The Nation Newspaper

Tag: monkey

  • Monkeys have been successfully cloned in China

    Monkeys have been successfully cloned in China

    By Moses Emorinken

    Just when we thought we had seen the heights of innovations in science and technology, scientists in China have successfully cloned two monkeys.

    China, in its aggressive bid to become the leader in science and technological innovation, have resurfaced with another groundbreaking creation – the cloning of monkeys in methods similar to the first cloned animal by scientists in Scotland in 1996 – Dolly the sheep.

    The genetically identical long-tailed macaques born in Shanghai last month, called Zhong Zhong (8 weeks old) and Hua Hua (6 weeks old), are the first primate clones produced.

    In times past, there have been scattered successes in the cloning of mammals like mice, sheep and cattle; however, the cloning of monkeys which is the closest primate to human had proven unsuccessful. Most of the failed experiments produced poorly formed monkeys or cloned monkeys that died moments after their birth.

    The cloning of these identical monkeys, which is the biggest breakthrough in science at the moment have generated a groundswell of public opinions, praises and condemnation in every quarters.

    We are tempted to reason that the implication of this scientific success is that human cloning is now theoretically possible; one that might be perfected in few years to come.

    For the open-minded and science enthusiasts, it is a welcomed development; for the cultural and religious, it means crossing the line in the limits of God’s expectations for man. To them, man has begun to play God, which is a very sad development.

    According to Muming Poo, a co-author, who directs the Institute of Neuroscience at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, “the technical barrier is now broken. In principle [this method] can be applied to humans”.

    Although the reason behind the monkey cloning program might not sit well with many in the scientific community who have raised concerns about animal ethics, Muming Poo however said that the cloned animals are to produce animal models useful for medicine, for human health; there is no intention to apply this method to humans.

    According to him, the ultimate goal is to clone monkeys on a large scale for use as test subjects because of their similarities to humans. These monkeys will be given specific diseases before they are born; this way, they can be used to test various treatments.

    It is not surprising that China is becoming a forerunner in science and technology, as it has almost doubled the number of its local universities in ten years and is heavy on state-funded research incentive programmes.

    China is poised to overtake the US and Europe in innovations in science and technology. Its aim is to become the number one innovator by 2030 and the undisputed leader in global science and technology by 2049.

  • This ‘monkey’ business

    According to a famous local fable in the South-west Nigeria, the original intention of the Creator was to make monkey look precisely like man. But somewhere along the line, monkey couldn’t apply the desirable patience for the Maker to ultimately accomplish this noble desire. The monkey suddenly started yelling across town, telling anyone that cared to listen that very soon it shall take the exact form of man. The Creator allegedly became infuriated about the monkey’s lack of restraint and decorum and thus truncated the monkey’s transformation process midway. This, explains the fable, is why monkeys share certain traits with man. For instance, monkeys are generally considered to be particularly intelligent animals.

    Apart from such trendy tales about the evolution of monkeys, usually in Nigeria man doesn’t really have much to do with these near human animals. Unlike other animals such as dogs, goats, cows, sheep etc that are reared and eaten, the nearest place where a glimpse of monkeys could be gotten is in the zoo. Though monkeys are kept at home as pets, but the practice isn’t really widespread in our clime. Here, monkeys either stay in the zoo or in the jungle.

    But all that seems to have changed now as monkeys have decided to infiltrate town under a new guise called monkey pox which is a viral illness caused by a group of viruses that include chicken pox and small pox. The first case of the virus was said to have been discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo and it had afterward spreads into the West African region. The virus has two types, the Central African and the West African types with the latter being milder and having no records of mortality.

    Sadly, Nigeria seems to be having her own fair share of this awful monkey business. According to the National Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, 31 cases of suspected monkey pox virus cases have been recorded in states such as Ekiti, Akwa- Ibom, Lagos, Ogun, Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross Rivers. Fortunately, there has not been any reported case of mortality arising from the virus outbreak.  A NCDC source claimed that public health authorities across the country have been well informed on what to do when a suspected case arises. The federal government had equally activated emergency operation centres in affected states to coordinate investigation and response in affected states.

    Meanwhile, in Lagos, the state government is investigating two suspected cases. This was revealed by the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Jide Idris, who disclosed that though the two cases are yet to be confirmed monkey pox, government opted to be proactive for the safety of residents. Part of such safety measures according to Dr. Idris was to quarantine the two suspects in their various houses pending the result of some medical tests conducted on them. Consequently, the state government is advising members of the public to observe and maintain a high standard of personal and environmental hygiene at all times as part of the precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the virus.

