Primates used in biomedical research face significant welfare challenges, and their use raises profound ethical questions given their cognitive sophistication.
Non-human primates have complex social structures, high intelligence, and rich emotional lives that make captivity and experimental procedures particularly harmful to their welfare. Social primates kept in isolation or small groups develop abnormal repetitive behaviors indicative of severe psychological distress. The cognitive capacity that makes primates valuable for certain research also means they experience suffering more acutely. Growing scientific and public concern has led to increased restrictions on primate research in many jurisdictions.