Primate bushmeat hunting for food and commercial trade threatens endangered ape and monkey populations while causing significant individual animal suffering through trapping, transport, and slaughter.
Primate bushmeat hunting causes welfare harm through both the method of capture — primarily snares that cause prolonged suffering — and the emotional experience of social species witnessing group members being killed. Infant primates surviving after maternal hunting deaths face severe stress and often poor welfare in the pet trade. Solutions require addressing food security alongside wildlife protection, as prohibition without alternatives may simply increase illegal hunting pressure.