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2 - Ethics in Primatology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2019

Joanna M. Setchell
Affiliation:
Durham University
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Summary

It is our ethical duty to consider the possible consequences of our work and mitigate any risks, such that we avoid harm to the welfare and interests of our study animals, human participants, the environment, and the people we work with and alongside. We must also consider the effects of our research on our discipline and wider society. Reflecting on ethical dilemmas and weighing the positive and negative impacts of a project are essential to make informed decisions when planning a project and throughout a study. This can include the decision not to conduct a particular study, or to terminate it earlier than planned. In this chapter, I cover legal requirements and permits, then address the ethics of working with primates in captivity and the wild, specimen collection and working human participants. I then outline our ethical responsibilities to the natural environment, the people we work with, and the people we work alongside. I then highlight the importance of reflecting on our use of social media and the power of images, and end with our obligations to report and disseminate our findings.

Type
Chapter
Information
Studying Primates
How to Design, Conduct and Report Primatological Research
, pp. 17 - 30
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2019

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References

2.14 Further Reading

Association of Social Anthropologists of the UK and Commonwealth. Ethical Guidelines for the Conduct of Anthropological Research. www.theasa.org/ethics/guidelines.shtml [Accessed 2 May 2019]. Includes relations with and responsibilities to human informants, colleagues, and wider society.Google Scholar
Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour/Animal Behavior Society. 2018. Guidelines for the treatment of animals in behavioural research and teaching. Animal Behaviour 135: IX. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.10.001. Covers work with captive animals and fieldwork. Updated in each January edition of Animal Behaviour.Google Scholar
Brando, S, Buchanan-Smith, H. 2018. The 24/7 approach to promoting optimal welfare for captive wild animals. Behavioural Processes 156: 8395. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2017.09.010. A holistic approach to animal welfare, with a focus on zoos, wildlife centres and sanctuaries. See also 247animalwelfare.eu.Google Scholar
Code of Ethics of the American Anthropological Association. https://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-aaa/files/production/public/FileDownloads/pdfs/issues/policy-advocacy/upload/ethicscode.pdf [Accessed 2 May 2019]. Includes our responsibilities to people and animals that we study, scholarship and science, and the public.Google Scholar
Cunningham, EP, Unwin, S, Setchell, JM. 2015. Darting primates in the field: a review of reporting trends and a survey of practices and their effect on the primates involved. International Journal of Primatology 36: 894915. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10764–015-9862-0. Calls for greater sharing of information about primate capture and immobilisation to improve methods.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gadlin, H, Jessar, K. Preempting Discord: Prenuptial Agreements for Scientists. US Office of Research Integrity. https://ori.hhs.gov/preempting-discord-prenuptial-agreements-scientists [Accessed 2 May 2019]. A blog post on misunderstanding in collaborations and key issues to address in a collaboration agreement.Google Scholar
Geissler, PW, Okwaro, F. 2014. Discuss inequality. Nature 513: 303. https://doi.org/10.1038/513303a. On collaboration under conditions of inequality and the need to confront economic differences. Focusses on health, but applicable more broadly.Google Scholar
Gruen, L, Fultz, A, Pruetz, J. 2013. Ethical issues in African great ape field studies. Institute for Laboratory Animal Research Journal 54: 2432, https://doi.org/10.1093/ilar/ilt016. Focusses on the ethics of studying African great apes, but the issues are relevant to all primates. Includes decision trees for habituation and intervention that can be applied to all primates.Google Scholar
