How Do You Feel About Transgenic Pets?

@Pigglies (9329)
United States
March 17, 2009 11:07pm CST
I've been doing a lot of presentations and essays lately on transgenic pets/animals for various classes. In these presentations I've often gathered the opinions of other science major students and opinions of people in the scientific field. But now I'm a bit curious about how the general public views such pets. Transgenic animals are animals that basically have at least one gene of another species implanted into their genome. For example, you can create goats that have proteins for spider silk expressed in their milk. Obviously, these aren't pet goats, these are for research purposes. There are also research projects where mice are given human diseases. And then, there are the pets, which are pets such as "allergy-free" cats or glowing zebra fish. Basically, these are created for consumer use, not to further medical or scientific research (although their creation may still result in learning new techniques that will further scientific research). Would you own a transgenic pet? Do you approve of others being able to have transgenic pets? Even if you don't approve of this technology being used in companion animals, do you approve of transgenic research for medical uses?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
18 Mar 09
I don't have a problem in either place, tho for a companion animal, I would suggest they be fixed so they can't breed.
• Philippines
19 Mar 09
If transgenic animals will be allowed to keep as a households pet, it would be very cool coz you can see a pets that have different behavior. If that is allowed, I would say I can give a shot in raising some. As of now, the only pets that is transgenic in my hold will be the flowerhorn fish, I know it is both fish but different aquatic species mixed to form this beautiful creatures.
@Pigglies (9329)
• United States
21 Mar 09
Hmm, that's an interesting point. I wonder if transgenic pets do have different behaviors. So far they are just made to express different proteins. Such as the transgenic allergy free cats which don't produce the protein most people are allergic to. Or the glowing pets, which protein a green fluorescent protein which comes from jellyfish.
@yspring (272)
• China
19 Mar 09
i agree with you,i do approve of you ..i think after your research,it will help people know their own!!