Santiago. A researcher and his monkey. Listening to to the story of this man tell his story of his time with his research monkey Santiago leaves me with a lot of shared feelings. I've never had a monkey nor done animal research. I have worked with animals and kept my own. I love animals. I've learned that keeping pets and keeping animals for others is wildly different. I felt sad for the research's heart break at his chimps heart break. I understood the push to continue on. I empathized and sympathized with both the man's and animal's feelings of being used and played by the other. I have been around animals that try to train you. Luckily I've never had to train those animals for the public. Those unruly but potentially lovable animals could be deemed unsuitable for sale or show. Chimpanzees,and other apes and monkeys for research are so few and rare that there is no time, space and luxury for relationships like this. So the 'show' goes on, and so did the researcher tale. In the end santiago played a game he once enjoyed, but now does not; all because that is what he did as his job. The researcher did his job, but deep down wished for what there once was for him and santiago, a fun time for both ape and man. This leads into to the basic problem we face will all animal testing. The real reason why it will not go way. Perhaps it should not. There is go other better way yet. If anybody can replace the knowledge gained from these tests, please, please,please do it, do it now. Lets start. It is easy just to say we don't need the knowledge, but that is a lie. That medical knowledge saves millions of lives, both human and ape. Other animal testing is starting to help keep whole ecosystems stable. It would be hypocritical to gain knowledge and then denounce the methods that were used to gain that knowledge. I give respect to that researcher for his bravery in honoring his memory of his time with santiago. I think many people who deal with animals in this way have to face this kind of emotions and questions of ethics. This is a personal issue and one that,I would think, each one remembers. Even dealing with this, some stay and other leave animal research, but I'm sure the memories stay with them. I've thought about the ethical issues of animal testing and human testing. There are numerous ethical questions that bog down the science. Period. No matter the type of science, what is studied and how is determined by culture, ethics and politics ( and funding). Animal testing is not immune from the problems that science faces at large. So it is no wonder I question the direction we are leading are discoveries in. It should grow, and should always be questioned. I just have always wondered if it is something I should do? If I stop wondering, I do not want to go near an animal again. Want I want is for a little comprise. Perhaps, like people we can find some willingness in test subjects. Happiness in captivity. But I'll talk about my crippled eagles another time...
Nychir · Sun Oct 11, 2009 @ 10:35pm · 0 Comments |