Apes in Entertainment - The Facts

• Chimpanzees are specifically bred for the entertainment industry.
• In the wild baby chimpanzees stay with their mothers until they are seven years of age. In the entertainment industry captive bred chimp babies are removed at birth in order to start their ‘humanization’ and ‘training’.
• Chimpanzees are not natural performers. Standing, walking upright in shoes, sitting in chairs and the other activites required are actions these animals are forced to learn.
• The familiar "No animals were harmed during the making of this film" may indeed be true but this proviso does not cover pre-production or off-site ‘training’ when there is the greatest potential for abuse.
• A chimpanzee's 'acting career' is comparitively short as adolescents become too difficult to handle so they are discarded to be replaced by a new younger animal
• Chimpanzees are critically endangered so portraying these animals as objects of ridicule in advertisements, circuses and films detracts from the serious conservation issues surrounding these sensitive intelligent animals.

How are chimps trained to perform?

Young chimpanzees are naturally very active and inquisitive so it is abnormal behaviour for them to stay still for long periods of time or repeat actions over and over again. In order to achieve the required series of actions ordered by the client the animal trainers use the fear of pain to achieve the required response.

Sarah Baeckler, a leading primatologist, spent a year working undercover at a major Hollywood animal training facility and has reported that she saw baby chimps being kicked in the face, punched in the head and struck with broom handles while being trained to perform for shows.

The chimpanzees are often punished for actions that are completely normal chimpanzee behaviours. In addition, Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, a world-renowned primatologist and campaigner against the use of apes in entertainment has pointed out many times that when you see a chimp “smile” on TV, what you are actually seeing is a “grin of fear”.

What are the long-term prospects for these chimpanzees?

When these chimps reach adolescence at between six and eight years old they become increasingly difficult to handle and become a potential liability for the trainer. At this point they may be euthanized, dumped in a roadside ’zoo’ or confined in small inadequate cages without proper care or exercise for the rest of their lives. The trainer will then look for their next performer and the cycle continues.Chimps can live for over 50 years and are social, highly intelligent animals. Our closest relatives deserve more and at MONA they are given this vital second chance.

Rescue and rehabilitation at the Mona rescue centre in Spain

At MONA we are able to integrate the rescued chimps into suitable family groups where they can learn how to be chimps again. They learn the skills they need from the other chimps in the group and soon become socially integrated and form stable relationships. They are also provided with the space to forage, climb and play for the rest of their lives, in a safe environment, free from exploitation.

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