Expert: Walter Hintz - 5/10/2008

Question
QUESTION: Hi expert,
I'm a high school student and I have been researching about safety and the animal rights of animal cloning for a research paper. I'd like to ask you, what do you think about cloning animals? Are the rights of animal being violated by cloning them?
Sorry for a difficult question. Thank you very much.
Noriko

ANSWER: Hi Noriko
 I am not too comfortable with animal cloning.  I am not necessarily an animal rights activist but I am concerned about the possible effects upon the environment.
Cloning is a natural process among many animals especially the social insects like ants and bees.  It is not natural among mammals and my guess is that you are thinking about vertebrates.
I believe that the right or wrong about any thing we do to another animal depends upon the motive.  Why are we cloning an animal?.  Is it to help us understand life processes so we can improve human life. I don't object to this.  Is it to preserve a species that is becoming extinct so future generations can see the animal? That makes sense.  Is it to make a copy of a pet you lost?  I think this does not make sense because it will never be the same.. If the motive is self satisfaction or a way to make more money I oppose it.  And of course I do not like the idea of cloning humans.
 As to animal rights I do not see how cloning an animal has much to do with its' rights.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for answering my question.I have a follow-up question. The animal cloning which is included in my research paper is the cloning of cows (for daily and meat)and other animal products that will be sold to the consumers. I have a concern about how the safety of the cloned animal will affect the consumer. Why do you not object to the idea of cloning the animal to improve human life? Do you think that because the humans are not harmed so the animals can be harmed to support the human life?
Thank you again.
Noriko

Answer
We are already harming animals to improve our lives.  We are killing them for food.  Whether or not we eat cloned cows or non cloned cows seems immaterial.  Cows and animals related to cows are first order consumers and therefore part of the food chain. It is their place in nature to get consumed.