Great apes are intensely social animals whose welfare depends fundamentally on appropriate social housing; group management is one of the most complex and consequential aspects of ape care in captivity.
Great ape social welfare is inseparable from the quality of their social environment. Apes housed in incompatible groups or without appropriate social partners experience chronic stress and psychological suffering. The introduction of new group members requires extensive expertise and carries inherent risks. Apes deprived of social complexity show increased rates of abnormal behaviors including self-directed behaviors, stereotypies, and lethargy. Investment in expert group management and enrichment programs is essential to meeting the welfare needs of these cognitively sophisticated animals.