Chimpanzee tool use behaviors can be supported and enriched in captive settings, improving welfare through cognitive engagement.
Chimpanzee tool use enrichment addresses one of the most sophisticated behavioral systems in any zoo animal. Providing appropriate materials and challenges for tool-mediated foraging engages cognitive systems that evolved for complex problem-solving in wild environments. The time budgets of enriched chimpanzees shift toward active engagement and away from stereotypic or redirected behaviors — a measurable welfare improvement that is simultaneously a conservation education achievement. Facilities that invest in tool use enrichment programs demonstrate the kind of species-appropriate welfare provision that characterizes genuinely excellent primate care.