The bushmeat trade in great apes and other primates creates orphaned infant survivors whose welfare needs are met by specialised sanctuaries across Africa and Asia.
The bushmeat trade generates a category of welfare emergency that sanctuaries are uniquely equipped to address: severely traumatised infant primates with profound social and psychological needs. Orphaned great apes who have witnessed their mothers killed, survived transport, and entered the illegal pet trade carry trauma that requires dedicated rehabilitation programmes combining social integration with caring human relationships. The welfare needs of these individuals are lifelong — most cannot be released and require permanent, high-quality sanctuary care that enables as natural a social life as possible. Sanctuaries play both welfare and conservation roles, but the welfare cost to individuals in their care is real and deserves recognition and funding alongside conservation value.