    Experts have revealed that while there is no specific vaccine for the disease, vaccination against small pox has been proven to be 85 percent effective in preventing monkey pox. There is also no specific anti-viral therapy for monkey pox. However, the disease is self-limiting and could be managed conservatively. The symptoms of monkey pox in human is similar to those in small pox patient, though less severe. Such symptoms include rash, fever, chills, sweats, headache, backache, lymphadenopathy, sore-throats, cough and shortness of breath.

    The main difference between symptoms of smallpox and monkey pox is that te latter causes lymph nodes to swell while smallpox does not. The incubation period (time from infection to symptoms) for monkey pox is usually 7-14 days but can range from 5•21 days. Within the first three days or more, after the appearance of fever, the patient develops a rash, often beginning on the face then spreading to other parts of the body.

    Monkey pox virus occurs when a person comes into contact with the virus from an animal, human, or materials contaminated with the virus. The virus enters the body through broken skin (even if not visible), respiratory tract or the mucous membranes (eyes, nose, or mouth). Animal-to-human transmission may occur by bite or scratch, bush meat preparation, direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, or indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated bedding. Human-to-human transmission is thought to occur primarily through large respiratory droplets. Other human-to-human methods of transmission include direct contact with body fluids or lesion material, and indirect contact with lesion material, such as through contaminated clothing or linens.

    In order to improve case detection, health workers are to have a high index of suspicion any person with the above symptoms. The preventive measures to be taken against the spread of the disease include avoiding close contact with infected people, avoiding consumption of bush meat and dead animals, cooking of meat and meat product thoroughly before eating and washing hands with soap and running water frequently and thoroughly.

    In our characteristic way of trivializing such sensitive issues, as the nation grapples with the reality of monkey pox, the whole monkey business took a comical dimension with an alleged report that the outbreak of the virus in Bayelsa State was as a result of a free medical care exercise it is allegedly administered in some parts of the Niger Delta. It took a statement from the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to deflate the supposed report. According to the minister, the federal government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers State, as alleged in the said report.

    Of course, such amusing interlude wouldn’t in any way help in properly focusing on preventive measures against the virus. This time calls for sobriety and vigilance. Our national borders must be properly safeguarded to ensure that no one with the virus comes into the country. Similarly, schools and other such public institutions must not compromise hygiene. Public health officials must pay routine visits to schools in order to ensure compliance with accepted hygiene standard.

    Perhaps more importantly, everybody must be watchful of their health situation and swiftly report any odd health situation to the nearest medical facility. Failure to do this at the right moment may possibly jeopardize numerous lives. This is not exactly the moment in time to play with health related issues. Every household must continue to preach and imbibe positive hygiene measures to guide against harmful tendencies that could jeopardize family health.

     

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Ministry of Information & Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja, Lagos.

  • Children injured by monkey hospitalised, say police

    Three children injured by a monkey in Ilado, Ikorodu, Lagos, are in hospital, the Police said yesterday.

    They are: Funmilayo Gbadegeshin (8), and two siblings – Rhoda and Emmanuel Alombo.

    Eyewitnesses told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the monkey is owned by one Mrs Daniel, popularly known as “Iya Ibeji’.

    Mr Babatunde Oyesola, a resident, who said he witnessed the incident, said the monkey left the owner’s house and went into the Gbadegeshin’s home.

    It attacked Funmilayo in her home shortly after she returned from school.

    Oyebola said after Funmilayo was rushed to a nearby hospital, the monkey moved to the Alombos’ home and attacked Rhoda and Emmanuel, who had also just returned from school.

    He said on hearing the girls’ shout, neighbours felt she was being scolded by her older sister.

    “The incident happened at about 4.30 p.m. when the children had just returned from school.

    “I heard Funmilayo shouting and crying, so, I felt her sister was beating her for something she did, but when the cry did not stop, I decided to check what was happening myself.

    “When I got there, I saw blood all over the place and saw a monkey jumping out from the window but because of what I saw, I had to save the girl first.

    “We noticed that the vein on her right hand has been cut off and the blood was seriously rushing out of it,’’ he said.

    Oyesola added that while Funmilayo was being attended to in the hospital, other children who were attacked by the monkey too were rushed in.

    Another eyewitness, who pleaded anonymity, said the monkey had been attacking people in the area, adding that necessary precautions had not been taken by the owner.

