Primates as Pets: By the Numbers

Lincoln Park Zoo, along with a coalition of partners, is supporting the Captive Primate Safety Act. This bill is designed to end the private ownership of nonhuman primates. Below, you’ll find some statistics that indicate why organizations that champion animal welfare are teaming up to get this law passed.

With decades of expertise caring for primates, Lincoln Park Zoo has been at the forefront of research about primate wellbeing. Not only is trafficking of apes, monkeys, lemurs, and other prosimians widespread, research also shows how difficult it is for private owners to care for such animals properly.

To join the effort and raise your voice on behalf of primates, visit lpzoo.org/takeaction.

Primates as Pets

Here are some numbers you should know about keeping primates as pets.

15,000+ – Although it is largely unknown how many pet primates there are in the U.S., many researchers and animal welfare supporters believe the number is at least this high.

$25,000 – The estimated cost of keeping one chimpanzee in an appropriate setting with nutritious food for a year, as noted by zoo partner Chimp Haven. Keep in mind, to thrive, chimpanzees should live in mixed groups with multiple individuals of each sex.

7 – The number of states that have essentially banned primates as pets. They are New Mexico, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Hawaii, and Colorado. Other states allow some level of ownership.

75% – The number of guests in a 2024 survey from Lincoln Park Zoo who did not realize there are no federal laws regarding primate ownership in the U.S.

The Safety of People and Primates

Safety for both people and animals is compromised when primates are owned as pets.

11% – The percentage of pet primate deaths due to owners killing them after an aggressive incident, as noted in the above study.

275 – The number of human injuries from nonhuman primates in personal possession in the U.S. (43 states) between 1990–2013, as recorded by the Humane Society of the United States; many involved children.

238 – The number of pet primate attacks (133) or escapes as recorded by HSUS from 2000–2020; it is believed that this number is lower than reality due to pet owners being unwilling to report injuries for fear illegal pets may be confiscated or euthanized.

6% – The percentage of primate pets in a 2010 study in Endangered Species Research whose canine teeth were extracted after they bit someone (50% of primate pets in the study had bitten someone).

80–90% – The percentage of adult macaques in human-care environments with the herpes-B virus, which can cause fatal meningoencephalitis, according to a report in Emerging Infectious Disease.

The Primate Trade

Primates that are sold on the open market—and more and more often, these are online markets—are often done so illegally, but it can be hard to track their origins.

397 – The number of live primates being sold in 280 online marketplaces in 16 countries in 2014, according to an investigation by the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

3 – The rank of the U.S. out of 171 countries, based on the ease of purchasing pet primates online, according to a 2023 study in Environmental Development.

79% – The percentage of primates for sale that are under a year old, based on a 2021 PLOS One study focusing on 551 primates sold on six online marketplaces.

37% – Percentage of primates for sale that are marmosetsMarmosets are among the primate species most commonly traded online.

22% – Percentage of primates for sale that are lemurs as of 2021, according to the above study in PLOS One .

11% – Percentage of primates for sale that are capuchins, according to the above study in PLOS One. Capuchins are also one of the primates most commonly sold online.

11% – Percentage of primates for sale that are squirrel monkeys, according to the above study in PLOS One.

$187 million – The amount made on the global trade of primates in 2020, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.

Primate Conservation

Having primates as pets affects individual wellbeing and species conservation.

7 – According to the head of the Gibbon Rehabilitation Project, as quoted by Mongabay, this is the number of gibbons killed for each infant gibbon poached. Estimates for other ape species (especially chimps and bonobos) from the United Nations Environment Programme result in similar numbers, as families of 5–10 individuals are killed so  that one infant may be forcibly taken from them.

60% – The percentage of primate species threatened with extinction. Almost 75% face population declines.

22,218 – UNEP estimates that this was the number of wild great apes lost to the illegal wildlife trade between 2005–2011—that’s more than 3,000 a year. Of this number, 64% were chimpanzees.

Take Action With Us!

If you’re interested in helping pass the Captive Primate Safety Act, go to lpzoo.org/takeaction and use your voice! Simply fill out the form on the web page and we’ll provide updates on the fight, along with tools to contact your representatives and spread the word. Help us save primates!