Sanctuaries for rescued great apes face unique challenges in providing appropriate care for animals with complex social, cognitive, and emotional needs. Best practices in sanctuary management are critical to their welfare.
Great ape sanctuaries perform an extraordinary welfare service in an impossible situation. The animals in their care - orphaned by hunting, traumatized by capture and the exotic pet trade, often with human imprinting that makes wild release impossible - need lifelong high-quality care. Creating stable social groups of animals with complex personalities, trauma histories, and established hierarchies requires years of careful management and can involve dangerous conflicts. Cognitive enrichment for animals as intelligent as humans is both essential and resource-intensive. The welfare of sanctuary apes is deeply dependent on sustained funding, expert staff, and the public will to care for the victims of wildlife crime.