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Do primates carry diseases that would put citizens at risk?

All animals brought to our site will be from audited suppliers who meet our rigorous standards. The risk of these animals carrying any disease is extremely low, given the continuous screening practices outlined in the following:

  • At least 31 days prior to shipment to SHM, the primates will undergo a full quarantine, during which they will be retested. The 31-day quarantine period has been established by the CDC and scientifically validated as sufficient time to allow for primates to demonstrate any symptoms of disease.
  • Once the animals arrive at our site, they undergo a CDC quarantine period of at least 30 days, which is supervised by the CDC. We also perform numerous additional tests beyond what the CDC requires.
  • We will continue to perform regular testing to ensure the health and welfare of our animals while on site.


It is critical that the animals on our site are virus and pathogen-free to ensure they produce quality study outcomes. We have been exacting in our facility design to ensure animals are protected from exposure to any source of disease.

Prior to importation to the U.S., all animals are routinely screened with thorough testing in their country of origin. These purpose-bred animals are routinely screened after birth, during grow-out, and prior to importation to the U.S. Once in the U.S., they are further screened multiple times as part of a highly regulated CDC quarantine process. Our veterinary and animal care staff will closely monitor the health of the primates under our care after quarantine release. Because of these stringent requirements, the risk of spreading disease is extremely low. 

In the unlikely event that an animal tests positive for a disease, it would be humanely euthanized and removed from our site by a certified third party who follows strict biosecurity procedures for the handling and disposal of medical refuse, much like a hospital.

The primates at SHM’s facilities will be housed in large animal enclosures inside our secure buildings. These enclosures are not only designed to make the primates under our care feel safe and comfortable, but also to prevent escape. Our facilities are built to give primates access to the outside air and sunlight they enjoy. Our facility has multiple safeguards to prevent escapes, including a unique building design with double barriers throughout each structure. In the unlikely event an animal escapes its enclosure, our design makes it mechanically impossible for the two paired doors leading outside to be opened at the same time.  Instead, the animal is safely contained and prevented from leaving the building until it can be returned to its enclosure by our trained technicians.

Animal Welfare, including preventing escape, is a top priority and has greatly shaped our facility’s design. As a result, we have incorporated multiple redundancies into our buildings. The following outlines how our animals will remain in safe surroundings in the event that any one specific design feature is compromised:

  • Our buildings are engineered to withstand extreme weather events. We will keep trees around the site perimeter, but we will not have tall trees near the animal buildings or fencing that could provide an avenue for escape.
  • In the unlikely event that a roof is compromised or a projectile penetrates the outer screen, the pens housing the primates are made of sturdy stainless steel and anchored into cinderblock walls. This means the pens serve as a secondary enclosure within the buildings.
  • All exits feature double barrier door systems with mechanisms that prevent paired doors leading outside our facility from being open simultaneously, virtually eliminating any risk of escape.
  • We will have a proven perimeter fencing design that includes non-harmful electrification. This will serve as an additional safeguard against escape and will also deter wildlife from entering our property.

The noise level of our operation will be significantly less than that of a manufacturing operation or any of the other businesses you would typically see in an industrial park. This is a day-shift operation that will mirror other agricultural facilities in the area. On average, the starting time will be around 6:30-7:00 am, and the day typically ends by 3:30 pm.

These primates are not large. On average, they are approximately 6-7 pounds (roughly the size of a house cat). Cynomolgus macaques make little to no noise, and most sound is contained within the building where they are housed.

Given their smaller size and our regular husbandry practices, we have confidence that there will be no noticeable odor coming from our site.

Nothing discharged from our facility will pose an environmental hazard or risk. Most of our wastewater results from regular washing of our animal enclosures, which allows us to lay dry bedding and provide our primates with a clean space to forage, eat, and play. We collaborate closely with local municipalities to ensure that, like other farms, our natural animal waste is properly treated and disposed of so it does not pose any environmental threat to our neighbors.

Primates account for less than 1% of the total number of animals used in research annually. Rats and mice account for 95%. However, research using rodents can only advance science to a certain extent; it has its limitations. Certain types of research require the responsible use of primates. Human biology and disease can be studied most effectively in primates due to their close resemblance to humans. Primates share similar brains, muscle structures, reproductive and immune systems, and other physical characteristics. A recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine provided an in-depth summary of the viability of alternative methods to animal testing as well as the role primates play in medical research. The following are two main conclusions from the report:

  • The Landscape of New Approach Methodologies: “Based on the current state of the science, there are no alternative approaches that can replace nonhuman primate (NHP) models to answer research questions that require complete multiorgan interactions and integrated biology. Thus, primates continue to be essential for the conduct of NIH–supported biomedical research.”
  • Future Needs and Opportunities for primates in Biomedical Research: “Given the nation’s most pressing public health needs and the evolving state of the science, specific domains of research—including neuroscience and neurodegenerative disorders, preparedness for unanticipated communicable infectious threats, immunotherapy, reproduction, aging, and chronic inflammatory diseases—are likely to require increased use of nonhuman primates in the future. The species distribution of future need for such research is likely to remain weighted toward macaques (particularly rhesus and cynomolgus), with increased use of marmosets.”

 

All primates must be transported by specialized, climate-controlled carriers that are USDA-licensed and which follow strict guidelines to ensure the safety and containment of the animals on board. Each primate is housed in an individual, secured compartment during transfer and transit.

While the scientific community makes every effort to minimize the use of animals, at certain stages of medical research projects, a living organism must be tested to demonstrate its safety before a drug or treatment is approved for human trials. For human trials of new drugs or treatments to proceed, by law, there must be appropriate animal testing completed.

There are many similarities between humans and animals. Primates share more than 95% of DNA with humans. Primates are used because of their similar genetic makeup, and therefore, they are the best model for predicting how these drugs will interact in a human system and to ultimately ensure patient safety.

If animals are not well-treated, the science and knowledge gained from animal-based studies will not be trustworthy and cannot be replicated. Veterinarians, caretakers, and researchers view their work with research animals as a privilege. They fully understand that they are legally and morally obligated to ensure the health and well-being of animals in their care.

Countless scientific benefits have resulted from animal research. Without animal research, we would not have chemotherapy drugs for cancer, high blood pressure medication, the ability to perform organ transplants, insulin drugs for those with diabetes, artificial joint replacements, drugs such as penicillin and other antibiotics, pacemakers, vaccines for COVID, polio, measles, rubella, and tetanus, and hundreds of other medical advances.

Animal research not only benefits humans but also plays a key role in the development of veterinary medicines for livestock, pets, and animals residing in zoos and sanctuaries.

To the contrary, we believe it is immoral to allow humans and animals to suffer from disease and illness if cures can be found. The use of animals in human and veterinary research is viewed by those involved as a scientifically justifiable means to an end that must be preserved to ensure that humans and animals don’t needlessly endure disease and suffering.

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Drug logos are not an implied endorsement of SHM by the manufacturers of these drugs and are not intended to imply endorsement. Logos are only meant to inform what drugs have relied upon NHPS for research.