Primates as Pets

We believe that primate ownership in a domestic setting is both cruel and dangerous - as such, we have long called for the Welsh Government to outlaw this practice. Previous RSPCA Cymru polling found that 72 per cent of people in Wales support a ban of the keeping of all primates as pets. However, keeping a primate in a domestic setting is currently entirely legal here  and estimates suggest that hundreds of monkeys could be kept as pets in Wales as it stands. We believe the keeping of these intelligent, sociable and complex animals in a household environment is incompatible with their wild natures and that their needs cannot be adequately met in a domestic setting. We have seen first-hand how this practice can lead to primate suffering and compromised welfare, with the RSPCA having prosecuted relevant two cases involving pet monkeys in Wales between 2021-2023. 

Unfortunately, the Welsh Government has - as of yet - not been minded to support such a ban due to insufficient evidence. However, a question relevant to primate ownership was featured in the Welsh Government’s consultation on the licensing of animal establishments, activities and exhibits which closed in 2024, with it hoped that this will pave the way for an eventual ban on private pet ownership.
 

Measures to ban the keeping of primates as pets became law in England in 2023. However, this scheme still allows the breeding and selling of primates to continue which will, in our opinion, significantly interfere with the stated aim of bringing an end to the keeping of primates as pets. Because of this, we urge the Welsh Government to consider its own ban on the breeding of pet monkeys in Wales while requiring anyone who currently keeps primates as pets to adhere to strict welfare standards, before eventually phasing out the practice altogether.