PRIMATES IN ANIMAL STUDIES
primates in animal studies
107,812 nonhuman primates resided in US research facilities in 2023
an overview of Reports on nonhuman primates living in research facilities in the united states
How Animals Used in Research Are Categorized
Each USDA-registered research facility is required by the Animal Welfare Act to submit an Annual Report that documents its use of animals for research, testing, teaching and/or experimentation. The numbers reported may not be all-inclusive as some research facilities might not have reported in time for publication. The USDA APHIS reports are found here.
USDA Animal Care compiles these numbers into 5 categories, each based on a specific pain category. The categories are as follows:
- Column B = Animals research facilities held but did not use for regulated activities
- Column C = Animals research facilities used in activities that did not involve pain and did not administer pain-relieving drugs
- Column D = Animals research facilities used in activities involving pain and administered pain relieving or similar drug
- Column E = Animals research facilities used in activities involving pain or distress and for which administering pain-relieving drugs would adversely affect results
- Total = Includes Columns B, C, D, and E
Nonhuman Primates in US Research Facilities
FY 2023
COLUMN B:
HELD, NOT USED
41,989
COLUMN C:
USED, NO PAIN
41,286
COLUMN D:
USED, PAIN MINIMIZED
23,306
COLUMN E:
PAIN, NOT MINIMIZED
1,231
TOTAL
107,812
FY 2022
COLUMN B:
HELD, NOT USED
43,303
COLUMN C:
USED, NO PAIN
44,270
COLUMN D:
USED, PAIN MINIMIZED
26,055
COLUMN E:
PAIN, NOT MINIMIZED
957
TOTAL
113,585
FY 2021
COLUMN B:
HELD, NOT USED
41,352
COLUMN C:
USED, NO PAIN
43,916
COLUMN D:
USED, PAIN MINIMIZED
26,703
COLUMN E:
PAIN, NOT MINIMIZED
1,6276
TOTAL
113,598
Now, for the complete picture...
The Animal Welfare Act reports only protect warm-blooded species. Not included are birds, rats, and mice that are bred for research, even though they represent 90-95% of the animals used in research.
The Animal Usage Reports, also excludes cold-blooded animals, such as fish, reptiles, and amphibians. Thus an additional unknown unreported number of animals actually make up the full account of animals used or held in research facilities.
In addition, the Animal Welfare Act, and therefore the Annual Usage Report, excludes “farmed animals” raised for food or fiber or used in agricultural research, such as cows, goats, and pigs. So the pigs, sheep, and other farm animals quoted in the USDA annual reports are used for some other research purposes, whether surgical studies, biomedical studies, or something else.
Thus, the 774,065 in US research facilities in 2023 probably represents about 10% (or less) of the actual number of animals in research facilities for that year.
Animals in research in the us in 2023
In addition to the species listed above, the 2023 report lists an additional 152,725 animals as “Other Animals”. Each of the three reports from 2021 through 2023 includes 12-13 pages of those “other animals”. If you’d like to learn more, you can view the reports here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/awa/research-facility-report/annual-summary.
Revised: January 3, 2025