Hundreds of chimpanzees previously used in biomedical research and entertainment require lifelong sanctuary care. The transition from laboratory or performance settings to sanctuary is a complex welfare process requiring specialised expertise.
The welfare journey of retired research and entertainment chimpanzees is one of the most complex in animal care. Animals that spent decades in small cages with minimal social contact, repeated invasive procedures, and no agency over their environment carry profound psychological scars. Behaviours such as self-biting, rocking, stereotypic pacing, and fear of novel objects persist for years after placement in sanctuary. Recovery is possible but requires patience: the gradual introduction of outdoor space, social companions, and enrichment can produce remarkable behavioural transformation over months and years. For chimpanzees who lived in social isolation, the first moments of appropriate chimpanzee social contact — grooming, play, shared food — represent a fundamental welfare gain that no laboratory enrichment programme could achieve.