Mandrills are complex, highly social primates whose welfare in captivity depends on appropriate group composition, environmental complexity and opportunities for natural social behaviour.
Mandrill welfare in captivity is challenged by the extreme social complexity of their natural supergroup structure. Small captive groups cannot replicate the rich social environment of wild mandrills, limiting opportunities for the social learning, competition and cooperation that occupy much of wild mandrill life. Well-resourced facilities that maintain larger groups with appropriate sex ratios and extensive foraging enrichment achieve better welfare outcomes, though replicating the full complexity of wild mandrill society remains beyond what zoos can provide.