Primate tourism, including chimpanzee trekking and orangutan visits, can support conservation when well-managed but causes significant welfare harm when poorly regulated.
Primate tourism presents a genuine dilemma: well-regulated gorilla trekking has contributed to gorilla population recovery by funding protection and giving communities an economic stake in conservation. But unregulated primate encounters cause real welfare harm. Contact tourism with orangutans, gibbons, or chimpanzees kept as props exposes animals to stress, physical handling, and disease. Even legitimate gorilla trekking involves habituation that makes individuals more vulnerable to poachers. Respiratory disease transmission from tourists is a documented mortality risk for great apes. Supporting only certified, strictly regulated primate encounters is the welfare-responsible approach.