Japanese macaques (snow monkeys) are famous for hot spring bathing but face welfare challenges in zoo settings outside their natural environment.
Japanese macaques in inadequate captive environments suffer from social complexity deficits - they are intelligent, highly social primates with long-term relationship memories who need appropriate group structures to express natural behavior. Zoo facilities outside Japan sometimes keep snow monkeys in groups that are too small or poorly structured for natural social dynamics. Their need for manipulable enrichment and problem-solving opportunities is high. Management of aggression within groups requires sophisticated behavioral monitoring. Wild macaques raiding crops are sometimes lethally controlled, raising welfare concerns about conflict management approaches.