Support OneGreenPlanet Being publicly-funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high quality content. Please support us! Support Us According to the New York Times, the United States has over 25,000 lab monkeys in 7 primate centers within the country. Scientists have said that monkeys are necessary for testing the coronavirusvaccine, but since China is no longer shipping animals to the United States due to a legal ban, there’s a shortage of available animals. Monkeys can cost $10,000 each and dozens of companies are looking to acquire them. Scientists that work at the facilities in the United States have been pushing for the creation of a “monkey stockpile,” to have enough monkeys needed for animal treatment when necessary. Time and money are the main components necessary for a breeding program, both are in short supply, especially in a pandemic. However, animal rights activists argue that monkeys are not needed for the vaccine or other coronavirus-related research.