|
Chimpanzees in
Entertainment
Just
like humans, we can see chimpanzees in television shows, commercials
and in movies; however unlike humans who freely choose to go into
this profession, the chimpanzees do not. Many of us have seen chimps
in television shows, commercials, and movies. Think back, how many
times have you laughed when you saw a chimp dressed up in human
clothes doing human activities? I can guess that it has been more
than once. Chimpanzees have been used in the entertainment industry
for decades, and while you usually associate acting with a life of
luxury, the life of a chimp actor is anything but luxurious.
Most chimpanzees
start their acting career when they are infants. Infant chimpanzees
are taken from their mother only a few days after birth, and become
dependent on humans. This makes the chimpanzees easier to train and
handle, however, trainers also take additional steps to ensure
obedience from their young performers. These can include pulling the
chimpanzee’s teeth out so that they cannot retaliate through biting,
and using punishment to train the chimpanzees faster. Trainers will
beat the chimpanzee until it has learned the correct behaviors.
Also, most people assume that the chimps enjoy working in show business. We have all seen them “smiling” at the camera, seemingly
having fun with their trainer. However, most of us don’t know that
that smile is a display of fear in chimpanzees, not a sign of
happiness.
A career in the
entertainment business does not last very long for a
chimpanzee. Many chimpanzees reach puberty at the ages of 6 to 8
years old. It is about this time that the chimps become harder to
train and are retired from show business. Yet, their life in
retirement is often as bad if not worse than their life in
entertainment. Zoos often will not take human raised chimpanzees so
most are killed, while others are given to research companies to be
used in medical research. Some chimpanzees find themselves at
roadside zoos when they must entertain local tourists. Only a few
chimpanzees are lucky enough to be taken to a chimp sanctuary, where
they can spend the rest of their lives in relative comfort.
|
Message from CAC'ers
We
hope this all sounds as terrible to you as it does to us.
But if you are not convinced try looking at it from the
chimpanzee’s point of view. How would you feel if you were
taken away from your mother when you were only a baby,
beaten extensively until you learned to do the correct
behaviors, and then when you got too old to perform anymore,
sold to either roadside zoos or labs where you would become
test subjects for research? If you felt like this was a
horrible way to live for a human being, then it must be
horrible for our closest relatives as well; no animal
should have to go through this much hardship only to
entertain us.
|
|
