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Monkeys outnumber Humans

Some people think it’s cruel to use them as test creatures. How else will we find effective drugs for our diseases?
There has been much ranting over this issue, but again it must be asked. How else will we find effective drugs for our diseases? Do humans take priority?

Author: Kimberly Kessler

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They are smart. Different predators or territory invaders demand a different verbal warning and when disciplined a loud scream is heard. A territory can be as large as about two kilometers! According to Wikipedia they spend, “most of the day on the ground feeding and then sleeping at night in the trees. However they must drink each day and are dependent on water, so they are never far from rivers or lakes.”

The vervet monkey is not a mythological creature. In fact, they have been documented to originate in Africa - Senegal and Ethiopia - to be precise. But how did they get to St. Kitts in the Caribbean?

According to historians, French slavers brought them to the islands as pets. Some escaped captivity and some were released and became naturalized. The climate and vegetation of St Kitts and the Caribbean islands are quite suitable. They have been noticed also in Barbados, St. Maarten and Florida!

Not so unusual, the males weigh more and are larger in size than the females. However, what is very unusual is the male red penis, blue scrotum and bluish abdominal skin! The black face, hands and feet are hairless with grey, white and brown mixed fur elsewhere. During mating season the female displays her cute vulva and he will show the attractive, blue scrotum pouch. He mates with several females and does not help with the child rearing. The females stick together and get the job done.

According to Wikipedia, “The gestation time is about 163–165 days, and births are typically of a single young. The births usually happen at the beginning of the rainy season, when there is sufficient food available. The young are weaned at about 6 months of age and are fully mature in 4 to 5 years. The life expectancy of the green monkeys is 11–13 years in captivity, and about 10–12 years in the wild.”

Among themselves, they have social rules. The family group can be as large as 76 members. Females stay in the area they were born and males leave after maturity. And the dominate males and females get to partake of the best food choices. The subordinates groom them. Affection is displayed between family members.

They store their food in their cheek pouches and eat leaves, gum, seeds, nuts, grasses, fungi, fruit, berries, flowers, buds, shoots, invertebrates, bird eggs, birds, lizards, rodents, and other vertebrate prey. Their preferred foods are fruit and flowers. Some farmers on St Kitts complain about damaged crops not about attacks. If afraid they bite, but not as often as a dog.

Some are being used to test drugs to combat HIV, schizophrenia, attention deficit disorder, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. They are extremely well suited for such tests and there is an overabundant feral population. Some people think it’s cruel to use them as test creatures. How else will we find effective drugs for our diseases?

There has been much ranting over this issue, but again it must be asked. How else will we find effective drugs for our diseases? Do humans take priority?

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Monkeys outnumber Humans