Gorillas are highly intelligent great apes with complex social needs that make their welfare in captivity dependent on appropriate group management.
Gorillas deprived of appropriate social groups suffer from loneliness, boredom, and behavioral abnormalities including pacing and self-directed behaviors that indicate psychological distress. Historical zoo management often kept gorillas in small groups or even singly, causing significant welfare harm. Modern understanding of gorilla social complexity has transformed management practices in accredited facilities. Gorillas can form meaningful relationships with long-term keepers but this does not substitute for conspecific social bonds. Cognitive complexity of gorillas means stimulation must be ongoing and varied - an environment that meets the needs of a human infant in some ways.