Every year, hundreds of primates—including macaques, marmosets and baboons—are used in experiments in Australian research facilities.
These animals are subjected to invasive procedures, frequent handling and confinement in small cages, causing significant physical and psychological suffering. Young primates may be separated from their mothers, restrained for procedures, exposed to substances or subjected to surgery. Many procedures are repeated, and most animals are ultimately killed or used in further research.
In Australia, strict protections already apply to great apes such as gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees, which cannot be used in research unless it directly benefits them. However, other primates—despite being highly intelligent and social animals with complex emotional needs—do not receive the same protections. Scientific understanding of their cognitive abilities has grown significantly, raising serious ethical concerns about their continued use in experimentation, particularly as non-animal research methods advance.
It is difficult to know how many animals are used each year, as animal welfare regulation is managed by states and territories and data is not consistently collected or published. However, records show 119 macaques and 74 marmosets were used in research in Victoria in 2023, and 188 baboons in New South Wales in 2022.
We are calling on the Federal Health Minister to update national guidelines so that all primates receive the same ethical protections as great apes.
