This morning's Durham Herald Sun has an article on the front page about Hiasl the Chimpanzee currently residing in a shelter protecting him from the big pharma companies who have imported him from Sierra Leone for use in experiments.
The activists argue that Hiasl has a risk of being homeless or turned back over to these companies in the event the shelter goes bankrupt. After having watched the chimp have human behaviors and require custodian support, they argue that he should be considered a human being to receive guaranteed support. Hmm.
This is the same Austria that produced Hitler and considered Jews nothing more than useless, filthy, non-humans worthy only for experimental purposes. Hmm.
The activists arguements and points are something like this:
1. Hiasl is a person and requires basic legal rights.
2. Basic rights include right to life, not to be tortured, freedom under certain conditions
3. Human status is required in order to become a legal entity that can receive donations and a guardian
4. Although funds have been collected under a foundation to support the $6800 a month bill on Hiasl, he could still be sold
5. If declared a person he could own his own property and receive donations directly
6. Individuals who have petitioned for guardianship have been denied by the courts because Hiasl has not been declared mentally impaired nor in an emergency.
7. Austrian guardianship law rules only on humans and things and they argue the chimp is 99.4% human DNA and although not human, certainly not a thing.
8. Hiasl comes across as a person with a real personality and traits similiar to humans by being playful and thoughtful.
In thinking about this a bit, I begin to wonder if this indeed passes and Hiasl can buy some property and begin investing in the stock market and become rich and hang out with the guys from the Geico commercial, where will the line be drawn? The contrast between the Austrian's opinion of the Jews back in WW2 and the treatment of Chimps is something to be reconciled somehow. Look how far the country has come. Now ANYTHING with human tendencies can be treated as human. This reeks a bit of overcompensation?
To points 1,2 and 4, I thought that's what animal rights activits fight for. The whole point of an animal activist is to look after these creatures and ensure that they have their basic animal rights (not to be confused with human rights since we have the right to freedom under any conditions...hum, or do we?) Isn't it up to the shelters and the foundations to ensure they are managed and funded correctly in order to act as the protector of these chimps in captivity? Doesn't that show a weakness in the humans in managing the business of the shelters etc? And if the humans doing this can't get the money managed, how in the hell will a chimp?
Imagine that fundraiser for a second.....planned and coordinated by chimps......everyone dressed in their finest fur, groomed, combed and parted, sipping on banana slushies, performing stupid human tricks. Crazy....Wonder if they have animal rights in Austria or if there are only human rights activists and "thing" rights activists. Actually the activists should be addressing the guardianship laws if they are that concerned. Making a chimp human?! What the hell has the world turned into? What about monkeys, parrotts, cats, dogs, iguanas and any other household pet in the "family" that has exhibited a personality and thoughtfulness? Because a dog cuddles up next to you on a bad day knowing that you need a little love from him, should we now make him human? If so, then he can clean the kitchen and take himself for a walk and get a job, by the way, to help with the household expenses a bit.
This all kind of stinks of chimp and human poo.
Created: May 5, 2007
No comments:
Post a Comment