Great apes in captivity require the most complex welfare provision of any zoo animal, and few facilities fully meet this standard.
Great ape welfare in captivity is the most demanding welfare challenge in zoo management. Their cognitive complexity — emotional range, social intelligence, cultural learning — requires environmental richness that most zoos cannot fully provide. Captive great apes who cannot develop and maintain complex social relationships, engage in varied foraging, and exercise cognitive problem-solving show clear behavioural indicators of welfare compromise. The ethical threshold for great ape captivity is higher than for most species; facilities that cannot meet it should not keep them.