Last evening, I was flipping channels late at night and happened upon a NATGEO special about "Yosemite National Park". So, it sparked the interest of Senior and I . It is spectacular there. Makes me feel like a spot where the earth was created.
Towards the end of the show, they then discussed the "Prairie Rattlesnake" It is the only venomous creature in Yosemite, because of its ever changing climate nothing else of that nature can live in that environment, The Prairie Rattler has acclimated itself to Yosemite.
Researchers could not figure out how they can digest their foods so quickly in those temperatures.
Senior says " Its in the venom"
However, the team of researchers trapped a snake, kept it in the same temps as Yosemite, and fed it a dead rat. They then put the snake to sleep in a tube, while it was digesting the rat, They took numerous x-rays of the creature. And still they could not figure out why they digested foods so rapidly.
Senior again says " Its in the venom"
Low and behold the next thing out of the researchers mouth was " We think it has something to do with the snakes venom" so they shoot venom in a rat, kill the rat, then feed it to the snake. Again more x-rays.
The conclusion " Its the make up of the venom"
I look at Senior, and say " well, I wonder how much that research cost us taxpayers" All these people had to do was ask Senior.
With that in mind, I decided today to do a little research of my own, and look at how much we the taxpayers spend annually on animal research programs. The amount was staggering an estimated $16 billion a year. Now here is the hypocrisy, during the 2010 midterm elections it was the republican candidates blasting the democrat incumbents for supporting these wasteful practices. Aren't the democrats suppose to be the liberal tree huggers?
While they stand for "Environmental Protection Agency" as of late they have been anything but. In 1996 the EPA developed a screening program to determine whether certain substances may have an effect in humans that is similar to an effect produced by a naturally occurring estrogen, or such other endocrine effect as the [agency] may designate.
To make a long story short, the same EPA that lobbies Washington against drilling for oil because it will disrupt the habitat of some bird, and the same EPA that has aided in making it a felony to harm or kill certain species. Do you see where I am going with this? How hypocritical.
Another wasted program was the recent "Robo Squirrel" $325,000 was spent to develop and study how rattlesnakes interact with small rodents. San Diego State University, and the University of California took part in the program and are now being highly criticized but, researchers say they learned when attacked by a main predator such as a rattlesnake the "California Ground Squirrel" employees a key defensive act... they wag their tails. It took our money to learn that ? With the U.S over a fiscal cliff, and our National Debt at more then 16 trillion, certainly better uses for $325,000 could have been found.
As for the Prairie Rattlesnake Venom..I could not find any numbers of what the frivolous research cost you and I. Or why it really matters to any one other then those researchers.
But, when you can't pay a bill, or you or some one you knows does not have the money to fill up your gas tank, or make home repairs..Think of the Prairie Rattlesnake, the EPA, and the Robo Squirrel..I am sure they thank you for your sacrifice. Which is afterall in the name of "Research"
-JUGM
