Japanese macaques thrive in snow country but face welfare threats from habitat encroachment, crop raiding conflict, and the captive entertainment industry.
Wild Japanese macaques face welfare challenges primarily from human-wildlife conflict. As opportunistic omnivores, macaques raid crops — an adaptive behavior that leads to lethal control and population management in agricultural areas. Culling programs in areas of conflict cause direct welfare harm. Trapping for relocation causes acute stress without addressing the underlying conflict. The booming hot spring tourism at Jigokudani has welfare implications — the bathing behavior, while natural, has become an attraction that draws crowds and limits normal troop behavior and space use. In entertainment contexts, Japanese macaques were historically used in performing arts (trained macaques) — a practice that involved significant welfare harm and is now declining. Feeding by tourists has altered troop home ranges and created nutritional dependency that disrupts natural foraging behavior.