I was very upset by the recent event covered in both local and national newscasts concerning a truck loaded with 100 monkeys that had an accident allowing three of them to escape and subsequently be killed. My first reaction was sadness for these creatures packed into a truck bound for a destination where they would be put in cages and subjected to various, and often painful, medical procedures.

Animal testing in medicine began years ago when the prevailing scientific approach to animals was a mechanistic one. They thought animals did not feel pain as we do and were fur-lined, living machines. The highlight of this approach was vivisection, where animals, often dogs, were cut open while still alive so that the surgeon could see living organs.

Anyone who’s had a longtime pet knows that they show love, grief, joy, pain and perform altruistic acts that have nothing to do with survival. Scientists are now looking at animals in this light more frequently and have found that not only mammals such as apes, monkeys, dogs and cats are social beings with humanlike feelings, but even the lesser animals possess many of these traits. Octopuses, during their short lives, exhibit distinct personalities, literally display their mood, recognize human faces and can differentiate between the people they like versus the people they mistrust.

I believe we must find a way to scientifically test new medical procedures and vaccines without using animals. There has been some progress and there is an organization of physicians whose goal is to reduce and one day eliminate animal testing.

My second reaction bothered me almost as much as the welfare of the animals involved, the fact that it was not making the news because it was a tragic event such as a car crash or a plane crash, but was newsworthy because they were monkeys. The connotation being a humorous one. If the truck had contained dogs, perhaps one being yours, would there have been the same reaction?

As long as our species continues to have these attitudes toward other species we will never be able to stop cruel practices against animals. We must learn that all animals are interconnected with us in nature.

All life is precious and should be treated as such.

Ned Ramm

Jim Thorpe