Below are some examples of commentary that has been carried by news media outlets such as USA Today, the Seattle Times and the Financial Times.
Experiments Extreme
“People might be shocked to learn that labs in the USA are allowed to keep chimpanzees in cages about the size of a kitchen table for decades. More than 1,000 chimpanzees endure untold pain and suffering in U.S. laboratories. It’s time for the U.S. government to join nations all over the world that have banned experiments on chimpanzees.”
USA Today December 26, 2007
How chimps are treated is not smart
“I hope this most recent news story will inspire more people to reflect on the plight of our chimpanzee cousins. Despite coming in second in this most recent match-up, humans certainly are bright enough and compassionate enough to see that we must retire chimpanzees now held captive to sanctuary homes where their well-being is the sole priority.”
Southtown Star, December 16, 2007
Legacy for Washoe
“We’ve all heard that chimpanzees are smart and that they are an endangered species. But Washoe revealed to us something beyond our broad similarities. Some people writing about her death have claimed that she changed what it meant to be human―that she changed our society. That, I suppose, is true―but there is more to that lesson. Washoe also helped us see what it means to be chimpanzee. When she spoke her mind, signing about her wants and needs, playing jokes or tricks, showing empathy, she embodied a message of compassion―one that we have not fully heard.”
Spokesman Review, November 8, 2007
We must think of the primates
“Given everything we know about chimpanzees, is there any basis for assuming that involuntary confinement, social isolation, painful procedures and other violations of their interests imposed by people don’t register? The answer is ‘No.’”
Chicago Tribune, March 26, 2007
Bored to Distraction
“We are responsible for choosing the environment that laboratory animals live in as well – but we just aren’t making the right choices. Given all we know about primates, we must also realise that life in laboratories is at least uncomfortable and distressing for them, and is at times unsafe, painful and frightening. It is time that we replace the just-enough-to-get-by mindset of the current regulatory standards with housing and enrichment practices that truly minimise suffering and promote the well-being of animals in laboratories as much as possible”
New Scientist December 10, 2005
Fixing Cousins
“Alongside the new genome data, a different group of scientists proposed special protections for apes in research, and they anticipate this will create considerable controversy.
But why? Given all we know about apes, and other primates, too, we must also know that how we currently keep and use them in labs is replete with ethical problems. Though this is a charged issue, it cannot be ignored simply because it is difficult.”
Seattle Times October 20, 2005
Animals and Us.
“Like some of the authors and people interviewed, my stance on animal issues has been shaped by both the scientific evidence showing similarities between humans and other animals, and by watching and studying animals directly. If it is true that changes in attitude or behaviour towards animals are linked to the amount of information and experience we have about them, it could explain why people now have a better attitude to companion animal welfare, for which they can call on personal experience, than for animal testing, a practice cloaked in secrecy in the US, and unfamiliar to most.”
New Scientist July 2, 2005