonen said in an interview.

Providing animals extra stimuli

Sound experiments have been done already in the past, but this is the first time that captive animals are given the choice of what music they want to listen to.

Their unexpected findings could help guide future monkey accommodations to make the comfortable, like choosing visuals for TV screens or light settings, Phys.org reported.

Additionally, it could help zoos in providing extra stimuli inside their enclosures. Hirskyj-Douglas said the monkeys could be allowed to choose their own lighting, heat, or temperature settings, or maybe even play games. This technology is still new, and the researchers are still trying to study it for further improvements.

Pynnonen said that other zoos in Europe have already shown their interest in the research. The team is now looking forward to installing screens inside the tunnel for the monkeys to watch. Like this experiment, they will be allowed to choose their preference for what to watch.

The researchers conducted their study on white-faced saki monkeys, which are mid-sized primates that are native in northern countries of South America, where they are threatened despite their number. Researchers said that the destruction of rainforests is threatening the monkeys' existence.

Unlike some monkeys, the white-face saki monkeys do not eat bananas. Instead, they prefer seeds, insects, and some fruits.