science

International primate trade

International primate trade is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand International primate trade rather than just read about it. In short: The international trade in primates sees 32,000 wild non-human primates (NHPs) trapped and sold on the international market every year. They are sold mostly for use in animal testing, but also for food, for exhibition in zoos and circuses, and for private use as companion animals.

Key takeaways

International primate trade belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect International primate trade to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of International primate trade from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The international trade in primates sees 32,000 wild non-human primates (NHPs) trapped and sold on the international market every year. They are sold mostly for use in animal testing, but also for food, for exhibition in zoos and circuses, and for private use as companion animals.

Countries involved The United States imports around one third of all NHPs sold internationally, with the United Kingdom importing the second highest number. Japan, Russia, The Netherlands, France, and Taiwan also rank among the top importing countries. The NHPs are exported from Indonesia, Malaysia, Kenya, Thailand, Philippines, Mauritius, Amazonian regions across South America, and China, where they exist indigenously. Noveprim Group, Les Campêches Ltd, Biodia Co Ltd, Bioculture (Mauritius) Ltd, Bio Sphère and Prima Cyno Ltd export between 6,000 and 8,000 primates yearly.[1]

Capture and transport They are caught by local villagers, farmers, and hunters who set traps with baited nets and or by laying bait in crates. Entire families may be caught in the nets, with any undesirable NHPs being killed and sold for food. Those who survive are taken in crates to holding centers, possibly without food or water. The centers are reportedly overcrowded and dirty; the primates may not be able to stand in the crates, and many die. Others are weeded out because they are ill, too thin, or too old, with females and babies being the most desirable. According to a 1992 investigation by the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, 75% of the NHPs may be killed at the holding centers.

Animal testing

NHPs may be imported into the U.S. and sold for "scientific, educational, or exhibition purposes," and for use in breeding colonies. According to the AESOP Project, the majority of NHPs are imported to the U.S. to be used in laboratories. 23,465 non-human primates destined for laboratories or laboratory suppliers were imported into the U.S. in 2014 including macaques, grivets and capuchins. The majority of these animals were from China, Mauritius, Cambodia and Vietnam, respectively. Fortrea, Charles River Laboratories and SNBL USA are the largest U.S. importers of monkeys destined for laboratories. Between 1995 and 1999, 1,580 wild baboons were imported into the United States. Airlines have been under "significant pressure" from PETA and other groups to end their transport of monkeys and other animals to laboratories. According to PETA, over 110 airlines refuse to transport monkeys to laboratories, many after being the target of the animal welfare group's campaigns. As of 2015, Air France remains the last major airline to still transport nonhuman primates to laboratories. While Air France has defended the practice, saying the use of monkeys in research is needed, others including PETA, Jane Goodall, James Cromwell and Peter Gabriel have criticized the airline.

See also Animal testing Animal testing on non-human primates Commodification Great Ape Project Great Ape research ban International Primate Protection League Nafovanny Shamrock Farm

Notes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with International primate trade

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what International primate trade claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to International primate trade before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about International primate trade ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of International primate trade

In research: International primate trade appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses International primate trade in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: International primate trade is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Animal rights, Animal trade, Cruelty to animals, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for International primate trade outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study International primate trade in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what International primate trade means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain International primate trade out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is International primate trade in simple terms?

Why does International primate trade matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study International primate trade?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on International primate trade.