Monkey Prose: Help Support an End to the Breeding of Chimpanzees for Research.

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Help Support an End to the Breeding of Chimpanzees for Research.

An organization called Project R&R, is collecting names on a petition to end the breeding of chimpanzees for research. If you want to add your signature, please click here.

The Chimpanzee Genome was completed in 2005. Scientists determined that there is less than a 2% difference between human and Chimpanzee DNA. We are genetically closer to chimpanzees that we are to Neanderthals.

This data provides a valid reason to rethink the use our furry cousins for medical research.

I welcome your comments (pro and con) on this issue.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: Tough question. But for research that requires answers to "how will this medication affect humans" and similar issues, what better way to test than to try on an organism that is so similar to ourselves, yet not human? animal research is necessary for many things - better on animals than on humans. and better yet on animals which are similar enough that the results will be applicable to humans, as opposed to testing on drosophila (fruit flies) or petri dish nematodes and then saying it's safe for humans.; 11:16 AM
Monkey Bob said...: Hi popred:
Yes, this is a difficult question. As I see it, chimpanzees are so genetically similar to humans that (at some time in the future) they may become legally classified as humans. If you click on "Austria" in the Monkey Prose Table of Contents, you will see that this issue is actually now being debated in a court in Austria. In addition, the more that I find out about chimpanzee behavior, the more human that they seem. For example, if you read "Chimpanzee Politics" by Frans de Waal (which is also in the Monkey Prose Table of Contents) I think that your perception of the species gap between chimpanzees and humans will shrink considerably.

Thank you for your input on this very important issue. I believe that every person's viewpoint deserves a fair hearing and evaluation.

"I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them."
-George Bush

Well, almost everyone's viewpoint!; 4:24 PM

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Why a Blog About Monkeys?

Monkeys have many of the good traits and lack many of the bad traits of humans. We feel an innate connection with primates, which is why we are naturally drawn to them and why we think that they are so interesting. They are fun house mirrors of ourselves. Monkeys are like humans - before we went apple picking in The Garden of Eden . . . or was it The Olive Garden? I dunno, I always get those two mixed up. But I know that one of them has really good breadsticks!

Recently, I expanded the scope of Monkey Prose to cover other subjects like books, movies, art, wine, consumer issues, and anything else that I think might be of interest to my readers. Because, hey, you can't write about monkeys all of the time!

I am always looking for interesting and unusual stories to publish, so I welcome suggestions from my readers.

So that's the deal. Word up. May all of your bananas be ripe! :-)

Chimps Incorporated

Chimps Incorporated is a group based in Oregon who are rescuing chimps that were used in the entertainment industry.

Chimps Incorporated is currently building a 2000 sq. foot indoor enclosure for the chimps to use during the cold winter months in Oregon.

They could really use your help. They need 1) money (no donation is too small) and 2) grant funding. If you want to make a donation, or if you know of any grant sources for them, please contact Lesley Day at (541) 330-8159 or chimps@bendnet.com.Please mention Monkey Prose if you do!

Monkey Bob's Editorial Guidelines for Monkey Prose

I have been asked by a number of people about my guidelines for the content of Monkey Prose. A number of these inquiries came from primate conservation groups.

In order to protect their reputations, these groups only want to be associated with blogs and websites that present primates in a proper format, and that don't contain offensive or prurient material.

My guidelines for Monkey Prose are:

* No pictures of monkeys or apes in television, movies, or other media that present these creatures in non-natural settings. An example would be TV commercials, where chimpanzees are dressed up and are performing human functions. Many of these animals are treated poorly by their handlers, and many primate groups consider such use to be exploitation.

* No adult content material. This site is about primates, not porn.

* No material that would be considered to be in bad taste.

My goal for this blog is to present information about primates that is interesting, amusing, and/or educational.

I am open to suggestions from Monkey Prose readers. If there is something that you would like to see a post about, please contact me at bobsher54@verizon.net. The same goes if you see something that you find to be upsetting or inappropriate.

While I retain the right to control the content of my blog, I am sensitive to my readers' feelings. If I think that your suggestion or complaint has merit, then I will give serious consideration to making the suggested change.

I look forward to hearing from you!

- Monkey Bob

Monkey Prose

Saturday, May 19, 2007

Help Support an End to the Breeding of Chimpanzees for Research.

2 comments:

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