Chimpanzee sanctuaries provide refuge for orphaned and ex-captive chimpanzees, with welfare requirements reflecting the complex social and cognitive nature of our closest relatives.
Chimpanzee sanctuaries exist at the nexus of conservation, welfare, and the human exploitation of our closest relatives. The animals they house are the victims of bushmeat hunting, the exotic pet trade, entertainment use, and biomedical research — each a different form of human harm to these complex, sentient beings. Providing good welfare for chimpanzees with traumatic histories requires extraordinary investment in space, expert care, social management, and enrichment, and must continue for decades. The welfare stakes are particularly high because chimpanzees are so cognitively similar to humans that their suffering — boredom, grief, loneliness, anxiety — is recognisably like our own.