The Pros And Cons Of Nonhuman Primates

Back in the 1850s, Charles Darwin proposed a theory suggesting animals be an appropriate model to facilitate more accurate biological understandings for the human race. Since then, nonhuman primates, guinea pigs, dogs, cats, mice, rabbits, etc. have been tested on in laboratories in the hope of gaining a better knowledge of the human body. With that being said, many arguments have risen in relationship to this topic. Some of which claim to be the advances in medicine that have occurred since animal testing has begun, while others focus on the inhumane tactics and procedures that these helpless animals endure. As a result, this hot topic continues to be argued with no resolutions. In the meantime, multitudes of animals continue to die in laboratories. To focus on one specific animal, being nonhuman primates, one may look at the similar DNA patterns in comparison to humans. The 98% similitude causes researchers and scientists to believe that these are prime candidates to test on. As a result,

Following birth, their mothers teach them the social norms of living in large communities, launching their maturity which can last up to 15 years. Maturity is achieved at a slower rate due to the larger size of a chimp’s brain compared to other living mammals. This makes it so they are able to understand social hierarchy, make/use tools, and even learn American Sign Language. The evolution of humans stems from what is hypothesized to be Chimpanzees. In fact, Chimps are more closely related to Humans, 1.24%, than they are to Gorillas, 1.63% (Overshaw, 2007, pg. 65). This becomes evident when looking at the primitive traits humans have obtained from Chimpanzees over time which include, complex hands, bipedalism, ability to see colors, dental formula, etc. With all of these traits that have evolved into what is a human, how could humans not look to primates as a prime example for animal