Primate ecotourism including gorilla and chimpanzee tracking can support conservation but carries welfare risks through disease transmission, behavioural disruption, and habituation stress.
Primate ecotourism represents a genuine conservation and welfare dilemma. The financial benefits for conservation can be substantial, as mountain gorilla tourism has contributed to one of the few great ape population recoveries. However, habituation brings real welfare costs including disease risk, behavioural modification, stress responses to human presence, and increased vulnerability to poaching. Disease transmission risk is particularly serious given the close genetic relationship between humans and great apes. Welfare-conscious primate ecotourism requires mandatory masking requirements, visit duration and group size limits, exclusion of symptomatic visitors, minimum approach distance regulations, and ranger enforcement. Choosing operators who strictly enforce these welfare protection protocols is an important responsibility for ecotourists.