TheMonkeyTruth

From archaeological finds, there appears to be historical evidence of primates kept as pets dating back over 4,800 years ago. A rhesus macaque monkey was found buried in an Iranian cemetery in the same manner as human children were buried. It was discovered that the remains of the macaque, specifically the hind limbs, indicated that it was inadequately cared for, possibly kept in a cage that was too small. As macaques are not endemic to Iran, this suggests that the primates would have been imported to that area (Seaboch et al., 2021).

Humans appear to have had a long tradition for keeping primates as pets, perhaps because of their perceived human-like traits, they have been considered as members of the family and even been raised as if they were surrogate human children, e.g. dressing them in clothes, nappies feeding them from bottles, but despite how humans raise primates they have not become domesticated (Iles et al 2024).  Nonhuman primates (hereafter referred to as primates) are considered one of the most diverse mammal and endangered groups. Reports state that over 70% of Asian primate species are at risk of extinction. Several worldwide rescue programs aim to protect wild animals and increase their populations through breeding programs. However, wild animals are not only kept to protect the population; Primates, due to their uniqueness and attractiveness, are much wanted as pets (Primate Specialist Group, 2021).

According to the animal welfare charity Born Free, 2024, an estimated 5000 primates are being kept as pets in the UK, and 15000 in the USA,  including marmosets, squirrel monkeys, capuchins,  lemurs but within the USA a small number of chimpanzees and baboons can also be found as pets and private collections. Still, these are considered banned under The Dangerous Wild Animal Act (DWA) 1979 in the UK, but can be kept and bought with a valid DWA licence. It has been suggested that movies and programmes on media (TV and Cinema) and, more recently, posts on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and TikTok featuring these brilliant animals for entertainment and ‘likes’ suggest that there has been a substantial global increase in the number of primates kept as pets (Iles et al 2024).

Figure 3 shows a video that highlights some reasons why monkeys do not make good pets and why it's not ethical to buy or own them.

As stated previously, nonhuman primates are among the most endangered orders within the class of mammals (Volfová et al., 2023). A study conducted in the Czech Republic reported a total of 7, 708 primates; 3, 821 were kept as pets (49. 56%), and 3, 887 were in zoos (50. 44%) (Volfová et al., 2023). While it is still legal to own a marmoset in the UK, the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976 does not include smaller species of primates, as they are not considered hazardous enough. However, licences will be required due to new regulations under The Animal Welfare (Primate Licenses) (England) Regulations 2023 (RSPCA, 2023; Gov. UK, 2023). This may be a bit late, as mandatory licensing will begin in April 2026. Considering that it is estimated there are around 5, 000 pet monkeys within the UK, this law covers England only, which means that Scotland and Wales can still contribute to the ongoing neglect of captive ‘pet’ primates. This neglect persists despite external parties and scientific journals stating that it is practically impossible to provide even the basics to ensure welfare goes beyond mere existence (RSPCA, 2023; Seaboch et al., 2021). When reflecting on how quickly the government acted to ban XL bully dogs, with the ban announced in September 2023 and a criminal offence established by February 2024 for owning an XL bully dog without a certificate of exemption (The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, 2025), it is concerning that it will take over three years to fully implement licensing for pet primates. This is particularly troubling given the harrowing evidence of their neglect and suffering while still being labelled someone's “beloved pet. " While the licencing and checks are a step forward, it was reported that in 2001, compliance with DWA licenses was around 85-95% (Soulsbury et al., 2008). DEFRA's 2019 report estimated that there were between 1000 and 7000 pet primates within the UK, while in 2012, only 339 had DWA licenses for primates. This demonstrates that despite existing laws, people are still evading them, raising concerns about whether the same will occur with pet primate licenses as well. Additionally, there is a risk of individuals abandoning their monkeys, similar to how XL bull dogs were treated during the banning of their breed.

This highlights that legality does not equate to ethical. While some animals (all vertebrates, molluscs, and crustaceans) are classified as sentient in the UK, exotic pets are often overlooked regarding good welfare, usually housed in inappropriate accommodations and with diets that rarely equate to their wild counterparts, leading to malnutrition and vitamin deficiencies (Toland et al., 2020). Not to mention that they are usually housed with or without others, which can neglect their social requirements. This, in turn, leads to them experiencing psychological stress from being unable to express their natural behaviours and speaking on the needs of primates. They are social animals that can live in groups of 5 to 50 individuals, though some groups have been known to reach over 800 members (Chapman, 2012), which is impossible to replicate in a domestic setting. Not only do their owners neglect them due to the impossibility of providing everything they need, but they dress them up, whether that is clothes or just nappies (diapers, depending on where you are from), treating them as a novelty or like a toy doll. The practice of dressing up primates has occurred for a long time, usually in circuses; a comparison between the two can be seen in Figures 5 and 6. The use of animals in circuses has been banned in a few countries, but is it really a ban when anyone is allowed to own them and inflict a similar level of neglect and abuse on them for the sake of amusement? 

 So, if people regard them with so much love, why not want what is best for them?