Elephants in the wild live in herds of related females from several generations. Zoos, therefore, tend to house elephants in female groups, consisting where possible of related individuals. This type of group structure is very beneficial as it allows group members to experience events such as births in the group, and means that natural social interactions can take place between the group members. The behavior of four related female Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) at Dublin Zoo was recorded before and after the birth of a calf, to examine what effects it would have on the behavior and associations in the elephant group. The mother of the calf significantly decreased the amount of time she spent walking after the birth and the aunt of the calf showed significant decreases in both walking and standing. The mother spent the majority of her time closest to her calf after the birth, but the proportion of time she spent with each of the other individuals in the group did not change. The associations of the aunt also did not change after the birth. The older sister of the newborn calf increased the proportion of time she spent nearest to her mother after the calf was born, and reduced the time she spent close to another young elephant in the group. The new calf seems to have been successfully assimilated into the elephant group.

The behavior of an infant female orangutan at Dublin Zoo before and after the death of her mother was recorded using scan sampling and compared. Social interactions and associations of the infant with the other individuals in the group were also compared before and after the death of her mother. Increases in climbing and object manipulation were observed, and a decrease in resting occurred. The infant orangutan significantly increased the amount of time she spent in close contact with another related adult female in the group after her mother's death. This case study describes an example of a zoo-housed infant orangutan being successfully fostered by a related female without human intervention. It also provides a quantification of the behavior of an infant orangutan before and after being orphaned. Zoo Biol 30:205-211, 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.