Saturday, October 28, 2006

Alcoholic monkey attacks people for beer

Idle taxi drivers in Unnao state in Northern India got this feral monkey drunk a decade ago, and now she's a full-blown alcoholic that attacks people and steals their beer. Source. Although addiction in feral animals seems to be rare, it's common in laboratory animals. More than 50 years ago, a researcher, Spragg, described chimpanzees who "would drag the researcher to the cupboard where the morphine, syringes, and needles were stored, and voluntarily assume the proper position to receive the injections." Source. A wide range of animals, ranging down to fruit flies, has been used in addiction experiments. The well-documented phenomenon of addiction in animals is a challenge to theories that locate the cause of addiction in spiritual maladjustment.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I am a recovering addict and think its worth saying 12 step programs do work. Bet that monkey could use a meeting. Then he might steal peoples coffee.