Missouri ranks high in primate ownership. Here’s why experts warn against it

It’s estimated that up to 1,000 monkeys and apes are owned as pets in Missouri. Despite the challenges, and even dangers, of such ownership, pet primates are legal to own in the state. But most arrive in the U.S. through illegal smuggling operations. Animal advocates share the dark side of the exotic pet trade, why primates don’t make good pets, and the effort to end the illegal sale and trafficking of primates at the federal level.