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Chimpanzee Exploited by Lifetime Television – Update
Lifetime Airs Episode
July 26, 2010
Last month we notified Primate Patrol members that Lifetime Television had recently filmed an episode of Drop Dead Diva that exploited a chimpanzee named Suzy. We urged our supporters to write letters to Lifetime asking them to not air the segment of the show with Suzy.
Despite the large amount of feedback that Primate Patrol members sent to Lifetime, the show featuring Suzy aired last night (July 25, 2010). Please send a polite letter to Lifetime and express your disappointment that they aired the chimpanzee segment in last night’s episode.
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. In fact, Primate Patrol heard from a whistleblower’s account of abuse on-set that Suzy’s trainer yanked her ears, pulled her hair, continually tugged at the leash that was attached to her leg, and yelled at her to the extent that she cowered because of the loud and threatening tone that he used.
Last month we notified Primate Patrol members that Lifetime Television had recently filmed an episode of Drop Dead Diva that exploited a chimpanzee named Suzy. We urged our supporters to write letters to Lifetime asking them to not air the segment of the show with Suzy.
Despite the large amount of feedback that Primate Patrol members sent to Lifetime, the show featuring Suzy aired last night (July 25, 2010). Please send a polite letter to Lifetime and express your disappointment that they aired the chimpanzee segment in last night’s episode.
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. In fact, Primate Patrol heard from a whistleblower’s account of abuse on-set that Suzy’s trainer yanked her ears, pulled her hair, continually tugged at the leash that was attached to her leg, and yelled at her to the extent that she cowered because of the loud and threatening tone that he used.
You may send your letter to:
JoAnn Alfano
Executive Vice President, Entertainment
Lifetime Entertainment Television
2049 Century Park E., Ste. 840
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Or via e-mail at: joann.alfano@aetn.com
SampleThank You Letter/Email
Dear Ms. Alfano:
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that Lifetime aired the episode of Drop Dead Diva that exploited a chimpanzee. According to an account from the set, the chimpanzee was reportedly abused during the show’s production. You should know that great apes used in entertainment are torn away from their mothers as infants, often repeatedly beaten during training, and then discarded when they become too strong to be managed.
Please make the compassionate decision to never exploit great apes for entertainment purposes again. I certainly will not watch your show (or Lifetime) since you’ve aired this episode, and will tell all of my friends to do the same. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
[Your city & state]
**If you write an e-mail, please BCC PrimatePatrol@ChimpSanctuaryNW.org for tracking purposes.