**3. Results**

## *3.1. Ring-Tailed Lemurs*

Records on daily events showed a variety of activities occurring in and outside the rooms where lemurs were kept during a 30-day period of monitoring. In room 1, besides daily routine (e.g., cleaning cages, feeding, visual control of animals), noise from construction work was also recorded. Namely, on the 13th day of the monitored period, all-day construction work was carried out from the other side of the room where the ring-tailed lemurs were housed. The construction work was also performed on day 14. Furthermore, some females originally housed in one group in the same cage were moved to separate cages. On day 16, two females (R3 and R4) with o ffspring were relocated into two separate cages and on day 23, one female (R1) was moved due to an injury to a separate cage, but all stayed in the same room. On day 29, two giant otters (*Pteronura brasiliensis*) were relocated to room 6 (between room 1 and 2, where ring-tailed lemurs and white-headed lemurs were housed). The lemurs had auditory and olfactory contact with these two otters.

Fluctuations in the mean FGM levels in ring-tailed lemurs (*n* = 9) over a 30-day period of monitoring are shown in Figure 2 (F(29.232) = 2.3765). On the 14th day of the monitored period, a significant increase (*p* < 0.05) in the mean FGM levels was found. The mean FGM levels also increased on day 17 (*p* < 0.01) and day 24 (*p* < 0.05). Subsequently, on the last day of monitoring, a significant increase in the mean FGM values (*p* < 0.01) was also observed. On other days, the FGM levels did not significantly differ from the first day.

**Figure 2.** Mean concentrations of the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) in ring-tailed lemurs; significant increases compared to the first day of sampling are indicated. Red points indicate a significant increase in FGM levels.

The mean concentrations of FGMs and potentially stressful events for each day of monitoring are shown in Table 2.

## *3.2. White-Headed Lemurs*

Fluctuations in the mean FGM levels in white-headed lemurs (*n* = 2) housed together in one cage located in the same room as the ring-tailed lemurs over a 30-day period of monitoring are shown in Figure 3 (F(29.29) = 1.6832). A significant increase (*p* < 0.05) in the mean FGM levels was found on days 10, 15, 16, 18, 24, 26, 29 and 30 in comparison with the first day of sampling.

**Figure 3.** Mean concentrations of the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) in white-headed lemurs; significant increases compared to the first day of sampling are indicated. Red points indicate a significant increase in FGM levels.

Table 3 summarises the mean levels of the FGMs in the white-headed lemurs and potentially stressful events for each day of monitoring.

#### *3.3. Collared Brown Lemurs*

They were housed in a different room than the other two lemur species. All of them arrived at the facility on the first day of monitoring and were initially placed together in cage 1 in room 5. During the monitored period, however, some individuals had to be moved due to mutual attacks as described in Section 2. In addition to the changes in the collared brown lemur group, Bennett's wallabies (*Macropus rufogriseus*) arrived on the third day after the beginning of the observation and they were temporarily placed in the same room as the collared brown lemurs.

Fluctuations in the mean FGM levels in collared brown lemurs (*n* = 6) over a 30-day period of monitoring are shown in Figure 4. A statistically significant (*p* < 0.05) increase in the mean FGM levels (F(29.145)= 2.1247) was found on days 17, 18, 20, 24 and 30.

**Figure 4.** Mean concentrations of the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) in collared brown lemurs with significant increases compared to the first day of sampling indicated. Red points indicate a significant increase in FGM levels.

Table 4 shows the mean FGM levels in collared brown lemurs and potentially stressful events for each day of monitoring.

## *3.4. Species Comparisons*

When comparing the FGM levels between all three lemur species, significant differences (*p* < 0.05) were observed. As shown in Figure 5, the highest levels were measured in ring-tailed lemurs, then in collared brown lemurs, and the lowest concentrations of FGMs were found in white-headed lemurs.

**Figure 5.** Comparison of glucocorticoid levels in three lemur species.


**Table 1.** Lemurs observed in a temporary housing facility.


**Table 2.** Mean concentrations of the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) in ring-tailed lemurs and potentially stressful events for each day of monitoring.


*Animals* **2020**,

*10*, 1013


*Animals* **2020**, *10*, 1013

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