Hubrecht, RC, Kirkwood, J. (eds.). 2010. The UFAW Handbook on the Care and Management of Laboratory and Other Research Animals. 8th edn. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Key reference for the ethical use of animals in research.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kilkenny, C, Browne, WJ, Cuthill, IC, Emerson, M, Altman, DG. 2010. Improving bioscience research reporting: The ARRIVE guidelines for reporting animal research. PLoS Biology 8(6): e1000412. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1000412. Introduces a checklist of the minimum information that all scientific publications reporting research using animals should include.Google Scholar
MacClancy, J, Fuentes, A. (eds.). 2013. Ethics in the Field: Contemporary Challenges. New York: Berghahn. Includes chapters on the unintended consequences of primatological fieldwork (McLennan & Hill), the effects of observational field studies on primates (Strier), the various ethical perspectives we negotiate in field primatology (Kutsukake), key concerns in fieldwork ethics (MacKinnon & Riley) and the need to study species other than great apes (Nekaris & Nijman).Google Scholar
Nordling, L. 2018. Europe’s biggest research fund cracks down on ‘ethics dumping’. Nature 559: 1718. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586–018-05616-w. Reports on a new code of conduct for European Union-funded research to tackle the practice of conducting ethically dubious research in foreign countries.Google Scholar
Radi-Aid. How to Communicate the World: A Social Media Guide for Volunteers and Travellers. www.rustyradiator.com/social-media-guide/ [Accessed 2 May 2019]. Includes a checklist to consult before posting on social media. Also see barbiesavior.com for a parody of volunteer images.Google Scholar
Riley, EP, Bezanson, M. 2018. Ethics of primate fieldwork: Toward an ethically engaged primatology. Annual Review of Anthropology 47: 493512. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102317-045913. Detailed consideration of ethical practice in field primatology, and how to think critically about the consequences of our research including the notion that conducting primate fieldwork is a privilege, not a right.Google Scholar
Riley, EP, Mackinnon, KC. (eds.). 2010. Special section on ethical issues in field primatology. American Journal of Primatology 72(9): 749–840. A collection of commentaries on and a review of ethical issues faced by field primatologists.Google Scholar
Riley, EP, Mackinnon, KC, Fernandez-Duque, E, Setchell, JM, Garber, PA. 2014. Code of Best Practices for Field Primatology. Highlights a set of ethical issues that should be considered in conducting field research and a set of practices that could be employed when confronting those ethical issues. Includes links to additional information and ethical guidance. www.internationalprimatologicalsociety.org/docs/code%20of_best_practices%20oct%202014.pdf [Accessed 2 May 2019].Google Scholar
Ross, SR, Vreeman, VM, Lonsdorf, EV. 2011. Specific image characteristics influence attitudes about chimpanzee conservation and use as pets. PLOS ONE 6: e22050. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0022050. Provides evidence that the presence of a human in a photograph with an ape increases the likelihood that people consider wild populations as stable and healthy and consider chimpanzees appealing as a pet.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Scully, EJ, Basnet, S, Wrangham, RW, Muller, MN, Otali, E, Hyeroba, D, et al. (2018). Lethal respiratory disease associated with human rhinovirus C in wild chimpanzees, Uganda, 2018. Emerging Infectious Diseases 24: 267274. https://doi.org/10.3201/eid2402.170778. Evidence that a virus that causes the common cold in humans can kill chimpanzees.Google Scholar
Smith, AJ, Clutton, RE, Lilley, E, Hansen, KEA, Brattelid, T. 2017. PREPARE: Guidelines for planning animal research and testing. Laboratory Animals 52: 135141. https://doi.org/10.1177/0023677217724823. Planning guidelines for animal research. See also: https://norecopa.no/prepare.Google Scholar
World Animal Protection. A Close Up on Cruelty: The Harmful Impact of Wildlife Selfies in the Amazon. www.worldanimalprotection.us.org/sites/default/files/us_files/amazonselfiesreport_us.pdf [Accessed 2 May 2019]. On the link between wildlife selfies and animal cruelty. Selfies with our study subjects can lead viewers to think that it’s okay to approach or even be in contact with wild animals.Google Scholar
World Conference on Research Integrity. 2013. Montreal Statement on Research Integrity in Cross-Boundary Research Collaborations. www.researchintegrity.org/Statements/Montreal%20Statement%20English.pdf [Accessed 9 January 2019]. Provides guidance on the conduct of research collaborations between different institutions, disciplines, sectors, and countries.Google Scholar

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