A HISTORY OF DINO-ETHICAL MISCONDUCT
Written by Zia Rodriguez
"The question is not, Can they reason? nor, Can they talk? but, Can they suffer?"
Jeremy Bentham
The existence of dinosaurs has always been politically complicated. Since 1986 humankind has been cloning dinosaurs and it is safe to say it has been a strenuous relationship for both our species. The powers behind their resurrection have primarily exploited these animals for entertainment and monetary purposes, they felt powerful with the technology they produced but were disassociated with the repercussions of what they were doing; in other words -- they were blinded by a drive to succeed.
Unfortunately they would achieve their goal.
Although the misconduct of these animals has been reported as far back as the late 1980’s it wasn’t until 1997 the public became aware of the dinosaurs existence after a Tyrannosaurus Rex escaped onto the streets of San Diego. Despite numerous reports of fatalities the public interest in the animals skyrocketed and at the time International Genetic Technologies (InGen) Founder John Hammond spoke during a television interview to work with the Costa Rican Department of Biological Preserves to establish a set of laws for the “preservation and isolation” of the animals on Isla Sorna and Nublar. This brought about the Gene Guard Act.
For all intents and purposes it should have ended there, but in 1998 Masrani Global acquired InGen and were by extension the custodians of the research material, both living and in embryonic development. Also inherited was the the 99-year lease InGen had acquired from the Costa Rican government for Isla Nublar and its neighboring Archipelago. This enabled them to fully control and contain the Dinosaur ecosystem as well as showcase the potential of their genetic research to the world, eventually pushing for a second renaissance of genetic research to flourish after a period of stagnation. Masrani Global used the new found popularity and curiosity in dinosaurs as a jumping-off-point to promote their new venture: Jurassic World; resulting in an illegal re-evaluation of the laws surrounding the Gene Guard Act.
During the park’s lengthy construction the biosphere and territories the dinosaurs had established on Isla Sorna and Nublar were thrown into chaos as they were unceremoniously shipped from the neighbouring islands to be used as nothing more than mere theme park attractions. As the world came to Isla Nublar so did corporate sponsorships. Dinosaurs were not only made as showpiece spectacles, they were branded too. This branding and sponsorship of animals lead to the creation of a dinosaur hybrid the ‘Indominus Rex’, designed to be the perfect attraction for corporate promotion. This animal would eventually go on to escape, undoing their hard work by destroying the park and costing the lives of many dinosaurs and humans alike.
Since the 2015 Jurassic World incident, the last remaining dinosaurs on Nublar have been abandoned, left to fend for themselves whilst the world decides their fate. The controversial move from Masrani Global to “do nothing” has caused more harm than good.
In that time there have been reports of certain species falling back into extinction like the Mamenchisaurus and Segisaurus, dozens of cases of illegal activity around Nublar as well as rumors of rogue groups claiming to have access to technology which can be used to clone dinosaurs. It would appear that these animals are still not safe from the intrusion of humans and with dozens of species still fighting for survival on 30 square miles of landmass it is time for the tide to turn.
Because these animals deserve to be free from corporate and malicious intent.
