RECENT NEWS STORIES

11.05.2000    From THE TELEGRAPH (UK)  (For educational/research purposes only)

Cockroach capable of feeling pain, says study
THE discovery that slugs, snails and flies apparently feel pain could change forever the way human beings treat the rest of the animal kingdom, it was claimed yesterday.

Studies also found that cockroaches have the capacity to suffer, cows can react emotionally and sheep can distinguish one person from another, therefore possessing the concept of what it means to be an individual.

Dr Stephen Wickens, of the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare charity (UFAW), said society often looked to scientists to tell them where to draw a line in their concern for animals, but that line was becoming increasingly blurred.

At a symposium in London today, organised by UFAW, scientists will debate whether and how animals feel, a concept central to arguments about animal welfare and the range of species that deserved special protection.

Dr Wickens said: "The idea is to debate where you can draw the line on consciousness, if at all. People who think insects don't feel any pain may be wrong. Perhaps people should think twice before reaching for the fly spray."

The meeting at the Zoological Society will be told by Dr Chris Sherwin, of the University of Bristol, that the criterion used to assess the mental state of vertebrates, whether dogs, cats or chimpanzees, often produced similar results among insects.

Dr Sherwin said: "If a chimp pulls its hand away after an electric shock, we say she presumably must have felt an analogous subjective experience to what we call pain. But cockroaches, slugs and snails - which are not protected by legislation - also reacted in the same way, while tests on flies showed they could associate a smell with receiving an electric shock.

"If it is a chimp we say it feels pain, if a fly we don't. Why? Slugs will perform in some of these tests the same way as dogs, chimps and cats. They show far more complex patterns of behaviour than we had thought. And if they do feel pain, isn't that a welfare issue?"

Dr Keith Kendrick, of the Babraham Institute, Cambridge, will report to the meeting that while sheep can not be said to be conscious in a human manner, "the way they recognise faces and the way they process face images is very similar to the way we do it".

Dr Kendrick, who admitted that he occasionally ate lamb despite his findings, said: "Even animals like sheep are doing things as far as the brain is concerned that are so similar to us it does imply that they are capable of some level of consciousness."

Another team, led by Prof Don Broom, of the University of Cambridge, will report studies of young cattle which concluded "that cattle can react emotionally".

Dr Wickens said animal welfare policies were dependent upon the extent to which people believed animals were capable of conscious states such as pain, anxiety and boredom. He hoped the discussion of the latest scientific discoveries in this field would help resolve the different ways in which cultures around the world treated animals.
Roger Highfield, Science Editor

24.04.2000    From THE JAKARTA POST  (Reprinted with permission)

SAVE ME
The Jakarta Post General Manager Raymond Toruan delivers a speech from the back of a Sumatran elephant calling for the preservation and protection of these peaceful giants. The Sunday morning event, held in conjunction with the Post's 17th anniversary, was witnessed by thousands of onlookers and regular sports enthusiasts at the Senayan sports complex in Central Jakarta. Taman Safari Indonesia presented four Sumatran elephants to help draw public attention to the need for protecting the animals.   JP/leo

16.04.2000    From our own correspondent

INDONESIAN VEGAN SOCIETY IS FORMED
Indonesia's first vegan society is formed, with the aim of providing news, contacts and assistance for Indonesia's vegans. Although little is known about how many vegans there are in Indonesia, it is hoped that the society will soon be able to establish a large membership and in this way be able to influence the decisions that are made concerning animal welfare and the health of ourselves, our country and the planet.