Cited by 19

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 3 of the 3 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Pet primates for sale in the United States

Seaboch, Melissa S., Cahoon, Sydney N.·2021·PLOS ONE

Abstract

Our research goal was to investigate the primate pet trade in the United States. While dogs and cats are the most common type of pet, there are an estimated 15,000 pet primates in the United States and the demand for exotic pets in general has been rising. Most research on pet primates occurs in habitat countries and little is known about these pets in the United States. We collected data from six exotic pet-trade websites twice a month for 12 months. We recorded the type of primate for sale, sex, age, location, and price. We used Chi-Square Goodness-of-Fit tests to compare whether the number of male and female pet primates for sale and the number of different age categories of pet primates for sale differed from equality and Spearman Correlation to examine associations between price and size and price and supply. We recorded 551 pet primates for sale between June 2019-June 2020, with 69.1% platyrrhines, 21.6% strepsirrhines, and 8.9% catarrhines. Marmosets were sold most often (36.7%, N = 202) followed by lemurs (21.6%, N = 119), capuchins (11.3%, N = 62), and squirrel monkeys (10.5%, N = 58). Almost two-thirds of the pet primates for sale were male (Chi-Square = 16.056, df = 1, P = 0. 00006) and 78.7% were under one year old (Chi-Square = 440.264, df = 2, P<0.00001). The median price was $3,800 though price was highly variable, even for the same taxa. There are several potential drivers for the primate pet trade, including media influence, fashion/status, and profitable breeding though these are not mutually exclusive. Primates do not make good pets and even when captive-bred, pet primates impact the conservation of their wild counterparts. Advertisement campaigns focusing on disease transmission and legal consequences and a federal ban on pet primate ownership are two avenues to pursue to end the ownership of pet primates in the United States.

Overview

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1371/journal.pone.0256552

Cites

3 of 3 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Figures

Fig 1 a and b. Primates for sale in the United States. Proportion of pet primates for sale. Number of Primates for sale.
Fig 1 a and b. Primates for sale in the United States. Proportion of pet primates for sale. Number of Primates for sale.CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig 2 Price of primates for sale in the United States. Red line represents sample average ($4,618.14).
Fig 2 Price of primates for sale in the United States. Red line represents sample average ($4,618.14).CC BY · PubMed Central

Verification

Claims the paper makes

The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.

Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.

A few free checks a day · papers already verified open instantly · results are public

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

The self-check needs the paper’s full text.

