Jo-Anne McArthur/We Animals Media

Tell Congress that Captive Primates Need More Protection!

A marmoset seized by authorities was found to have previously suffered a fractured arm, likely due to trauma from being kept in a birdcage. An escaped Japanese macaque was shot and killed by a nearby resident who discovered the monkey attacking his dog. Another escaped macaque suffered serious head injuries after being hit by a car. One of two escaped lemurs drowned in a shallow pond. A child required immediate medical attention after being attacked by a vervet monkey brought to a family gathering. Four different taxpayer-funded state and county agencies had to respond to an escaped spider monkey whose leash became entangled 35-feet up in a tree.

These are just a few examples—from just this year—that illustrate why keeping primates as pets must end. The animal cruelty they entail, and the injury and zoonotic disease risks they pose to the public, and to emergency responders, are unacceptable.

The Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 8164/S. 4206) would meet this urgent need by prohibiting the trade and private possession of nonhuman primates as pets.

Primates suffer enormously when kept as pets. To be sold for these purposes, infant monkeys are removed from the nurturing care of their protective mothers shortly after birth—a practice that can lead to lifelong physical and psychological problems. Worse, the complex behavioral and biological needs of primates go unmet in captive settings where they are typically denied mental stimulation, proper diets, interaction with others of their kind and freedom to exercise their natural behaviors.

Primates kept as pets are a clear danger to their owners and others. Though captive-born, these animals are inherently wild and unpredictable. Members of even the smallest monkey species are incredibly strong and can inflict serious injuries with their teeth or nails. In Arizona, a woman’s marmoset monkey attacked her newborn grandchild, scratching and biting the baby’s face and splitting open a nostril. In Tennessee, an escaped macaque monkey kept as a pet attacked and severely injured a woman washing a car in her driveway; the woman’s injuries required surgery and doctors said she was lucky she wasn’t killed. Primates can also spread viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections that pose serious health risks to humans, such as tuberculosis, herpes B and simian immunodeficiency virus.

TAKE ACTION
Please take a moment to contact your U.S. Senators and House member and urge them to support the Captive Primate Safety Act using the form below. Editing your message will help it stand out.

This action alert is for U.S. residents. International advocates, please visit Humane Society International.

Your Message

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Dear Legislator,

I urge you to cosponsor and support H.R. 8164/S. 4206, the Captive Primate Safety Act. 

Keeping nonhuman primates as pets is inhumane and poses unacceptable injury and zoonotic disease risks to emergency responders and others. 

Purchased as cute and manageable infants, all primate species are wild animals and inevitably become aggressive, unpredictable and territorial as they mature, often attacking their owners or other people. Keeping them in a home, restraining them with a collar and leash or treating them like surrogate children doesn't change that. Even the smallest monkey species are incredibly strong and can inflict serious injuries with their teeth or nails, including puncture wounds, lacerations and infections. And it's not just their owners that the animals attack: people have been injured by escaped primates while shopping, eating at restaurants, walking dogs, jogging, riding bikes, playing outdoors and visiting parks and festivals. Since 1990, there have been more than 300 dangerous incidents involving primates kept as pets in 41 states. 

Primates also can spread viral, bacterial, fungal and parasitic infections that pose serious health risks to humans. Up to 90% of adult macaque monkeys--who are popular in the pet trade--are infected with the herpes B virus; infected monkeys are often asymptomatic, yet human exposure through monkey bites or bodily fluids can be fatal. 

Finally, primates suffer enormously when kept as pets. These captive situations do not meet the animals' very complex needs, often denying them mental stimulation, proper nutrition, interaction with others of their kind and the ability to express natural behaviors. 

Experts and professional associations, including renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians and the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, oppose the private possession of primates.

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