For primates that may unexpectedly die, spermatozoa recovered from the epididymis can be used for assisted reproductive technologies (ART). However, in cases of unsuccessful epididymal sperm retrieval, adult testes are the only source of sperm. This study reports cryopreservation of testicular tissue of three adult primates (mandrill, chimpanzee, and marmoset). For successful cryopreservation, optimization of concentrations of commonly used cryoprotectant such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and combinations of foetal bovine serum (FBS) and DMSO is essential. Testicular tissues were cryopreserved in 10 % DMSO (D10) with 80 % FBS (D10S80) or 20 % DMSO (D20) with 20 % FBS (D20S20). The cryopreserved testes were evaluated for efficacy of cryopreservation by assessing the viability and acrosome status of retrieved sperm, expression of spermatozoa- and spermatid-specific proteins (PRM2 and TNP1) by immunohistochemistry, and expression of pro- and anti-apoptosis- (BAX/BCL2 ratio), early apoptosis- (Annexin V), and cell proliferation-specific (PCNA) proteins by western blot analysis. The results suggest that mandrill testis can be effectively cryopreserved in D10S80, marmoset testis in D10S80 and D20S20, whereas chimpanzee testis in D20.