Wild chimpanzees face direct welfare harm from hunting and the illegal pet trade, while sanctuaries caring for orphaned and confiscated chimpanzees face the complex challenge of meeting the social and cognitive needs of our closest relatives.
Chimpanzee welfare encompasses both the acute trauma of orphaning through bushmeat hunting and the complex long-term welfare challenges of sanctuary management for animals with exceptionally sophisticated social and cognitive needs. Infant chimpanzees orphaned by the killing of their mothers for bushmeat experience acute grief, loss of the extended maternal care that is biologically essential for normal development, and social isolation that causes lasting behavioral abnormalities. Sanctuaries that successfully integrate orphaned chimpanzees into stable social groups — a process requiring years of careful behavioral management — provide environments where these intelligent animals can form meaningful relationships and express their full behavioral repertoire. The sanctuary commitment is lifelong: chimpanzees that cannot be released (the majority) require appropriate social housing for decades. The welfare of sanctuary chimpanzees depends on sustained funding for the complex, expensive care they require.