Imagine going decades without seeing the outside world -- spending many of those years confined in a laboratory, bright lights and metal bars a staple of your daily environment. Then finally being able to experience the sunlight on your skin and the simple joys of walking freely and interacting with your friends...

This is the sad but uplifting story of ten chimpanzees, held in captivity for 30 years in Austria. Yes, you heard correctly, 30 years... And for more than half of those years, these unfortunate animals were confined in a medical testing laboratory. Check out this amazing video as the chimps step into the sunshine for the first time:

Isn't that moment when the two chimps turn and hug each other in joy so touching to see!

What do you think -- should pharmaceutical companies find better, safer ways to test drugs, that don't involve animals? I mean, when you see the joy of these chimps at finally being safe and free, it makes you wonder how we can justify locking them away and testing on them for decades, doesn't it?

As Prof. Charles Magel put it: "Ask the experimenters why they experiment on animals and the answer is: 'Because animals are like us.' Ask the experimenters why it is morally okay to experiment on animals, and the answer is: 'Because the animals are not like us.' Animal experimentation rests on a logical contradiction."

This footage not only brings home the sad reality of animals being used in pharmaceutical testing, but the chimps' reactions to being set free shows just how similar they are to us. Share this video on facebook (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDgo6ee6uas) and show others just how touching a moment it can be to give animals the safety and freedom they all deserve.

Here's something different for a bit of fun. This is a good laugh:

So this video got me thinking. I wonder what other animals might show me up ... for example, did you know that pigeons are better at visuo-spacial problems than humans (you know, like those problems where you have to rotate a 3D object in your mind)?

Or what about the fact that gorillas can lead their families over hundreds of kilometers back to the best feeding spots at just the right time of year for the food to be there. I know people who get lost on the way to the local shops!

And did you know that pigs perform better on memory games than many primates. I don't know how many times I've forgotten the pin for my bank card, and it's only 4 digits. Actually the studies that proved this were pretty cool. They used joystick controlled computer games to conduct the research. Apparently the pigs really dug playing computer games. Who knows pigs might not just have a better memory than me, they might beat me at guitar hero ... everyone else can!

Leave me a comment let me know what other animals you think are better than me. But be nice, I'm a gentle soul :-)