Chimpanzees retired from biomedical research require lifetime sanctuary care with specialized social, environmental, and psychological management to address the welfare consequences of their research history.
Chimpanzee sanctuary welfare for former research animals involves addressing the accumulated welfare deficit of their research history. Animals that spent decades in individual cages with minimal social contact have profoundly disrupted social skills that cannot be fully restored but can be substantially improved through patient sanctuary management. The trauma-informed approach to chimpanzee care recognizes that behavioral problems observed in sanctuary residents reflect prior welfare failures rather than inherent animal characteristics. Long-term welfare goals involve stable social groups, environmental complexity, positive human relationships through voluntary cooperative care, and honest recognition that some welfare deficits from the research period will persist for the animals' lifetimes.