As zoo management improves, primates are living longer in captivity, creating new welfare challenges around geriatric care for aging chimpanzees, gorillas, and other species.
The success of modern zoo medicine and care has created a new welfare frontier: aging primates with complex geriatric needs. Chimpanzees and gorillas in their senior years experience the same degenerative conditions as aging humans - painful arthritis, reduced mobility, dental disease, cardiovascular problems, and cognitive changes. Social dynamics become critical as aged animals may be unable to maintain previous social positions, requiring careful management to prevent exclusion and bullying. Providing appropriate environments for senior primates means heated, cushioned spaces, modified feeding protocols, and thoughtful social group management. The veterinary and husbandry expertise required for geriatric primate care is substantial and costly.