Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) share approximately 98.7% of their DNA with humans and are classified as Endangered across their West and Central African range. Bushmeat hunting kills adults and leaves orphaned infants, creating a sanctuary crisis that challenges conservation welfare across the region.
Orphaned chimpanzees experience acute grief: they cling to their dead mothers, call persistently, and refuse food for days after separation. The psychological trauma of losing maternal care — which in wild chimpanzees extends to age 8-10 — creates lasting welfare deficits. Sanctuary chimps require intensive social rehabilitation: progressive introduction to conspecifics, structured social groups, and decades of care before any possibility of reintroduction. Self-injurious behaviour, stereotypies, and post-traumatic stress responses are documented in poorly rehabilitated individuals. The welfare cost of the bushmeat trade extends beyond individual deaths to multi-generational trauma in surviving infants.