Non-human primates

A voluntary ban on the use of great apes, (gorillas, orang-utan and chimpanzees) means that they have not been used in biomedical research in the UK for many years and that the government has recently made the ban a legal one.

The non-human primates span a huge range of lifestyles and sizes from the tiny 60g mouse lemur to the 200kg gorilla. All of the non-human primates are highly intelligent and need a complex and stimulating environment in the form of a variety of cage furniture (perches, swings etc,) a varied diet and adequate space to allow them to climb and jump. Most primates show a vertical flight reaction, that is go as high as possible, when disturbed and the cage dimension must allow for this.

Most species of primates are highly sociable and benefit from being housed in pairs or larger groups (gang housing).

The least distressing method of handling any animal is to train the animal to co-operate in procedures that are routine. Young, captive-bred, intelligent animals such as monkeys, and to a lesser extent dogs, which have been well socialised and have become familiar with their handlers, can often be trained for their role in the procedure.

The most commonly used monkeys in research are the common marmoset, macaques, baboons and squirrel monkeys. Each type of monkey has different dietary, housing and social needs and so different codes of practice are in operation for each breed of monkey.