Primate sanctuaries provide lifetime care for primates that cannot be returned to the wild. High welfare standards — including appropriate social groups, space, and enrichment — are essential to their mission.
Primate sanctuaries occupy a critical welfare role: providing genuine lifetime quality of life for animals damaged by previous human use. The welfare challenge is significant — traumatized primates with complex psychological needs, often requiring individualized social management that can take years to achieve successful integration. The best sanctuaries invest in large outdoor spaces, complex social environments, cognitive enrichment, and staffing that allows individual relationship building with each animal. Accreditation programs ensure minimum welfare standards are met, but the highest-performing sanctuaries go far beyond minimums to provide genuinely excellent welfare. Supporting these sanctuaries is one of the most direct ways to improve the lives of individual primates.