Carter Wrenn posted on August 10, 2012 13:18
The headline on John Dresher’s ‘tweet’ (“Wake Forest Baptist cited for violating federal regulations after monkey’s escape”) was more temptation than I could resist – I clicked on the link to the story imagining a ‘foot washing’ Baptist with a monkey and what the monkey could have done that landed him in trouble but, it turned out, the Baptist in the headline was Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem.
Still, it’s not a bad story.
An eight pound macaque picked the lock on her cage, opened the gate of a chain link fence and fled the Hospital’s Primate Center for the woods and suburbs of Forsyth County, free as a bird for eleven days until she was cornered by the police.
‘People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals’ then filed a complaint against the hospital – not for imprisoning the monkey but for letting her escape – and the U.S. Department of Agriculture sent a medical veterinary officer to investigate. Baptist Hospital, the government official announced, ‘Was not in compliance with the Federal Animal Welfare Act’ – and issued a citation.
The hospital, in its defense, said it was the only time in twenty years a monkey had picked a lock to its cage.
Could it be we have too much government?