The Colombian Senate is considering a bill and constitutional amendment to expand animal rights. This could lead to the banning of nearly all wildlife research in the country. informs Nature.
Colombia remains one of the richest biodiverse countries in the world. After 50 years of civil war, scientists were able to continue to observe wildlife, including species that have been little studied. But some Colombian politicians advocate radical environmental protection, where the interests of science may be sacrificed.
The Senate bill states that “the use of live animals in academic, scientific, toxicity, biological or related studies” is prohibited if the results can be obtained “by other means.”
The author of the initiative, Senator Andrea Padilla Villarraga, told reporters that the rights of animals and birds are as important as scientific studies.
Scientists warn that such a policy could harm Colombia’s conservation and make it harder to solve the problem of invaders (who come from outside and harm the local ecology). One such species is the hippopotamus that escaped from the private zoo of drug lord Pablo Escobar in the 1990s. Today, animals have multiplied and become a threat to humans and ecosystems.
In addition to harming research, the bill will complicate environmental studies. Its provisions will make it impossible to protect rare birds and other creatures.
The Colombian scientific community has opposed this initiative and plans to convey its stance to the country’s parliament.
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