Victory! Sprint Agrees Not to Use Great Apes in Ads June 25, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at June 25, 2009 4:01 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 2 ) | TrackBack

webecoist / CC

I've been holding off on buying a new Blackberry (to replace my tired and true Sidekick) for a couple of reasons. First of all, I have a whole lot of other things (vegan cupcakes, tempeh BLTs, chickette sandwiches ... ) to buy with hundreds of dollars, and secondly—up until today, Sprint was all about using live animals in their ads. If there's one thing I'm not all about, it's giving money to companies who support cruelty to animals.

Whether or not you see it, animals used in show business suffer immensely. Chimpanzees and other great apes who are forced into the entertainment industry are ripped away from their mothers when they are only days old, are trained by being beaten, kicked, and punched, and are then discarded at filthy roadside zoos when they're no longer useful in show business. Simple fact? Animals don't belong in show business, and if they could speak, who for a second doubts that they wouldn't choose freedom over slavery?

Today, Sprint, thanks to everyone who wrote to them asking them to trash their animal ads, has agreed to stop circulating the ad featuring a chimpanzee that you may have seen recently in your own local theater, and never use another great ape in upcoming ads or commercials. You can read Sprint's full statement here.

Other companies like SEGA, Honda, PUMA, Yahoo! and Levi Strauss & Co., have all agreed to make the same step towards ending cruelty to animals on the silver screen—and while some others may still be intent on hurting animals, we're sure they'll eventually come around—thanks to you!

Now, about giving up those cupcakes ...

Victory: Levi's and The Gap Inc. Love Animals! May 5, 2009

Posted by Rachel-O at May 5, 2009 2:48 PM | Permalink | Comments ( 0 ) | TrackBack

cryptomundo / CC

I don't think I need to tell you how much we hate it when companies use animals in their ads—or how pathetic it makes the company look when they insist on dragging animals through hell for a thirty second clip to sell some product. It's also downright terrifying and so sad when animals who—having spent part of their lives in the spotlight—completely lose it, and end up paying the ultimate price.

Following the tragic death of Travis, a chimpanzee who formerly starred in Old Navy commercials, PETA approached Levi's and Old Navy's parent company, Gap Inc. (which also owns Gap and Banana Republic), to ask the companies not to use apes in any future ads.

Executives for both companies knew that their choice was clear once they learned that young apes who are used in commercials are ripped away from their mothers when they are only days old, trained by being beaten, kicked, and punched, and then discarded to live in filthy roadside zoos when they are too old and strong to handle.

Gap Inc. and Levi's join other progressive companies and organizations that have also signed our pledge, including Harris Teeter, Young & Rubicam, SEGA, Honda, PUMA, Subaru, Keds, Yahoo!, and The Ad Council.

And, because we are never ones to let compassionate acts go unrewarded, we are sending both companies thank-you gifts for a job well done.

Here's hoping that other leading US companies follow their lead and take a stand against the abuse endured by great apes and other animals forced into show business.