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The Past, Present, and Future of the Primate Pet Trade

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Primates in Anthropogenic Landscapes

Part of the book series: Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects ((DIPR))

Abstract

Pet primates are those kept typically for companionship, enjoyment, and status, although their uses as pets may extend beyond these parameters. The trade in pet primates is historically rooted, with many primates playing important roles in human cultures and religions. Thus, it is not surprising that current sociocultural trends reveal an ongoing fascination with primates and their purchase as status pets. Recent reports from various regions are presented in this chapter, demonstrating the need for drastic interventions to avoid further losses. Capture of animals for the pet trade may be intentional or opportunistic and is often exacerbated by internet trade and social media. This situation is complicated by the difficulty of obtaining accurate numbers of primates bought and sold illegally. The health and welfare of primates captured or kept as pets is another area of great concern. Long-term solutions will require attention from governmental, professional, and public actors on local and international levels.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the editors for our inclusion in this important publication and the reviewers for their comments and suggestions. We owe a special thanks to range country individuals and collaborators, paid and unpaid, who provided their time and information to these researchers. Without their help, this work would be impossible. Finally, we thank in advance those reading this chapter for their support in reducing the demand for pet primates by not purchasing primates for pets and refraining from sharing images that misrepresent primates and undermine efforts to slow the unethical trade in these animals.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Anthropology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA

    Sherrie D. Alexander

  2. Barbary Macaque Awareness and Conservation, Tetouan, Morocco

    Sherrie D. Alexander & Siân Waters

  3. Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK

    Siân Waters & Lucy Radford

  4. Asia for Animals Coalition, Hong Kong, China

    Brooke C. Aldrich

  5. Neotropical Primate Conservation, Seaton, Cornwall, UK

    Brooke C. Aldrich & Sam Shanee

  6. Department of Sociology & Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA

    Tara A. Clarke

  7. Mad Dog Initiative, Antananarivo, Madagascar

    Tara A. Clarke

  8. Sumatran Orangutan Society, Abingdon, UK

    Lucy Radford

  9. Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Malene Friis Hansen

  10. The Long-Tailed Macaque Project, Broerup, Denmark

    Malene Friis Hansen

  11. Department of Social Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK

    Malene Friis Hansen

  12. Institution of Excellence, Vijnana Bhavan, University of Mysore, Mysore, India

    Smitha Daniel Gnanaolivu

  13. Wildlife Information Liaison Development (WILD), Coimbatore, India

    Smitha Daniel Gnanaolivu

  14. West African Primate Conservation Action, Broxbourne, UK

    Andrea Dempsey

  15. West African Primate Conservation Action, Accra, Ghana

    Andrea Dempsey

Authors
  1. Sherrie D. Alexander
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  2. Siân Waters
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  3. Brooke C. Aldrich
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  4. Sam Shanee
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  5. Tara A. Clarke
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  6. Lucy Radford
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  7. Malene Friis Hansen
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  8. Smitha Daniel Gnanaolivu
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  9. Andrea Dempsey
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sherrie D. Alexander .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Applied Science, University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK

    Tracie McKinney

  2. Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham, UK

    Siân Waters

  3. Department of Social and Cultural Sciences, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Michelle A. Rodrigues

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Alexander, S.D. et al. (2023). The Past, Present, and Future of the Primate Pet Trade. In: McKinney, T., Waters, S., Rodrigues, M.A. (eds) Primates in Anthropogenic Landscapes. Developments in Primatology: Progress and Prospects. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-11736-7_14

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