Primate sanctuaries provide lifetime care for rescued chimpanzees, gorillas, and other primates. Understanding what good sanctuary welfare looks like helps advocates support the right organisations.
Primate sanctuaries serve a critical welfare function in providing lifetime care for animals that cannot be released to the wild and should not be kept in commercial settings. The rehabilitation of traumatised primates requires deep knowledge of primate social dynamics, patience, and significant resources. Social integration into appropriate groups is one of the most welfare-significant aspects of sanctuary management: primates are highly social and isolation causes profound psychological harm. Accredited sanctuaries demonstrate commitment to genuine welfare through no-breeding, no-contact, and no-commercial-exploitation standards that distinguish them from facilities that exploit primate welfare claims for profit.