ACTION ALERT

Chimpanzee Exploited by Kansas City International Airport (KCI)
February 29, 2008

Kansas City International Airport (KCI) in Kansas City, Missouri, is currently airing a television commercial that features a 2½-year-old chimpanzee named Kenzie.  In the commercial, Kenzie, who is dressed in clothes, logs onto a computer and purchases airplane tickets, drives to the airport and parks, takes a shuttle to the terminal, and boards a plane.     

What you can do:

Please contact KCI to voice your concern about this highly irresponsible and unethical marketing strategy:  

Tom McKenna, Assistant Director of Aviation, Marketing
Kansas City Aviation Department
P.O. Box 20047
Kansas City, MO 64195
Phone: 816-243-3160
Fax: 816-243-3171
tom_mckenna@kcmo.org

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

Sample Letter/Email

Dear Mr. McKenna, 

I was shocked and disappointed to learn that KCI exploited a young chimpanzee for marketing purposes.  Chimpanzee “actors” are taken away from their mothers at birth, causing irreparable psychological harm.  Training methods are physically and psychologically abusive, and “retirement” at age 6 or 7 usually means being cast off to roadside zoos or other substandard facilities.

Further, using chimpanzees for entertainment purposes sends terrible messages to the public – including the misconceptions that chimpanzees are not an endangered species and that chimpanzees make good pets (which couldn’t be further from the truth).  Both of these fallacies continue to exist because of the prevalence of chimpanzee “actors” in media. 

Please make the responsible decision to stop airing this offensive commercial.  I look forward to hearing from you on this urgent matter.

Sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]