Japanese macaques are a cold-adapted primate species whose welfare in zoo settings depends on appropriate climate management and complex social environments.
Japanese macaque welfare depends fundamentally on social complexity and thermal management. Groups of appropriate size and composition — mixed-age, mixed-sex troops with stable hierarchy — provide the social stimulation essential for psychological wellbeing. Thermal stress in hot climates causes significant welfare harm including reduced activity, immunosuppression, and increased agonistic behavior. Enrichment for macaques should focus on social enrichment — novel objects to share and explore together, food provisioning strategies that allow natural social negotiation — rather than individual puzzle feeders alone.