From DAVID BURNIE
It was with interest that I began to read Georgia Mason’s article on
the role of cooing in the reproduction of doves (New Scientist, Science,
9 January). However, interest soon turned to disgust as I read about the
techniques used in research on this subject: cutting nerve pathways in the
female’s brain, puncturing the syrinx, and even deafening selected birds.
As a science writer, I realise that many important discoveries have
been made through experiments on living animals. Pavlov’s dogs, for example,
had a pretty rough time of it. I did imagine that we now lived in more enlightened
times, but the dispassionate tone of this article suggests otherwise.
Were the sufferings of these doves really justified?
David Burnie Beoley, Worcestershire
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