Demography and epidemiology of captive former biomedical research chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) 1: Survival and mortality

Abstract

AbstractAccurate and up‐to‐date data on longevity and mortality are essential for describing, analyzing, and managing animal populations in captivity. We assembled a comprehensive demography data set and analyzed survival and mortality patterns in a population of captive former biomedical research chimpanzees. The study synthesized over 51,000 life‐years of demographic data collected on 2349 individuals between 1923 and 2014. Our goal was to assess the population's current age–sex composition, estimate rates of survivorship, mortality and life expectancy, and compare findings with other chimpanzee populations of interest. Results indicated an increasingly geriatric contemporary population declining in size. The median life expectancy (MLE) of the entire population was 32.6 years (males 29.1, females 36.1). For chimpanzees who reached 1 year of age, the MLE increased to 34.9 years (males 31.0, females 38.8). Survival probability was influenced by both sex and birth type. Females exhibited greater survivorship than males (β1 = −0.34,z = −5.74,p < 0.001) and wild‐born individuals exhibited greater survivorship than captive‐born individuals (β2 = −0.55,z = −5.89,p < 0.001). There was also a seasonal trend in mortality, wherein more individuals died during the winter months (December–February) compared with other seasons. Analyses of life expectancy over time showed continual increases in both median age of living individuals and median age at death, suggesting that these chimpanzees have yet to reach their full aging potential in a postresearch environment. As they continue to age, ongoing monitoring and analysis of demographic changes will be necessary for science‐based population and program management until extinction occurs some decades in the future.