PETA launches campaign against apes in show business
UK charity PETA has launched an online advertising campaign following the use of a chimpanzee in the upcoming movie The Wolf on Wall Street, which features actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Alongside primatologist Jane Goodall, PETA US have urged DiCaprio not to work with great apes in the future due to the poor treatment they say the animals receive in show business.
The US adverts include a graphic video about the lives of primate "actors", which the charity says is aimed at informing DiCaprio and cinema-goers that chimpanzee actors are taken from their mothers at an early age and suffer abuse.
According to PETA, an online petition asking fans to urge DiCaprio not to work with great apes again has so far received 35,000 signatures.
PETA UK's Mimi Bekhechi said: "We hope the next time Leo receives a script with an ape 'actor' in it, he'll remember that these sensitive animals are stolen from their mothers at birth and subjected to physical abuse – and he'll demand a rewrite."
Actress Anjelica Hudson has narrated a video for PETA US on the suffering of great apes in the entertainment business.
Two independent vets have launched a podcast to help owners strengthen their bond with pets. Dr Maggie Roberts and Dr Vanessa Howie, who have worked in both veterinary practice and major charities, are keen to use their experience to enable people to give pets a better life.