    The victim’s father, Mr Mojeed Gbadegeshin, who was away when the incident occurred, said he was called from work that the monkey had attacked his daughter.

    “When I got to the hospital, I met a crowd and I was asked to go inside and see the state the monkey left my daughter.

    “Afterwards the owner of the monkey came without uttering a word of sympathy and she only left with the monkey,’’ he said.

    Gbadegeshin the case was reported at Igbogbo Barracks Police Division by neighbours.

    The police were said to have arrested the monkey and its owner.

    Lagos State Police Command’s spokesman, Kenneth Nwosu, a Deputy Superintendent (DSP) said the owner and the monkey were in custody.

    “One of the children was badly injured and the other two were mildly injured but they are currently being treated.

    “Also, necessary precautions will be taken to check such attacks by animals reared by people in communities.

    “Necessary tests will be carried out on the children to ensure that the monkey is a healthy animal and that the children are free from any form of disease,’’ he said.

  • Ebola: Custom impounds trailer load of monkey meat

    Ebola: Custom impounds trailer load of monkey meat

    Seized monkey meat
    Seized monkey meat

    The Nigeria Custom Service has joined the fight against the spread of the dreaded Ebola virus by  impounding  a trailer load of smoked meat suspected to be monkey meat being imported into the country through the Jibia border in Katsina state.
    Monkey is suspected to be one of the major source of the virus which has caused the death of five Nigerians.
    The trailer loaded with the meat was seized by the Federal Operation Unit “zone B” led by OC of the team, Assistant Comptroller, Gambo Azare.
    The Nation gathered that the meat was destroyed under the supervision of the Comptroller, Federal Operation, Zone B of the service, ATS Maina and the deputy governor of Katsina State represented by the Commissioner for health.
    Maina said that Ebola is a global pandemic which requires intensive surveillance of the nation’s borders to curtail the influx of foreigners and aliens particularly from countries where the outbreak is severe.
    He assured that the Customs will intensify surveillance at the borders for the

    Seized monkey meat being burnt
    Seized monkey meat being burnt

    safety of the citizenry and appealed to the people particularly border communities to assist the Customs with useful information to track down unpatriotic persons willing to disobey the law.
    The officer who led the operation, Assistant Comptroller, Gambo Azare, told newsmen at the site where the seized meat was destroyed that the driver of trailer conveying the killer meat took to his heels, abandoning the vehicle when the trailer ran into a ditch after a hot chase by his men.
    He further said that when the consignment was intercepted, officials of National Agency for Food Administration and Control (NAFDAC) was contacted who advised that the seized meat be destroyed within 24 hours.
    It was gathered that the Nigeria Custom Service and other government agencies have intensified the surveillance since the outbreak of the Ebola virus especially when report broke that out countries were closing their border to infected countries.
    President of Youth Action for Peace Development in Nigeria (YAPDIN), Comrade Suleiman Yero commended the Service for their efforts saying if not for their effort, the level of damage that would have been caused by the meat would have been unquantifiable if they had entered the country.

  • Colombian woman becomes mother to monkey

    Colombian woman becomes mother to monkey

    THE tiny night monkey is with Martha Silva 24 hours a day, nestled in a wool pouch inside her coat or beside her while she sleeps. Eight times a day, she feeds milk to the five-inch baby like an attentive mother.

    The long hours of monkey mothering don’t bother the 54-year-old Colombian woman, she said, because she already raised two children.

    “To me there is no difference. You have to look after each the same. When you give them the bottle, you have to make sure they don’t choke,” said Silva, who works with the neonatal unit of Bogota’s Wildlife Reception Centre, part of the capital’s environment ministry.

    Silva, who has children aged 20 and 30, began working at the centre west of Bogota in 2000. She has nurtured species ranging from birds to turtles to primates.

    Her husband and daughter help her with the household chores and cooking while she is occupied with a baby animal.

    They sleep together and Silva takes the monkey to work each day on her bicycle, the baby snug in the wool bag.

    Every three hours, the monkey must be fed delactosed milk with vitamins added, Cardenas said. In the wild, adult night monkeys eat leaves, insects and small lizards and frogs.

    When he grows up, the monkey will weigh 800 to 900 grams (1.75 to 2 pounds) and stand about 34 centimetres (13.4 inches), Cardenas said, adding that he will look like “a medium-sized teddy bear.”

    Silva says she has raised two other baby monkeys and both of those were freed in different parts of the country. She hasn’t heard anything about them since.

    “It is like with a child. You are at peace because they are going to be in their natural habitat,” she said.