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UPDATE: Chimpanzee Image on Jon Stewart's Book: Earth
November 10, 2010
A couple months ago, we alerted our supporters to a recent book called Earth: A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race written by Jon Stewart of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show. The front cover features an image of a chimpanzee sitting side by side with Stewart.
Previously, we believed the image to be a stock photo and that it was not newly shot for this cover, but just today we have found out that Stewart was actually sitting next to a live chimpanzee “actor” named Ricky.
Stewart has done a disservice to the field of primate protection by instead choosing to exploit Ricky for a cheap laugh. Although the book is already on shelves, we encourage you to write a polite letter to Stewart and ask that he address this issue on his show.
Your letters can make a difference – very recently, Pfizer chose to alter their commercials for Robitussin that featured a live orangutan and pledged to never use primates in advertising again after hearing from concerned advocates.
Let them know that chimpanzees cannot be trained for entertainment by positive reinforcement alone, and brutal training practices in the entertainment industry are well documented. Remind them that in addition to welfare concerns, using chimpanzees in the media seriously hinders conservation efforts of free-living chimpanzees.
You may send your letter to The Daily Show’s contact form.
Be sure to select “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” under the topic drop menu.
Or you can “like” their Facebook page (either for the show in general or for the book specifically) and leave a succinct comment there.
Sample Letter for the Contact Form:
Dear Mr. Stewart:
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that the image on your recent book cover is of a live chimpanzee “actor.” Using a chimpanzee for a cheap laugh sends the message that these amazing beings are simply props. Surely you are aware that chimpanzees are endangered species in critical need of protection? You are exploiting chimpanzees for your own profits and this is an unacceptable business practice.
Please make the compassionate decision to commit to never using images that exploit great apes for promotion purposes again. I would also encourage you to discuss this issue on your television show. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter, and I look forward to your response.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
[Your city & state]
Sample Comment on the Facebook Page:
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that the image on your recent book cover is of a live chimpanzee “actor.” Using a chimpanzee on your book cover sends the message that these amazing beings are simply props. Chimpanzees are in critical need of protection and the use of their image for a cheap laugh on your book only perpetuates their exploitation. Recently, two large companies (Dodge and Pfizer) chose to remove commercials that exploited great apes and made the progressive decision to never use primates in future promotions. I encourage you to follow in their footsteps, and make the compassionate decision to address this issue on The Daily Show. Thank you.
**If you write a letter and/or leave a Facebook comment, please copy and paste in an e-mail to PrimatePatrol@ChimpSanctuaryNW.org for tracking purposes.