How do animals experience pain? - Robyn J. Crook

Kako živali občutijo bolečino? - Robyn J. Crook

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Matej Divjak

Humans know the surprising prick of a needle,

Ljudje poznamo presenetljiv vbod igle,

the searing pain of a stubbed toe and the throbbing of a toothache.

žgočo bolečino udarca v prst

ter utripajočo bolečino zobobola.

We can identify many types of pain and have multiple ways of treating it.

Znamo določiti veliko oblik bolečine in jo odpravljamo na več načinov.

But what about other species?

Kaj pa druge vrste?

How do the animals all around us experience pain?

Kako živali okrog nas čutijo bolečino?

It’s important that we find out.

To moramo ugotoviti.

We keep animals as pets, they enrich our environment,

Živali imamo za ljubljenčke,

bogatijo naše okolje,

we farm many species for food,

gojimo jih za hrano

and we use them in experiments to advance science and human health.

ter jih uporabljamo v poskusih za znanost in človekovo zdravje.

Animals are clearly important to us,

Živali so za nas pomembne,

so it’s equally important that we avoid causing them unnecessary pain.

zato jim ne smemo povzročati nepotrebne bolečine.

For animals that are similar to us, like mammals,

Za nam podobne živali, kot so sesalci,

it's often obvious when they're hurting.

pogosto vemo, kdaj trpijo.

But there's a lot that isn't obvious,

A veliko stvari ni jasnih,

like whether pain relievers that work on us also help them.

denimo, ali tisto, kar nam odpravlja bolečino, deluje pri njih.

And the more different an animal is from us,

In bolj ko je žival drugačna od nas,

težje razumemo, kaj čuti.

the harder it is to understand their experience.

How do you tell whether a shrimp is in pain?

Kako vemo, kdaj kozica trpi?

A snake?

Kača?

A snail?

Polž?

In vertebrates— including humans— pain can be split into two distinct processes.

Pri vretenčarjih, tudi ljudeh,

bolečino delimo na dva različna dela.

In the first, nerves in the skin sense something harmful

Pri prvem živci in koža začutijo nekaj škodljivega

and communicate that information to the spinal cord.

in to informacijo posredujejo hrbtenjači.

There, motor neurons activate movements that make us rapidly jerk away

Tam motorični nevroni sprožijo gibe,

zaradi katerih se hitro odmaknemo od grožnje.

from the threat.

This is the physical recognition of harm called nociception.

To je fizična zaznava bolečine, imenovana nocicepcija,

And nearly all animals, even those with very simple nervous systems,

in skoraj vse živali,

celo tiste z zelo enostavnim živčnim sistemom,

experience it.

jo imajo.

Without this ability, animals would be unable to avoid harm

Brez te sposobnosti se živali ne bi mogle izogniti poškodbam

and their survival would be threatened.

in to bi ogrozilo njihovo preživetje.

The second part is the conscious recognition of harm.

Drugi del je zavestno prepoznanje bolečine.

In humans, this occurs when the sensory neurons in our skin

Pri ljudeh to pomeni, da receptorji v koži

make a second round of connections via the spinal cord to the brain.

naredijo drugo povezavo preko hrbtenjače v možgane.

There, millions of neurons in multiple regions create the sensations of pain.

Tam milijoni nevronov v več regijah ustvarijo občutek bolečine.

For us, this is a very complex experience associated with emotions

Za nas je to kompleksno izkustvo, povezano s čustvi strahu,

like fear, panic and stress, which we can communicate to others.

panike

in stresa,

kar lahko sporočimo drugim.

But it’s harder to know exactly how animals experience

Težje pa je vedeti, kako točno živali izkusijo

this part the process,

ta del procesa,

because most of them can’t show us what they feel.

saj nam večina ne more pokazati, kaj čutijo.

However, we get clues from observing how animals behave.

Z opazovanjem obnašanja živali pa dobimo določene namige.

Wild, hurt animals are known to nurse their wounds,

Ranjene divje živali oskrbijo svoje rane,

make noises to show their distress, and become reclusive.

z zvoki ponazorijo neugodje

in se umaknejo.

in the lab, scientists have discovered that animals like chickens and rats

V laboratoriju so znanstveniki odkrili, da si kokoši in podgane

will self-administer pain-reducing drugs if they’re hurting.

same dajo protibolečinska zdravila, če trpijo.

