AnimalPlanet.com has more information on chimps
The New York Times ran an op-ed piece yesterday about one of my pet peeves: the use of chimps in entertainment.Images of grinning chimps in commercials and movies make the public think our primate relatives "have a safe and comfortable existence," writes Steve Ross of Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo.
In fact, chimpanzees are an endangered species. And while Ross doesn't go into the inherent cruelty in taking an animal out of its habitat and using it for entertainment, he does note:
The good news is that a growing number of companies, including Honda, Puma and Subaru, have pledged to stop the use of primates in advertisements. The journal Science recently stopped its promotional campaign featuring chimpanzees in hats reading the magazine. That two consecutive Super Bowls have gone by without a major ad campaign featuring a chimpanzee is reason for optimism. Sometimes, success has to be measured in small increments.
