Primates Incorporated is one of nine accredited primate sanctuaries in the U.S., one of only two in the Midwest, and the only primate sanctuary in Wisconsin. We provide a safe and enriching life for monkeys retired from research facilities, private ownership, and the entertainment industry. The staff and volunteers at our 19-acre sanctuary, located in Marquette County, Wisconsin, currently care for 12 monkeys. However, since opening the sanctuary in 2018, we have been contacted to help over 75 monkeys from research labs and pet owners across the U.S. We don’t yet have the resources to help at that scale, but we are actively fundraising for the construction of two more housing facilities that will accommodate a total of 20 additional monkeys.The idea for Primates Incorporated came about in 1999 when Amy Kerwin, the sanctuary’s founder and executive director, was an undergraduate student working in a University of Wisconsin research laboratory that housed 97 rhesus macaque monkeys. Kerwin grew close to the monkeys after getting to know their unique personalities. It became difficult seeing them confined to cages no larger than nine cubic feet day after day. She concluded that the very least the lab could do was send the monkeys to a spacious and enriching sanctuary after their time in research ended.Kerwin began networking with other labs and learned that while these facilities were retiring monkeys, sanctuary space was limited. She decided to start her own nonprofit sanctuary to help fill this gap. After earning a master’s degree in business administration, Kerwin established Primates Incorporated in 2004. Her goal: to ensure that no monkey is denied sanctuary for lack of space. For the past 18 years, Kerwin, sanctuary staff and volunteers, and the Marquette County community have been working hard to create a sustainable and innovative facility that can serve as a model for other primate sanctuaries. The Primates Incorporated facility design includes spacious and secure indoor buildings with access to all-season greenhouses and outdoor enclosures. The long-term goal is to expand the facility so that we can house up to 100 monkeys.

In 2018, Primates Incorporated welcomed its first retirees—five rhesus macaque monkeys. Since then, eight additional primates have joined the family. In addition to Kerwin, sanctuary staff include an animal care manager, a primate behavior specialist, and two animal caretakers. More than 50 volunteers dedicate over 300 hours per year to monkey care, special events, administrative tasks, and groundskeeping. Volunteers can also participate in educational outreach and primate behavioral observation and enrichment.