Chimpanzees, gorillas, and other primates rescued from the pet and bushmeat trade need specialized lifelong care.
Primates kept as pets experience profound welfare harm. Young chimpanzees are torn from their mothers — who are typically killed — for the pet trade. They grow into powerful adults who cannot safely live as pets, and are then abandoned or confined in inadequate conditions. Reintegrating ex-pet primates into wild social groups is extremely difficult. Sanctuaries like Tchimpounga in Congo and Ol Pejeta in Kenya provide lifetime care that addresses primates complex social, cognitive, and psychological needs.