Animal breeders grow profits from research

In 2014, the revenue of Beijing Prima Biotech, one of North China's biggest breeding centers for primates used in laboratory tests, reached 14.8 million yuan ($2.2 million), a rise of nearly 30 percent year-on-year.

In August, the company was listed on the National Equities Exchange and Quotations - a securities' trading venue that's often known as the New Third Board - making it the first Chinese company specializing in the breeding of laboratory animals to list on the board.

The company raises 4,000 monkeys every year, including rhesus monkeys and long-tailed macaques. It also sells about 200 beagles a year.