Action Alerts
ShareThis
Suryia the Orangutan Exploited by Robitussin
*Note - please see this update: Pfizer Replaces Robitussin’s Orangutan Commercial with CGI
October 22, 2010
Robitussin has recently aired two commercials starring Suryia, a young orangutan “actor.” Pfizer, Robitussin’s parent company, has yet to remove these commercials despite ape experts reaching out to inform the company about the issues surrounding apes used in entertainment.
We urge you our supporters, to please write a polite letter to Pfizer and let them know that you would like to see the commercials pulled.
Suryia is an orangutan leased from a facility called The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.). The animal attraction preaches about species conservation and claims to be a reserve for animals, however; they regularly exploit their residents for entertainment purposes.
Although they do contribute funds toward helping endangered species – the source of their fundraising is nowhere near ethical. The premise of their facility revolves around getting an up-close and hands-on interaction with these animals, having them put on shows, and leasing their animals out for a variety of media productions.
Portraying apes as cute and cuddly attractions seriously misinforms the public on the true nature of these beings and perpetuates the pet and entertainment industries. No respectable reserve or animal sanctuary would exploit their animals in an attempt to help conserve the species. This is an unwarranted cost that the T.I.G.E.R.S. animals endure, since there are much more ethical means of raising conservation awareness.
Let Pfizer know that even if Suryia’s trainers had humane interactions with him on-set, that there is no monitoring of training practices off-set. Suryia is seen performing behaviors in the commercials that are not species normal behaviors for orangutans and must be trained behaviors. Explain how apes cannot be trained for entertainment purposes using positive reinforcement alone, and that brutal training methods in the industry are well documented.
You may send your letter to:
Jeffrey Kindler, CEO of Pfizer
jkindler@pfizer.com
Sample Letter
[Date]
Dear Mr. Kindler:
I was extremely disappointed to hear that Pfizer exploited an orangutan for a Robitussin commercial. 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 remove the commercials from the air, and please consider to never exploit great apes for entertainment purposes again. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]