ACTION ALERT

Chimpanzee “Actor” on Everybody Hates Chris
January 6, 2008

A recent episode of Everybody Hates Chris featured a brief scene with a young chimpanzee “actor.”

What you can do:

Please send a letter or email to Dawn Ostroff at the CW Television Network and let her know that chimpanzees are not props and shouldn’t be exploited for a cheap laugh. Point out that chimpanzees are an endangered species and using them for entertainment seriously hampers conservation efforts.

Dawn Ostroff
President of Entertainment
The CW Television Network
51 West 52nd Street
New York, NY 10019
feedback@cwtv.com

* If you send an email, please copy Primate Patrol at primatepatrol@chimpsanctuarynw.org for tracking purposes.

Sample Letter/Email

Dear Ms. Ostroff & CW Television Network,

I am writing to voice my strong disappointment when I found out that the CW Television show Everybody Hates Chris featured a young chimpanzee “actor” in a short scene on a recent episode. Chimpanzees cannot be trained for entertainment by positive reinforcement alone, and brutal training practices in the entertainment industry are well documented.

As they grow, chimpanzees become too strong to be dominated by their trainers, and “retirement” at age 6 or 7 usually means being cast off to roadside zoos or other substandard facilities. Further, chimpanzees are an endangered species, and using them for entertainment seriously hampers conservation efforts. Please think of more creative and less exploitive ways to entertain your viewers in the future. I look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]