"When chimpanzees are portrayed as caricatures of humans, dressed up
in silly outfits and so on, people think that chimps aren't endangered,
aren't worthy of our conservation efforts,'' Ross said.
"I think these data show that there's probably effects we don't even
imagine when people are watching those things and laughing,'' he said.
It's a hard habit to break, he acknowledges. He cites an American
Association for the Advancement of Science ad that showed chimps
dressed in hats while reading an issue of Science magazine. While the
monkey depicted in a San Diego Zoo ad posted on YouTube is not a chimp,
the creature is seen holding a suitcase at an airport waiting to board
a jet.
"It's part of our culture, American and worldwide, to see
chimpanzees in this way. With these stats, maybe we can get people to
think of them differently,'' Ross said.
William Hoffmann of Chicago-based Animal Rentals Inc., which
provides the Sun-Times' stock-picking monkey "Mr. Adam Monk'' as well
as supplying animals for commercials, sees Ross' piece as the latest
evidence of friction between zoos and private owners of exotic
creatures.
"Zoos have a tendency to want no one to own animals but themselves -- they like exclusivity,'' Hoffmann said.
Read the rest of the killjoys opinion here.
If we remember that they need to be preserved, can we enjoy them then?