Citations

Cites

Research works printed but not linked: 78

  1. ER Bush, 2014, Global trade in exotic pets 2006–2012., Cons Biol, 28, 663, 10.1111/cobi.12240 · DOI
  2. DD Blouin, 2012, Understanding relations between people and their pets., Sociol Compass, 6, 856, 10.1111/j.1751-9020.2012.00494.x · DOI · Paper page
  3. E Hirschman, 1994, Consumers and their animal companions., J Consum Res, 20, 616, 10.1086/209374 · DOI · Paper page
  4. Jyrinki H, editor The attitude-behavior relations in pet-related consumption. Proceedings of the University of Vaasa 2010; Vaasan Yliopiston Julkaisuja.
  5. P. Laufer, 2011, Forbidden Creatures: Inside the World of Animal Smuggling and Exotic Pets, 274
  6. M Germonpré, 2009, Fossil dogs and wolves from Palaeolithic sites in Belgium, the Ukraine and Russia: osteometry, ancient DNA and stable isotopes, J Archaeol Sci, 36, 473, 10.1016/j.jas.2008.09.033 · DOI
  7. DF Morey, 2006, Burying key evidence: the social bond between dogs and people., J Archaeol Sci, 33, 158, 10.1016/j.jas.2005.07.009 · DOI
  8. M. O’Haire, 2005, Companion animals and human health: benefits, challenges, and the road ahead., J Vet Behav., 5, 226, 10.1016/j.jveb.2010.02.002 · DOI
  9. C Minniti, 2019, New data on non‐human primates from the ancient Near East: the recent discovery of a rhesus macaque burial at Shahr-i Sokhta (Iran)., Int J Osteoarchaeol., 1
  10. H. Herzog, 2011, The impact of pets on human health and psychological well-being: fact, fiction, or hypothesis?, Curr Dir Psychol Sci, 20, 236, 10.1177/0963721411415220 · DOI · Paper page
  11. J. Archer, 1997, Why do people love their pets?, Evol Hum Behav, 18, 237, 10.1016/S0162-3095(99)80001-4 · DOI · Paper page
  12. C Reeve, 2021, Dog owners’ survey reveals Medical Alert Dogs can alert to multiple conditions and multiple people., PLoS One, 16, e0249191, 10.1371/journal.pone.0249191 · DOI
  13. CD Soulsbury, 2009, The welfare and suitability of primates kept as pets., J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 12, 1, 10.1080/10888700802536483 · DOI
  14. F Moutou, 2010, Why own an exotic pet?, Rev Sci Tech., 29, 359
  15. CA McMurray, 2009, Wildlife trafficking: U.S. efforts to tackle a global crisis., Nt Resour Environ, 23, 16
  16. MA Morgan, 2015, Exotic Addiction., Duke Law J, 65, 1
  17. KE Reuter, 2019, A national survey of household pet lemur ownership in Madagascar., PLoS One, 14, e0216593, 10.1371/journal.pone.0216593 · DOI
  18. A Duarte-Quiroga, 2003, Primates as pets in Mexico City: an assessment of the species involved, source of origin, and general aspects of treatment, Am J Primatol, 61, 53, 10.1002/ajp.10108 · DOI
  19. N Ceballos-Mago, 2010, Impact of the pet trade on the Margarita capuchin monkey Cebus apella magaritae., Endanger Species Res., 12, 57, 10.3354/esr00289 · DOI
  20. V Nijman, 2017, Changes in the primate trade in Indonesian wildlife markets over a 25-year period: fewer apes and langurs, more macaques, and slow lorises, Am J Primatol, 79, e22517, 10.1002/ajp.22517 · DOI
  21. Y-H Sung, 2018, Assessing consumer trends and illegal activity by monitoring the online wildlife trade, Biol Conserv, 227
  22. OC Stringham, 2020, A guide to using the Internet to monitor and quantify the wildlife trade, Cons Biol
  23. A. Lavorgna, 2014, Wildlife trafficking in the Internet age, Crime Sci, 3, 1, 10.1186/s40163-014-0005-2 · DOI
  24. P Siriwat, 2020, Wildlife trade shifts from brick-and-mortar markets to virtual marketplaces: a case study of birds of prey trade in Thailand., J Asia Pac Biodivers, 13, 454, 10.1016/j.japb.2020.03.012 · DOI
  25. V. Nijman, 2020, Illegal trade in Indonesia’s National Rare Animal has moved online., Oryx, 54, 12, 10.1017/S0030605319001157 · DOI
  26. B. Price, 2020, Resource Networks of Pet Scam Websites:, 10.1109/eCrime51433.2020.9493253 · DOI
  27. Norazman NSdA, Zamin N, editors. Development of scammed posts detector: a case study of pet scammed posting. Proceedings of the 18th World Multi-Conference on Systemics, Cybernetics and Informatics (WMSCI); 2014.
