Sanctuaries caring for rescued and rehabilitated primates play a vital role in primate welfare. Understanding what constitutes high-quality sanctuary care helps supporters make informed choices.
Primate sanctuaries vary enormously in welfare quality. High-welfare sanctuaries prioritise species-appropriate social grouping, large naturalistic spaces, and freedom from public interaction. Lower-quality operations may exploit resident primates for visitor revenue, perpetuating the human-primate contact that caused initial welfare harm. Accreditation by bodies like the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries helps identify genuinely welfare-focused operations.