As a follow-up to my previous rant, I am posting this CNN "debate" on why chimpanzees (or any wild animals) should not be kept as pets. The piece also mentions that legislation against the primate pet trade is now being debated in the US government - good news!
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
7 comments:
A lot of people (like Jack Hannah), trying to explain what happened here, point out that chimps are territorial and 'go to war' with neighboring communities of chimps, attacking and killing them. Although it is certainly true, it is no less true for us humans ... how many wars are we now carrying on across the world? I think the more relevant point in this case was that Travis was probably extremely messed-up psychologically from having been pulled away from his real mama at a tender age and forced to be a slave to humans ... wearing cowboy hats and posing for cameras, etc --- it's kind of understandable he finally snapped. It happens with circus elephants too ... with predictably terrible consequences for everyone.
Thanks for your comments Cleve!
I agree that Travis was certainly messed up which is why he acted out the way he did. But i also think its AS important to point out that this type of violence is part of chimpanzee behaviour (as it is part of our own, i fully agree). I don't want anyone to think that if chimps are raised "properly" (whatever that might mean) that this would not happen. No matter what, chimps are not pets.
I agree with you 100% on this, Mimi.
On a related subject:
In the Wikipedia entry for the movie Any Which Way You Can, this is what they say about the fate of the 2 orangutans used in this film and the original: "Clyde is much physically different in the film than in Every Which Way But Loose. This is because the original orangutan, Manis, had matured too much since the first film and was too large and possibly dangerous. The ape who played Clyde in the second film died of a cerebral hemorrhage two weeks after the film wrapped.[1]"-- What they conveniently don't mention is, according to 'Visions of Caliban' (Dale Peterson and Jan Goodall), Manis (the orang used in the first film) was beaten to death with a crowbar for stealing a doughnut, explaining why he was replaced. Hmmm... the second orang died of a cerebral hemorrhage just after filming the movie... are they possibly leaving something out there as well? Did that one try to steal a doughnut too?
It's a shame ... I like Clint ....
Its really embarrassing that this still goes on in the main stream. I know a few generations from now they will look back at us and say WTF?!?! You knew so much about their social lives and cognitive abilities and still treated them like slaves. I really hope we will soon see the end of primates and all non-domestics in entertainment!
Everywhere I look here in Holland, or in the US, there are dozens of greeting cards with baby orangs and chimps grinning in tutus / top hats/ what have you. How do we get through to people to stop buying them? (the irony is that they probably buy the cards because they think the apes are 'cute' and remind them of themselves --- the same irony that leads to people swimming with captive dolphins to 'get in touch with nature').
Post a Comment