  28. D Bergin, 2018, Online trade of Barbary macaques Macaca sylvanus in Algeria and Morocco., Biodivers Conserv, 27, 531, 10.1007/s10531-017-1434-5 · DOI
  29. RJ Smith, 1997, Body mass in comparative primatology, J Hum Evol, 32, 523, 10.1006/jhev.1996.0122 · DOI · Paper page
  30. NF Ramsay, 2007, The red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta elegans) in Asia: a review. Biological Invaders in Inland Waters: Profiles, Distribution, and Threats., 161
  31. J. Prosek, 2010, Beautiful friendship: bound in an alliance of mutal benefit, clownfish and their host anemones are the crown jewels of coral reefs., Natl Geogr Mag., 120
  32. V Nijman, 2017, The Harry Potter effect: the rise in trade of owls as pets in Java and Bali, Indonesia., Glob Ecol Conserv, 11, 84, 10.1016/j.gecco.2017.04.004 · DOI
  33. DA Megias, 2017, Investigating the impact of media on demand for wildlife: a case study of Harry Potter and the UK trade in owls., PLoS One., 12, e0182368, 10.1371/journal.pone.0182368 · DOI
  34. S Ghirlanda, 2014, Dog movie stars and dog breed popularity: a case study in media influence on choice., PLoS One., 9, e106565, 10.1371/journal.pone.0106565 · DOI
  35. H. Herzog, 2006, Forty-two thousand and one Dalmatians: fads, social contagion, and dog breed popularity., Soc Anim, 14, 383, 10.1163/156853006778882448 · DOI
  36. JM Eaves, 2005, The Effects of Dog and Owner Personality on Pet Satisfaction
  37. BC Aldrich, 2018, The use of primate "actors" in feature films 1990–2013., Anthrozoös, 31, 5, 10.1080/08927936.2018.1406197 · DOI
  38. L Asher, 2009, Inherited defects in pedigree dogs. Part 1: Disorders related to breed standards., Vet J, 182, 402, 10.1016/j.tvjl.2009.08.033 · DOI · Paper page
  39. M. Mott, 2003, The Perils of Keeping Monkeys as Pets., Nat Geograph Mag.
  40. T Cekavicius, 2012, Pets as status symbols:
  41. B. Garrod, 2019, The Chimpanzee & Me., 256
  42. TA Clarke, 2019, A viral video and pet lemurs on Twitter., PLoS One, 14, e0208577, 10.1371/journal.pone.0208577 · DOI
  43. KA-I Nekaris, 2013, Tickled to death: analysing public perceptions of ’cute’ videos of threatened species (slow loris Nycticebus spp.) on Web 2.0 sites., PLoS One, 8
  44. S. Piccoli, 2013, Rihanna’s slow loris selfie leads to arrest., New York Post., 2013
  45. E Djafarova, 2017, Exploring the credibility of online celebrities’ Instagram profiles in influencing the purchase decisions of young female users., Comput Human Behav, 68, 1, 10.1016/j.chb.2016.11.009 · DOI
  46. M Muda, 2012, Breaking through the clutter in media environment: how do celebrities help?, Procedia Soc Behav Sci, 42, 374, 10.1016/j.sbspro.2012.04.201 · DOI
  47. WP Brown, 2013, Effects of phenotypic characteristics on the length of stay of dogs at two no kill animal shelters, J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 16, 2, 10.1080/10888705.2013.740967 · DOI
  48. M Lepper, 2002, Prediction of adoption versus euthanasia among dogs and cats in a California animal shelter, J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 5, 29, 10.1207/S15327604JAWS0501_3 · DOI
  49. JM Posage, 1998, Determining factors for successful adoption of dogs from an animal shelter, J Am Vet Med Assoc, 213, 478, 10.2460/javma.1998.213.04.478 · DOI
  50. HJ Svoboda, 2015, Investigating the role of coat colour, age, sex, and breed on outcomes for dogs at two animal shelters in the United States., Anim Welf., 24, 497, 10.7120/09627286.24.4.497 · DOI
  51. S Diverio, 2016, The Italian perception of the ideal companion dog, J Vet Behav, 12, 27, 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.02.004 · DOI
  52. DW Boden, 2008, Miniature cattle: for real, for pets, for production., J Agri Food Info, 9, 167, 10.1080/10496500802174036 · DOI
  53. DCV Metre, 1999, Miniature pigs., Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 2, 519, 10.1016/S1094-9194(17)30108-1 · DOI
