10/3/2003: Albino gorilla has skin cancer

[Undertoad]

I'm gonna pull a guess out of my ass and say yes. You wouldn't "catch" cancer from eating cancer so the only question is whether the tumor is toxic or not. I think the body would break it down just like any other flesh.

[juju]

From what I understand, cancer is just cells that start multiplying out of control. Some sort of trigger is missing, and they don't 'stop' when they're supposed to. So if that's true, then it wouldn't hurt you at all.

[OnyxCougar]

Where's our resident biologist when we need her?

Swimming with dolp^H^H^H^Hsharks.

[LUVBUGZ]

Originally posted by OnyxCougar
I thought Albinos of any species were already light-sensitive? Why'd they let him get so much sun???

In a way that's what I was getting at. Of course the zoo is going to display the only albino gorilla alive (money talks, etc.) but I was thinking they could have offered him a bit more protection from the sun because they *know* that albinos are light-sensitive, hence the sunscreen idea. Not knowing the set-up at that particular zoo I would have suggested that they offer him a shady enclosure with some sunlight, but not let him sit in the blaring sun day in and day out. Like I said I don't know the set-up there so maybe they did , but I think teaching him to use sunscreen would have been a good idea too.

In response to other posts, yeah you can't sell tickets to a hidden gorilla or a dead gorilla, but like the SD zoo you can sell tickets to semi-hidden gorillas, or Pandas for that matter. Interestingly enough I went to the zoo yesterday. I basically avoid such places because I have very strong issues with zoos and "attractions" where animals are housed, but since it was FREE due to it being Founders Day, a friend dragged me down there, so I didn't financially support their "cause".

I must say it's good to go once in awhile just to reinforce my views and as usual I wasn't let down. Nothing has changed, neurotic beasts everywhere you look. All right, I'm going to stop here before I get to "emotionally involved" and piss off the Cellar regulars again.

Anyway, about eating cancerous meat. I have to admit that I'm not sure, but I guess I wouldn't advise it since apparently we still don't know all there is to know about it. It would seem on the surface to be OK to eat it because it is just a group of cells that has gone haywire and mass produced themselves and once these cells are "dead" it wouldn't seem that they could cause any further damage, but I don't know. Maybe the "trigger" (DNA sequence, particular gene, etc.) could someway incorporate itself into the DNA of the person eating cancerous meat and somehow cause cancer in that person, who knows.

Another way to look at it is we consume meat that supposedly contains cancer causing elements (hormones, steroids, chemicals, etc.) so it would seem that we would have probably the same chance of getting cancer from eating "non-cancerous" meat as we do from eating "cancerous" meat. Again, I don't know the answers, I'm just posing a thought.

Another thing I find interesting, although it's a bit off thread, is people who claim they can "smell" cancer. I worked for a lady who said she could and addressed a customer who she could "smell" cancer on and the person said "I don't have cancer", then a couple of months later that person came back and told her that she went to the doctor's and in fact she did have cancer. I have also heard the same thing from hospital nurses who also claim they can "smell" cancer. Anyone else heard of this?

[OnyxCougar]

I have a friend who can "see" cancer. She says she can see auras of living things, and when someone has cancer, she can see where it is. I've seen her do it. She also see other types of sickness, but she says cancer is the most prominent.

[juju]

Yeah, I've heard lots of stories saying that animals can smell cancer. Of course they have a hard time communicating it when they find it, but discoveries have been made by them, I'm told.

[BrianR]

Beagles are especially good for this...Western medicine is investigating their use. It must be difficult to train a dog to smell this, but it appears that certain types of cancer do indeed have a characteristic 'scent'.

Brian

[xoxoxoBruce]

Damn right, cancer stinks.

He died.

[Whit]

From the Link:
In his 37 years at the Barcelona zoo, he fathered 22 offspring with three different females. None is albino.

      Considering his age and this quote, I'd say he had a good life...

[xoxoxoBruce]

I dunno, 22 screaming brats and three mothers- in- law.

[Whit]

      Nah, he acts like he intends to discipline the kids even once and they're shipped off to a different cage. Assuming that they were ever with him in the first place. Plus, they never said anything about marriage, just that he knocked some ape ladies up. They're moms probably weren't even at the same zoo anyway.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ooooh, I see. A gorilla Ron Jeremy. Except Ron has dark hair.

[juju]

I had kind of envisioned "Conan the Barbarian", when he's in his cage full of lavish stuff, and they're giving him women. :)