Chimpanzee sanctuaries provide lifetime care for rescued research, entertainment, and illegal pet trade chimps. Their welfare approach represents best practice for great ape care.
Chimpanzee sanctuaries represent the gold standard for what great ape welfare can look like when the focus is entirely on individual animal wellbeing rather than display or research productivity. Outdoor groups with complex social structures, extensive space, and behavioral enrichment allow chimps to express natural behaviors and form genuine social bonds. The behavioral recovery of research chimps over years in good sanctuary conditions demonstrates both the depth of harm caused by research settings and the plasticity of wellbeing when conditions genuinely support it.