Primate Experimentation
Protecting Animals in Democracy is advocating a
ban on all primate experimentation in the UK.
Primates possess many qualities which were once considered solely
human attributes. The central nervous system of primates and humans
is organised in almost the same way, and there are similarities
between the social behaviour, emotional needs and intellectual capabilities
of humans and other primates. Primates demonstrate the ability to
reason, to exhibit friendship and altruism, to suffer fear and stress.
The suffering that both wild caught and captive bred primates must
endure not only whilst being transported to research centres, but
also during their many months or years in laboratories is unimaginable,
so deprived are they of environmental and social stimulus in their
bare metal laboratory cages.
As we have learned more about the complex behaviour and needs of
other primate species, UK legislation has been partially expanded
to supposedly protect their specific requirements in the laboratory
and afford them a 'higher' status than other animal species. The
reality is, however, that this legal provision does not prevent
thousands of primates each year enduring terrible pain, suffering
and death in the laboratory.
The same ethical concerns the UK Government put forward to afford
Great Apes exemption from experimental procedures can and should
be used to defend the case for an outright ban on the use of all
primates in research. Experiments that would be unthinkable if performed
on human subjects should also be considered morally unacceptable
when carried out on our genetic cousins.
Researchers use primates as 'models' of human diseases on which
the development and progression of such diseases can be monitored
and treated. However primates, like other animals, make poor 'models'
and attempting to extrapolate test results from one species to another
is a fundamentally flawed research methodology. Despite their similarities,
there are also many significant differences between humans and others
primates.
For example, research into HIV and AIDS has shown that nearly all
non-human primates cannot be infected with the HIV virus. Only chimpanzees
can be infected with HIV - though they never develop AIDS. Similarly,
research into Alzheimer's disease has failed to find a suitable
non-human primate model on which to explore the development of the
disease.
The fundamental flaw underlying the research of human diseases
in primates is that researchers can only attempt to artificially
induce similar superficial symptoms of human diseases in
primates, which is very different from studying a naturally occurring
disease in a biologically relevant animal i.e. a human patient.
Furthermore, primates who are removed from their normal habitat,
deprived of environmental stimulants and social interaction, often
for many months or years on end are likely to make poor 'models'
on which to record the 'natural' development of disease or infection.
Like human beings, primates react very differently to disease or
illness depending on their physical and psychological states.
The reality is, despite what the research industry would have us
believe, primates do not provide a reliable 'model' of the human
being. After decades of research on primates, scientists have repeatedly
failed to make significant breakthroughs in fully understanding
the onset and progression of HIV or AIDS, cot death, epilepsy, Parkinson's
or Alzheimer's disease, or cancer - all human conditions which have
been thoroughly, though pointlessly, explored through research on
primates. (1)
Our question to candidates in the 2005 General Election
was: Do you support a ban on experiments on all
non-human primates? YES / NO
REFERENCES:
- This text is taken from the BUAV's campaign 'Zero
Option' calling for a total UK ban on all primate experiments
for both ethical and scientific reasons. www.buav.org/campaigns/primates/zerooption.html
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