Just heard that the Seattle Mariners made a commercial titled "The Secret" which features a chimpanzee. I edited a supplied Care2 letter into the following:Show business isn’t what it’s cracked up to be if you’re a chimpanzee or other great ape.
Primates — like those used in DaimlerChrysler’s ad campaign for Dodge—are trained to perform through fear and intimidation. Behind the scenes, handlers and trainers have been caught doing what they all swear they don’t do—punching, kicking, and beating chimpanzees or even outfitting them with electric shock collars.
Great apes do not belong to us, nor should they be made to 'perform' in the advertising industry.
There is no excuse for that kind of abuse, especially considering the modern alternatives - such as animatronics, animation, and CGI - now readily available. You may still maintain that 'the real thing' looks better on screen than any of the alternatives, but advances in computer technology and robotics are steadily blurring these distinctions. And the essential ethical question remains the same:
"Can the decision to use live animals be justified in light of the cruel practices that make their exploitation possible?"
Please remove your commercial that features a chimpanzee from rotation immediately. Until I hear that you've done this, I will share this disturbing information with everyone I know.
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It is extremely disturbing to me that these abuses continue. With all our knowledge on the intelligence and sensitivity of the great apes, making them act for entertainment is degrading not only for them, but for us as a species.
