"The chimpanzee example is the beginning of what we view as a slippery slope," suggested Frankie Trull, President of the National Association for Biomedical Research. Accordingly, some in the biomedical profession are already mobilising to thwart the Chimpanzee Collaboratory. And there are myriad temptations to mistreat them, because they are so useful in medical research. Is this not a case of America taking its affection for litigation to almost barmy extremes? And where will it end? Are chimpanzees the only animals we would afford such legal status to? What about cats and dogs? And goldfish? Chimpanzees have attracted attention, because they are the closest to us in demeanour and intelligence. He noted that the primates share 98.7 per cent of their DNA with human beings. "If a human four-year-old has what it takes for legal personhood, then a chimpanzee should be able to be a legal person in terms of legal rights," Steven Wise, a Harvard University lecturer and author of a book, 'Rattling the Cage', told the Wall Street Journal.
The animals could win monetary awards - perhaps for more comforts in their older years - or bring punishment to the defendant. In the same way, third parties, such animal rights activists, would be able to represent the chimpanzees in the courts. Children most certainly have legal status in the courts, even if guardians file actions for them. A chimpanzee can communicate on roughly the same level as a three- or four-year-old human. They note, for instance, that if corporations can sue and be sued in court, then surely chimpanzees should be allowed to.
For humans, collaboration is rewarding for its own sake, a behavioral split that may underlie key.
#CHIMPANZEE COLLABORATORY SOFTWARE#
The head of RealNetworks, the software company, Rob Glaser, has contributed $1 million to the effort while academic figures have stepped forward to voice their approval. When it benefits them, chimpanzees willingly work together. And support is coming from some important quarters. The group contends that the roughly 1,500 chimpanzees in captivity in the US need great legal protection from abuse by humans. The endeavour is being spearheaded by the Chimpanzee Collaboratory, a new coalition of researchers and animal welfare advocates. That would be a real court of law with a human judge and human jury. It sounds like the script for a Hollywood comedy, but plans are being hatched in the United States to give chimpanzees the chance to file suits in a court of law.
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