Why do humans keep pets (and chimpanzees don’t)?
Americans spend $70 billion dollars a year on their companion animals. Why do we devote so much money and energy to the care and feeding of creatures with whom we share no genes and which have no apparent function? We will discuss the roles of pets in our lives, including the impact of pets on human health and happiness, ethical issues raised by pet-ownership, and why humans keep pets and chimpanzees don’t.