How do animals experience pain? - Robyn J. Crook

Kako životinje doživljavaju bol? - Robin Dž. Kruk. (Robyn J. Crook)

Prevodilac: Milenka Okuka Lektor: Mile Živković

Humans know the surprising prick of a needle,

Ljudima je poznat iznenađujući ubod igle,

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

probadajući bol udarenog palca

i pulsirajuća zubobolja.

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

Možemo da prepoznamo mnogo tipova bola i imamo više načina da ga lečimo.

But what about other species?

Međutim, šta je s drugim vrstama?

How do the animals all around us experience pain?

Kako životinje oko nas doživljavaju bol?

It’s important that we find out.

Važno je da otkrijemo.

We keep animals as pets, they enrich our environment,

Držimo životinje kao ljubimce,

one obogaćuju našu okolinu,

we farm many species for food,

uzgajamo mnoge vrste zbog hrane

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

i koristimo ih u eksperimentima da bismo unapredili nauku i ljudsko zdravlje.

Animals are clearly important to us,

Očigledno je da su nam životinje važne,

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

pa je jednako važno da izbegavamo da im nanosimo nepotreban bol.

For animals that are similar to us, like mammals,

Kod životinja koje su nam slične, poput sisara,

it's often obvious when they're hurting.

često je očigledno kad su povređene.

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

Međutim, ima mnogo toga što nije očigledno,

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

poput da li i njima pomažu ublaživači bolova koji deluju na nas.

And the more different an animal is from us,

A što je životinja različitija od nas,

the harder it is to understand their experience.

teže je razumeti njeno iskustvo.

How do you tell whether a shrimp is in pain?

Kako da znate da li je škamp u bolovima?

A snake?

Zmija?

A snail?

Puž?

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

Kod kičmenjaka, uključujući ljude,

bol može da bude podeljen u dva posebna procesa.

In the first, nerves in the skin sense something harmful

U prvom, nervi i koža osećaju nešto bolno

and communicate that information to the spinal cord.

i prenose tu informaciju do kičmene moždine.

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

Tu, motorni neuroni aktiviraju pokrete

zbog kojih se žustro trzamo od opasnosti.

from the threat.

This is the physical recognition of harm called nociception.

Ovo je fizičko prepoznavanje povrede koje se naziva nocicepcijom

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

i skoro sve životinje,

čak i one veoma jednostavnog nervnog sistema,

experience it.

to doživljavaju.

Without this ability, animals would be unable to avoid harm

Bez ove sposobnosti, životinje ne bi bile u stanju da izbegnu bol

and their survival would be threatened.

i njihov opstanak bi bio ugrožen.

The second part is the conscious recognition of harm.

Drugi deo je svesna spoznaja bola.

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

Kod ljudi dolazi do ovoga kada senzorni neuroni u našoj koži

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

naprave drugu rundu veza preko kičmene moždine do mozga.

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

Tu milioni neurona u raznim delovima mozga stvaraju osećanje bola.

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

Kod nas se radi o složenom iskustvu povezanom s emocijama poput straha,

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

panike

i stresa,

koje možemo da saopštimo drugima.

But it’s harder to know exactly how animals experience

Ali je teže pouzdano znati kako životinje doživljavaju

this part the process,

ovaj deo procesa

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

jer nam većina njih ne može da pokaže kako se osećaju.

However, we get clues from observing how animals behave.

Međutim, imamo nagoveštaje posmatrajući ponašanje životinja.

Wild, hurt animals are known to nurse their wounds,

Poznato je da divlje, povređene životinje neguju svoje rane,

make noises to show their distress, and become reclusive.

prave zvukove da bi pokazale uznemirenost

i izbegavaju društvo.

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

U laboratoriji su naučnici otkrili da životinje, poput kokoški i pacova,

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

same sebi daju lekove za ublažavanje bola, ako su povređene.

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

Životinje takođe izbegavaju situacije u kojima su prethodno povređene,

which suggests awareness of threats.

što nagoveštava svest o opasnosti.

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

Stigli smo dotle da su nas istraživanja poprilično ubedila

that vertebrates recognize pain

da kičmenjaci prepoznaju bol,

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

te je ilegalno u mnogim državama bespotrebno povređivati ove životinje.

But what about other types of animals, like invertebrates?

Ali šta je s drugim vrstama životinja, poput beskičmenjaka?

These animals aren't legally protected,

Ove životinje nisu zakonom zaštićene,

partly because their behaviors are harder to read.

delom jer je njihovo ponašanje teže razumeti.

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

Možemo tačno da preptostavljamo o nekima,

poput ostriga,

crva

i meduza.

These are examples of animals that either lack a brain

Ovo su primeri životinja koje bilo da nemaju mozak

or have a very simple one.

ili imaju veoma prost mozak.

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

Na primer, ostriga može da ustukne kad je poprskate sokom od limuna

because of nociception.

zbog nocicepcije.

But with such a simple nervous system,

No, uz tako prost nervni sistem,

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

nije verovatno da doživljava svesni deo bola.

Other invertebrate animals are more complicated, though.

Drugi beskičmenjaci su, pak, komplikovaniji,

Like the octopus, which has a sophisticated brain

poput hobotnica,

koje imaju prefinjen mozak

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

i smatraju se jednim od najinteligentnijih beskičemenjaka.

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

Ipak, u mnogim državama, ljudi i dalje praktikuju da jedu žive hobotnice.

We also boil live crayfish, shrimp, and crabs,

Takođe kuvamo žive rakove, škampe i krabe,

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

iako pouzdano ne znamo ni kako to utiče na njih.

This poses an ethical problem,

Ovo predstavlja etički problem

because we may be causing these animals unnecessary suffering.

jer možda ovim životinjama uzrokujemo bespotrebnu patnju.

Scientific experimentation, though controversial,

Naučni eksperimenti, iako kontroverzni, daju nam neke nagoveštaje.

gives us some clues.

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

Testovi na rakovima samcima pokazuju da će napustiti nepoželjni oklop

if they’re zapped with electricity.

ukoliko ih pecnete strujom,

But stay if it’s a good shell.

ali će ostati ukoliko je oklop dobar.

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

A oktopod koji prvenstveno povija povređenu ruku da bi je zaštitio

will risk using it to catch prey.

će da rizikuje njenu upotrebu kako bi uhavtio plen.

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

To nagoveštava da ove životinje prosuđuju u vezi sa senzornim informacijama,

instead of just reacting reflexively to harm.

umesto da samo refleksivno reaguju na bol.

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

U međuvremnu, poznato je da krabe uporno češu tačku na njihovim telima

where they’ve received an electric shock.

gde su primili električne šokove.

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

Čak i morski puževi ustuknu

kad znaju da će da prime neprijatan stimulans.

a noxious stimulus.

That means they have some memory of physical sensations.

To znači da imaju neko prisećanje na fizičke osećaje.

We still have a lot to learn about animal pain.

I dalje ima mnogo da naučimo o bolu kod životinja.

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

Kako naše znanje raste,

možda nam nekad omogući da živimo u svetu u kom bespotrebno ne nanosimo bol.

where we don’t cause pain needlessly.