Chimpanzees rescued from the entertainment industry, research facilities, and illegal trade often require years of behavioral rehabilitation in sanctuary to develop appropriate social skills.
Chimpanzees are highly social animals whose psychological development depends on conspecific interaction during critical periods. Those raised in isolation or deprived of normal social experience develop lasting behavioral pathologies including self-mutilation, stereotypies, and inappropriate social behavior. Sanctuary rehabilitation is not always successful - some chimpanzees retain lifelong abnormal behaviors. However, sanctuary life, even imperfect, dramatically improves welfare compared to laboratory or entertainment settings. Funding sanctuaries is a moral obligation created by industries that profited from chimp exploitation.