Why Do Monkeys Watch TV?

Abstract

A curious—albeit longstanding—lab practice involves the paired use of television and video screens as both research tools and forms of animal welfare (otherwise known as “enrichment”) in work conducted with non-human primates (NHPs). This chapter interrogates the history and logic of the use of television in primate labs. NHPs, by virtue of their evolutionary and cognitive proximity to humans, stand out as exceptional creatures whose use in research generates a host of moral quandaries. For instance, primates have long served as barometers within debates over animal welfare (both within labs among research personnel and outside among activists). Macaques, who have been a primate of choice for lab research, figure especially prominently throughout this chapter as offering an important example of television’s use. By tracking how, and the logic of why, monkeys watch television enables one to uncover and decipher a specialized moral logic of animal care, one that defines the worth of the monkey and the human in the lab.