  54. S. Stall, 2007, 100 Cats Who Changed Civilization: History’s Most Influential Felines
  55. VV Tynes, 1999, Potbellied pig husbandry and nutrition., Vet Clin North Am Exot Anim Pract, 2, 193, 10.1016/S1094-9194(17)30147-0 · DOI
  56. PH Harvey, 1985, Life history variation in primates, Evolution, 39, 559, 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1985.tb00395.x · DOI · Paper page
  57. MBCD Sousa, 1999, Reproductive patterns and birth seasonality in a South-American breeding colony of common marmosets, Callithrix jacchus., Primates, 40, 327, 10.1007/BF02557556 · DOI
  58. DA Smucny, 2004, Reproductive output, maternal age, and survivorship in captive common marmoset females (Callithrix jacchus)., Am J Primatol, 64, 107, 10.1002/ajp.20065 · DOI
  59. MJ Hurt, 2016, Evaluating the physical welfare of dogs in commercial breeding facilities in the United States:
  60. FD McMillan, 2011, Mental health of dogs formerly used as ‘breeding stock’in commercial breeding establishments, Appl Anim Behav Sci, 135, 86, 10.1016/j.applanim.2011.09.006 · DOI · Paper page
  61. WP Brown, 2015, Age, breed designation, coat color, and coat pattern influenced the length of stay of cats at a no-kill shelter, J Appl Anim Welf Sci, 18, 169, 10.1080/10888705.2014.971156 · DOI
  62. J Clevenger, 2003, Determinants of adoption and euthanasia of shelter dogs spayed or neutered in the University of California veterinary student surgery program compared to other shelter dogs, J Vet Med Educ, 30, 372, 10.3138/jvme.30.4.372 · DOI
  63. GJ Patronek, 1995, Population dynamics and the risk of euthanasia for dogs in an animal shelter., Anthrozoös, 8, 31, 10.2752/089279395787156455 · DOI
  64. L. Sinn, 2016, Factors affecting the selection of cats by adopters, J Vet Behav, 14, 5, 10.1016/j.jveb.2016.06.001 · DOI
  65. ACDA Moura, 2003, Sibling age and intragroup aggression in captive Saguinus midas midas., Int J Primatol, 24, 639, 10.1023/A:1023748616043 · DOI
  66. L. Harrington, 2015, International commercial trade in live carnivores and primates 2006–2012: response to Bush, Cons Biol, 29, 293, 10.1111/cobi.12448 · DOI
  67. TP Moorhouse, 2017, Information could reduce consumer demand for exotic pets., Conserv Lett, 10, 337, 10.1111/conl.12270 · DOI
  68. K Reuter, 2019, Lemur yoga: fueling the capture of wild lemurs?, Mongabay, 3, 2019
  69. SR Ross, 2008, Inappropriate use and portrayal of chimpanzees, Science, 319, 1487, 10.1126/science.1154490 · DOI
  70. SR Ross, 2011, Specific image characteristics influence attitudes about chimpanzee conservation and use as pets., PLoS One., 6
  71. KA Leighty, 2015, Impact of visual context on public perceptions of non-human primate performers., PLoS One., 10, 10.1371/journal.pone.0118487 · DOI · Paper page
  72. MA Norconk, 2021, ASP-CAN Action letter—How Can Primatologists Deter Ownership of Pet Primates in the U.S.? History and Legislation., Conservation Action Network.
  73. T Andreyeva, 2011, Estimating the potential of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce consumption and generate revenue., Prev Med., 52, 413, 10.1016/j.ypmed.2011.03.013 · DOI
  74. FJ Chaloupka, 2012, Tobacco taxes as a tobacco control strategy., Tob Control, 21, 172, 10.1136/tobaccocontrol-2011-050417 · DOI · Paper page
  75. CP Durrance, 2011, Taxing sin and saving lives: can alcohol taxation reduce female homicides?, Soc Sci Med., 73, 169, 10.1016/j.socscimed.2011.04.027 · DOI
  76. O Mytton, 2007, Could target food taxes improve health?, Am J Public Health, 61, 689
  77. T-W Hu, 1995, Reducing cigarette consumption in California: tobacco taxes vs an anti-smoking media campaign., Am J Public Health, 85, 1218, 10.2105/AJPH.85.9.1218 · DOI
  78. S. Kieswetter, 2019, The motivations behind obtaining exotic pets: a discussion paper

Cited by

Metadata

Authors
Seaboch, M. S., & Cahoon, S. N.
Venue
PLOS ONE
Published
2021-09-08
Volume
16
Issue
9
Pages
e0256552
ISSN
1932-6203
Cited by
19
References
3
Language
en

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review