|
DomAviator -> RE: Apes' Rights (7/2/2008 9:47:05 AM)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: LotusSong
So, therefore, they do not feel pain, nor hunger, nor desire to live free and we are entitled to kill for sport or cage for display or incarcerate for laboratory testing... gee what a "superior", compassionate species we are....
While I respect your right to your opinion.. I do not concur (obviously)
Yes I am sure they feel pain and they get hungry. I do not believe they have the "desire to live free" as I dont think they have higher thinking functions at all. I have been to the zoo many times, and I have seen various primates in the wild in Africa and they are not nearly as human as people like to think.
They arent exactly great thinkers - in fact they dont function beyond the belonging level of Maslow's Heirarchy of Needs. Obviously they meet their pysiological needs (as does any organism including parasites) , they meet their safety needs, and SOME species are group oriented and thus fill the belonging need. (Which MAY be strictly for physiological or safety needs and I am thus giving them more credit than they deserve),,, However, they do nothing for esteem or self actualization needs. They do not have esteem, they do not seek or offer respect, they have no moral code or creativity etc... Essentially you are talking about a species that exists solely to eat, fuck, fling shit at each other, masturbate when not fucking, find more food, fling more shit, form violent bands to prey upon those around them and pick fleas off one another... (Gee when you put it that way they sound like the Hurricane Katrina refugees LOL) So no I dont believe they "Desire to live free" and the fact that they feel pain and hunger doesnt impress me. So does a rat, hunger is what brings a rat to a trap and rest assured rats scream in that trap if not killed instantly.
As for killing them for sport, I have hunted Africa several times as I am of Afrikaaner heritage and I have never shot one for sport nor do I know anyone else who has. The hunting of primates is pretty much a native thing, sustinenece hunting from African tribal people. Hunting for meat by tribal peoples is not exactly "sport hunting". Now I am sure that some westerner somewhere has shot one for sport, but I dont know any who have and they arent on the menu at my favorite South African outfitter. Me I go for plains game or one of the cats, not some freaking monkey LOL.
As for display - zoos and aquariums provide a critical survival and conservation function. The tiger would be extinct if not for captive zoo populations and many species are maintained in breeding populations in zoos and then reintroduced to the wild. Captive animals are generally protected and well cared for and they raise public awarenss and provide an opportunity for millions to see and be aware of amazing creatures they may otherwise never see. Lets be frank - most people have neither the financial resources nor desire to go to Africa to see things in the wild. (I happen to have family in South Africa, and inherited some property there, hence my connection) We certainly cant pack up entire elementary school classes and to send them on safari We can however have a field trip to the zoo, or the circus... Thus the only opportunity most will ever have to see these animals is via the zoo or circus. The animals in a zoo also do not wind up over some tribal campfire....
As for medical research. Sorry but in my opinions humans must always take precedence. I have been accused many times here of being uncompassionate, racists, uncaring whatever - but right now AIDs is ravaging Africa and I wouldnt be surprised if within 100 years there is nobody left in subsaharan Africa except the white Afrikaaners (who have HIV rates in line with most western nations) If sacrificing a few hundred, or even a few thousand, lower primates provides a cure that saves millions of lives, as well as cultures and civilizations that have been around since the dawn of time, I would say it is a moral imperative to conduct the research. Even the AIDs problem aside, take something like MD, do you want to tell some little cripple girl its too bad she will never walk or run or play like the other kids but the apes they need for research have rights?
|
|
|
|
