Colobus monkeys are among the most commonly exhibited Old World primates, with specific dietary and social needs that require specialized zoo management.
Colobus monkey welfare in captivity hinges on two challenging requirements: appropriate diet and appropriate social grouping. Their folivorous diet requires high-fiber, low-energy food that many standard zoo feeding regimes fail to provide, leading to digestive problems when frugivore-appropriate foods are substituted. Their complex social lives require carefully managed group compositions in adequate space to prevent the aggression that erupts in poorly structured or overcrowded groups. The dramatic appearance of colobus monkeys creates exhibition demand that sometimes outpaces welfare infrastructure. Well-resourced facilities that invest in appropriate browse provision, extensive vertical habitat, and careful social management can achieve good colobus welfare; those that treat them like generalist primates typically cannot.