Action Alert
Harris Teeter Gift Card
December 3, 2007
Harris Teeter, a grocery store chain, recently displayed an advertisement in a number of their stores that features a young chimpanzee wearing clothing and exhibiting a fear grimace. Please send a letter or email to Harris Teeter and voice your disappointment in their support of animal cruelty. Let them know that chimpanzees are not props to be used for generating profit, and that they undergo brutal training methods in the entertainment industry. Also point out that chimpanzees are an endangered species, and exploiting them for advertising seriously undermines conservation efforts.
Harris Teeter Inc.
Attn: Customer Relations
PO Box 10100
Matthews, NC 28106-0100
customerrelations@harristeeter.com
Sample Letter or Email
Dear Harris Teeter Representative,
I am writing to voice my strong disappointment that Harris Teeter has displayed gift card advertisements in some of its stores that feature a young chimpanzee wearing clothing and displaying a fearful expression. Experts assert that 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, and sometimes condemnation to solitary confinement.
In addition to welfare concerns, chimpanzees are an endangered species, and using them for advertising seriously hampers conservation efforts. Please develop more creative and less exploitive ads in the future, and remove this demeaning ad from your stores. I look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]