Animals also avoid situations where they’ve been hurt before,

Živali se tudi izogibajo situacijam, ki so jih že poškodovale,

which suggests awareness of threats.

kar kaže na zavedanje grožnje.

We’ve reached the point that research has made us so sure

V znanosti smo prišli tako daleč, da smo gotovi,

that vertebrates recognize pain

da vretenčarji čutijo bolečino,

that it’s illegal in many countries to needlessly harm these animals.

zato je v mnogo državah nepotrebno trpinčenje teh živali nezakonito.

But what about other types of animals, like invertebrates?

Kaj pa druge vrste, recimo nevretenčarji?

These animals aren't legally protected,

Te nimajo zakonske zaščite,

partly because their behaviors are harder to read.

deloma zato, ker je njihovo obnašanje težje razumeti.

We can make good guesses about some of them, like oysters, worms and jellyfish.

Lahko pa ugibamo o nekaterih,

recimo ostrigah,

črvih

in meduzah.

These are examples of animals that either lack a brain

Te živali bodisi nimajo možganov

or have a very simple one.

ali pa so ti zelo preprosti.

So an oyster may recoil when squirted with lemon juice, for instance,

Ostriga se bo skrila, če jo poškropimo z limoninim sokom,

because of nociception.

in to zaradi nocicepcije.

But with such a simple nervous system,

A pri tako enostavnem živčnem sistemu

it’s unlikely to experience the conscious part of pain.

verjetno ne zazna zavestnega dela bolečine.

Other invertebrate animals are more complicated, though.

Drugi nevretenčarji pa so bolj zapleteni,

Like the octopus, which has a sophisticated brain

recimo hobotnica,

ki ima visoko razvite možgane

and is thought to be one of the most intelligent invertebrate animals.

in je med najbolj inteligentnimi nevretenčarji.

Yet in many countries, people continue the practice of eating live octopus.

A v veliko državah ljudje še vedno jedo žive hobotnice.

We also boil live crayfish, shrimp, and crabs,

Tudi potočne rakce, kozice in rake kuhamo žive,

even though we don't really know how they're affected either.

čeprav ne vemo, kaj res čutijo.

This poses an ethical problem,

To je etični problem,

because we may be causing these animals unnecessary suffering.

saj morda te živali zaradi nas trpijo brez potrebe.

Scientific experimentation, though controversial,

Znanstveni poskusi, čeprav kontroverzni, nudijo nekaj sledi.

gives us some clues.

Tests on hermit crabs show that they’ll leave an undesirable shell

Testi na rakih samotarjih kažejo, da bodo zapustili neželen oklep,

if they’re zapped with electricity.

če ga udari elektrika,

But stay if it’s a good shell.

vendar bodo ostali, če je oklep dober.

And octopi that might originally curl up an injured arm to protect it,

Hobotnica bo sicer zvila poškodovano lovko, da jo zaščiti,

will risk using it to catch prey.

a bo tvegala, če lahko z njo ujame plen.

That suggests that these animals make value judgments around sensory input,

To kaže, da te živali sprejemajo odločitve na podlagi občutkov

instead of just reacting reflexively to harm.

in na bolečino ne reagirajo samo z refleksi.

Meanwhile, crabs have been known to repeatedly rub a spot on their bodies

Raki so znani po tem, da drgnejo del telesa,

where they’ve received an electric shock.

ki ga je zadel električni šok.

And even sea slugs flinch when they know they’re about to receive

Celo morski lazarji trznejo,

če vedo, da prihaja strupen dražljaj.

a noxious stimulus.

That means they have some memory of physical sensations.

To pomeni, da imajo nekakšen spomin za fizične dražljaje.

We still have a lot to learn about animal pain.

Še veliko se moramo naučiti o bolečini pri živalih.

As our knowledge grows, it may one day allow us to live in a world

S tem ko se naše znanje krepi,

bomo nekoč morda imeli svet, kjer živalim ne bomo povzročali nepotrebne bolečine.

where we don’t cause pain needlessly.