Chimpanzee orphans created by the bushmeat trade require years of intensive rehabilitation before potential release, creating long-term sanctuary commitments across Central Africa.
Chimpanzee orphan rehabilitation represents both a welfare imperative and a conservation investment. Orphaned infants that lose mothers to bushmeat hunting experience acute traumatic stress followed by years of dependency on human caregivers who cannot fully substitute for maternal chimpanzee socialization. Release requires additional years of social preparation. The lifetime commitment required for each orphan makes sanctuaries extraordinarily expensive to operate sustainably.