Thursday, July 23, 2009

Red meat and Dennis the orangutan

I am not one for topical posts, but this one is a factoid to be commented on. Australasians may well have seen the ads featuring Dennis the orangutan and Sam Neill.
Now I am not a PETA fan or an advocate for red meat - I have done without eating things on four legs quite happily for more than 15 years. However, I do not grudge the carnivores their fun. I do though, have a problem with bad science (and bad fact-checking). I think it important to point out that at least half the team promoting red meat (Dennis) is predominantly fruitarian. In fact the websites I have checked, comment that the only animal protein orangutans generally consume is insects. I would also wonder how much lamb or beef you would normally find wandering the Sumatran forest...
BTW, I suspect that Dennis, as well as being a child in orangutan terms, is actually a girl.