For too long, animals that are non-humans have not been accorded the dignity they deserve. The practice is wrong because, chimpanzees do have unique qualities that are essential to the world, if not the society. Take the case of chimpanzees, for instance. Despite the fact that they are one of the closest living relatives to humans, chimpanzees get mistreated when doing biomedical research. What many people fail to understand is that chimpanzees have emotions, consciousness, abstract thought and political behaviour. Humans are treated with dignity and respect because of more or less the same qualities and, therefore, the same dignity and respect should be extended to the chimpanzees. Chimpanzees are unique animals that possess emotions, complex thought processing mind, and political behaviors, which include how they interact with each other; therefore, they should be treated as humans.
Chimpanzees are of high value to the field of medical research. They have been used in the past to test and monitor the response to certain drugs and use the results to predict the reaction of those drugs in humans. However, the use of chimpanzees to test genetically engineered antibodies exposes them to irreparable harm. In the quest to find the appropriate treatment for cancer, for example, the exposure of chimpanzees to monoclonal antibodies could result in unknown consequences. While it is indeed true that chimpanzees and humans share 98% similarity, scientists have not fully understood their physiology. The result is that the susceptibility of chimpanzees to some diseases and drugs is not yet fully understood. Consequently, the use of untested drugs in chimpanzees could result into unintended consequences that may jeopardize their existence and, by extension, the existence of human beings too.
In addition, chimpanzees have also been mistreated by enslaving them in closed cages without the freedom to move freely. The issue is debatable, and animal rights activists have opposed it in the strongest terms. This calls into question where the line should be drawn in as far as humans can treat or mistreat chimpanzees. In the book Our Post-human Future, Francis Fukuyama argues that humans have dignity because they possess the X-factor. The X-factor is described as the intrinsic quality that sets humans apart from other forms of life. The X-factor makes people be entitled to certain universal rights, even though their secondary characteristics may differ. Some of those intrinsic qualities in humans that distinguish them from other forms of life include genetic equality, emotions, morality, consciousness, political behavior, human language and dignity (Fukuyama 220). A close look into the life of chimpanzees shows that they share the same intrinsic values. Therefore, it makes great sense to treat chimpanzees in the same way as humans.
For example, chimpanzees display a wide range of emotions that were initially thought to exist in humans only. These emotions include feelings of sadness, joy and fear (Sommer and Ross 128). Chimpanzees also exhibit human-like emotions such as laughter and physical contact when in a community set-up. The emotions are apparent from the facial expression of chimpanzees and the alignment of the facial muscles. The emotions are also moderated depending on circumstances. In humans, emotions lead to morals and predictable behavior. This is also true for chimpanzees; for example, when a mother dies, the orphan is adopted by older siblings. In some cases, older chimpanzees adopt infants that are not related to them. Alloparenting in chimpanzees shows that chimpanzees have altruistic behavior that is only found in humans. If not for anything else, the possession of human-like qualities should be enough for chimpanzees to be treated like humans.
Chimpanzees are also intelligent beings, with a brain and central nervous system that is similar to that of the human beings. Consequently, it should not be a surprise that chimpanzees can conduct intellectual processes that were initially thought to exist in humans only. Chimpanzees also use reasoned thought to process memory and information. The complex thought process in chimpanzees is evident in their hunting and tool making skills. Chimpanzees are also self-aware, meaning that they have a concept of self. This is evident when they can recognize themselves in mirrors. Psychology shows that consciousness is a complex and distinct quality that requires possession of cognitive ability. The ability for individual perception in relation to others proves that chimpanzees have intelligence levels that are lacking in other animals.
Moreover, studies conducted to test the ability of chimpanzees to conduct complex thought processes in comparison to other animals (such as gorillas’) show that chimpanzees are capable of carrying out high level mental challenges that other animals cannot perform (Sommer and Ross 130). These capacities are perfected through repetition, and the chimpanzees become more innovative with each test. Studies also show that chimpanzees are capable of insight reasoning ability. Possession of intelligence and the capacity for complex thought process that is lacking in many animals should be another to point to support the call for treatment of chimpanzees in the same way as humans.
