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Would you eat a chimpanzee?
- Thread starter Soandso
- Start date
No. They are so closely related to us, it would seem akin to cannibalism.
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
But they're just animals like pigs or cows, right?
What about dogs or cats, or any pet animals. There's nothing human about those, so would you eat them?
No, because that is how we got HIV/AIDS.
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
That's interesting if that were true. What if disease weren't a factor?
It is true, actually. The vector we got HIV from was through contact with infected chimpanzee blood that was contaminated with SIV. We also got one version of it from macaques.
If disease weren't a factor, probably in small amounts, and only in desperate circumstances.
But due to our genetic similarities, disease vector transmission is always a possibility.
Twilight Hue
Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Maybe in a dire survival situation.
Otherwise a definite no for reasons it's too close for me on the evolutionary tree and Chimps, as well as other primates, are arguably next in line for sapience.
Otherwise a definite no for reasons it's too close for me on the evolutionary tree and Chimps, as well as other primates, are arguably next in line for sapience.
Dogs and cats are made by us to be part of human families, so same sort of thing. That said however, if you were a child who grew up on a farm where you raised cows and chickens, they name the animals, and then later eat them. So it is in a sense a sensitivity issue. But generally, they don't treat a chicken as a household family member. They are treated as livestock.
But to you point about eating meat in general, which is your point of asking this question, I personally limit how much meat I have, because I do recognize that other animals are sentient in their own right. But human evolution, by nature, created us as omnivores, and the relationship between livestock raised for food consumption, and the survival of those species themselves are tied together. It's a trade off as part of an evolved natural system.
What we see in these huge meat factories howerer, the industrialization of that relationship, is way out of balance with that trade-off. It treats that relationship with utter callousness and disregard for their lives, and that is far more the problem than just raising livestock to supplement human dietary needs.
Balance is the way of life. Inbalance is "sin".
If disease and ethical acquisition weren't an issue, I would be fine with eating human meat, let alone any kind of nonhuman animal.
The holdup for me is those two factors, not relative aesthetics (eg 'cuteness') or intelligence level.
The holdup for me is those two factors, not relative aesthetics (eg 'cuteness') or intelligence level.
I have eaten plenty of odd food so would i eat chimpanzee? They are intelligent creatures, but so are pigs and i do eat pork.
It depends on circumstances. If i were eating in a country/area where chimpanzee were typically on the menu then i probably would.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
Absolutely not. Besides it not being kosher, science has more importantly shown how the human consumption of "bush meat" has spread the Ebola virus in Africa (among other deadly pathogens).
But they aren't "just like" farm animals.
Too much like us, as has been said.
I don't say that it would be wrong.
You're welcome to chomp on chimp.
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
Actually I don't really care about the consumption of meat as long as people treat that animal respectfully. I was raised with hunting, so it is what it is. That said, I see nothing wrong with a vegetarian lifestyle and have done so when dating to make life easier, especially since I like to cook
All that said, I guess I wonder more why we tend to humanize things. If anything this seems partly cultural, as many people would never dream of eating monkeys or dogs, but there are some cultures that actively do. I'm not sure of squeemishness or softheartedness is entirely to blame
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
What about a wild animal like a wolf?
Soandso
ᛋᛏᚨᚾᛞ ᛋᚢᚱᛖ
What if it were both allowable under kosher laws and they didn't harbor any ill effects or diseases of any kind. Would you eat it then?
exchemist
Veteran Member
No. Too close to human beings so risk of disease would be significant.
And, psychologically, it would feel a bit like cannibalism, as they are one of our nearest relatives in the animal kingdom.
exchemist
Veteran Member
I would not eat a carnivore, for reasons of potential disease. (We had an outbreak of BSE some years ago, due to cattle being fed dried sheep's brains or something. And then there are parasites like tapeworms.)
Still no. Chimpanzees are a vulnerable species, threatened by habitat loss, disease, and hunting (bushmeat). "These are exacerbated by chimps' slow reproductive rate -- if an adult is killed, it takes 14-15 years to replace him or her as a breeding animal." Source: Chimpanzees - WCS.org
It seems to me that anyone who would go out of their way to procure chimpanzee meat for a meal has little to no interest in the future survival of this planet's wildlife species.
I like animals. I also eat meat. I'm content with the meat options I currently have, and don't feel a need to "experiment" unnecessarily.