Unfortunately, one company is still dismissive of chimpanzee well-being: CareerBuilder. CareerBuilder has used trained chimpanzees in its advertising on and off since 2005, and despite the efforts of many individuals and organizations to educate them, yet another CareerBuilder commercial with chimps will air during the Super Bowl on February 5, 2012.
Chimps used in entertainment are taken from their mothers at birth, trained to act like humans rather than chimps, and after their short careers are over, face an uncertain future. Save the Chimps’ Advisory Council member Anjelica Huston has added her voice to the chorus of individuals who oppose the airing of the CareerBuilder ad.
Save the Chimps is encouraging our supporters to contact CareerBuilder with their concerns about the upcoming ad, and politely request that they remove the ad and pledge never to use apes and monkeys in their advertising again. If you use CareerBuilder’s services, consider switching to another company. Additionally, please sign the petition to CareerBuilder, which asks them to consider the long-term and widespread impact on chimpanzees both in the wild and captivity.
We are also asking that our supporters not watch the CareerBuilder advertisement. $3.5 million dollars was reportedly spent to create and air the ad during the Super Bowl. If no one watches, perhaps CareerBuilder will reconsider the effectiveness of their ad campaign. During the Super Bowl, and any other time, as soon as you spot the CareerBuilder ad, Change the Channel for Chimps!
The debate over the use of chimpanzees in biomedical research got some international attention over the past week, with programs in the US and Canada covering the issue—and gaining rare inside access to two different chimpanzee research labs.
Watch here:
Rock Center with Brian Williams
CTV News W5
The chimps at Save the Chimps, in the meantime, are blissfully unaware of all the controversy. Their main concerns are which veggies they will find in their Sunday pasta dinner or if the teenagers in their group are getting just too big for their britches. Keeping the chimps blissful is our main concern, each and every day. We can only do this with your support! Thank you for your generosity and compassion.
Chimpanzees, they are amazing people.
With gratitude,
Jen Feuerstein
Sanctuary Director