Political behavior is another factor that shows that chimpanzees have human-like qualities. Political behavior refers to the way members of the group conduct themselves in a social set up. Chimpanzees enjoy human-like behavior such as enjoyment of physical contact within the community. They also use nonverbal communication such as patting on the back to hurling rocks and embracing. The context in which these behaviors are expressed is also similar to the manner in which humans express the same behaviors. Chimpanzees also use a number of strategies to express their dominance over others. For example, some of them use their bully size to dominate while others use the grooming of others to gain the support of other chimpanzees. Such skills can only be exhibited in humans.
Chimpanzees also go hunting in large numbers, which also displays their political behavior. The hunting parties consist of more than ten adult male chimpanzees, females and juveniles. In some cases, the killing spree goes on over a period of days or even weeks thus providing enough meat that can last for several days or weeks. Surprising, chimpanzees do not eat a lot of meat. The implication is that, through hunting, chimpanzees display their social behavior and prowess that can only be matched by few groups of animals (Sommer and Ross 130). Anthropologists also agree that the predatory behavior in chimpanzees manifests their political behavior. The skills used by the chimpanzee community are, therefore, much or less the same skills exploited by humans when in a community set-up. Such level of organization means that chimpanzees have to be treated with dignity.
Another factor through which chimpanzees depict human-like behavior is through their reproduction patterns. For example, chimpanzees have a gestation period of eight months, which is fairly similar to the nine-month gestation period in humans. In addition, chimpanzees become sexually mature at around the ages of ten to thirteen, which is similar to the sexual maturity age of humans. Chimpanzees also rear their young ones for a period of around five years before they give birth to young ones, which is pretty much the case in humans. The young ones of chimpanzees also have characteristics that are similar to the young ones of humans. For example, they are extremely curious and also have a significant appetite for play. Moreover, the infants of chimpanzees require physical contact for physical development and they learn by observing the behavior of others and imitating them (Sommer and Ross 129). The culture within the chimpanzee families is also passed from one generation to another, something that also happens in humans.
The communication pattern within the chimpanzee community also reveals human-like behavior. Chimpanzees largely use non-verbal communication to pass information with other members of their group. Chimpanzees also use sound to send messages to each other. Although communication is not something that is limited to humans and chimpanzees, the sophistication of communication within the chimpanzee community supersedes the level of communication that is found in other animals. For example, they show human-like non-verbal communication when patting each other on the back, embracing each other, touching hands with each other, and so forth (Sommer and Ross 129). Chimpanzees have also shown the capability to grasp and imitate the human sign language (Sommer and Ross 129). The sophistication of their communication, therefore, should be another reason chimpanzees deserve the same level of treatment as humans.
Despite the overwhelming evidence to show that chimpanzees are on the same level as humans, there are those who argue that chimpanzees cannot be humans and should not be treated with the same level of dignity as humans. For example, some people argue that it is practically impossible to train chimpanzees to behave like humans. There are also those who argue that non-humans cannot reciprocate the dignity bestowed upon them, which makes it worthless to try and treat them as humans. While this is partly true, such people miss the point: treating chimpanzees in the same way as humans is beneficial to the society in very many ways. For instance, it would teach people to not only treat animals with respect, but also treat other people, who share the same genetic equality, with respect - no matter their ethnicity, race, geographic location, gender, disability and status. In addition, treating chimpanzees with respect will also facilitate better management of the resources found on earth, and this will in turn facilitate the development of better eco-system relationships and management of the environment.
In conclusion, chimpanzees deserve the same level of treatment as humans because they show emotions, political behavior and the capacity carry out complex processing capabilities. Chimpanzees also show a high level of sophistication in their communication compared to other animals and reproduction patterns that are similar to humans. With the evidence of possession of these human-like qualities coming out in this stage of evolution, the call for treatment chimpanzees with the same dignity accorded to humans could not have come at a better time. Moving forward, no chimpanzee should suffer harsh treatment from biomedical researchers, zoo administrators and the public at large. Treating chimpanzees with respect is good for the society because it will facilitate better treatment of other animals as well and better treatment of humans irrespective of their race, ethnicity and gender. It will also facilitate better management of the ecosystems and the environment.
Works Cited
Fukuyama, Francis. Our Posthuman Future: Consequences of the Biotechnology Revolution. New York, NY : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2003. Print.
Sommer, Volker and Caroline Ross. Primates of Gashaka: Socioecology and Conservation in Nigeria’s Biodiversity Hotspot. New York, NY : Springer , 2010. Print.
