German Lang. Media: Pigs or guinea pigs?
It’s just another experiment, the scientists may have thought. Countless times before pigs had been sacrificed for the greater good, e.g. to test a new surgical method, because the organs of pigs resemble the human body some much. So, scientists from the University Innsbruck in Austria started an experiment to anesthetize 29 pigs and bury them under snow in the Oetz Valley – in comparison to victims of a snowslide and to learn about their physiological reactions when they suffocate or freeze to death. With the goal to better help people after a snowslide, of course.
But, what a surprise, Austrian animal welfare activists didn’t like the idea, when they hear about it in report of the Austrian public radio station ORF. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reported about the case (sort of ironical) and did not forget to mention, that about 16000 pigs have been used for science in 2007, and about 55 million pigs have been slaughtered in Germany in 2008 for consumption. The article was published online Friday morning at about 9:30, but in the afternoon the experiment was already stopped, 19 pigs were still alive. The Austrian Standard has a more complete story on this, with quotes from the scientists, that the pigs did not suffer, and that the experimental outline coincided with the regulations. Nevertheless, the experiment was suspended (but not cancelled) by the head of the university due to safety considerations.
The story itself is not unusual, but I think, it is unusual, that not the journalists, but only some readers wrote in the comment threads that this is an intervention into free research. The readers did the journalists job and discussed, why and under which circumstances it is acceptable to sacrifice animal life for research. This is a good way to make journalism superfluous, if we don’t go where it can get uncomfortable, because we fear emotional reactions.
- Sascha Karberg
I have to add a link, because meanwhile the weekly “Die Zeit” (Harro Albrecht) wrote a more detailed article. Albrecht explains the motives of the scientists as well as the emotional reactions of animal welfare activists. Both sides get an opportunity to express their opinions.
