Primates In Experiments By The Numbers
This report consolidates information gathered through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to examine the trends in the use of nonhuman primates (NHPs) for research and testing purposes in the United States. The report examines trends from 1973-2010 and finds that the number of NHPs used in experiments hit an all-time high in 2010. In 2010, the was an overall total of 125,752 NHPs in labs who were used for breeding, experiments, or otherwise being held; 71,317 of them were actively used in experiments.
Article Highlights:
- The number of NHPs used in experiments increased from 57,518 in 2000 to 71,317 in 2010.
- Just over 1,000 chimpanzees are in US laboratories. The most commonly used NHPs are rhesus monkeys and long tailed (a.k.a. crab eating) macaques.
- Most NHPs are in universities or the government-funded National Primate Research Centers. Large populations are also used by private companies.–Charles River Laboratories and Covance Labs are the two private companies with the most NHPs.–Covance was the largest importer of NHPs in 2010.
- 43% of NHPs used in experiments in 2010 were used in experiments involving pain and distress; 1,395 of them were used in experiments in which their pain was not alleviated.
- Importation of NHPs to the US doubled between 1996, increasing from 10,530 to 21,135.