In order to fully understand the plight of apes that are a part of the entertainement industry, it is important to highlight common public misconceptions surrounding them. For example, chimpanzees used in movies, television and print ads are usually very small and have adorable, pink faces. Most consumers don't know that chimps used in the entertainment industry are all very young, are bred for the purpose of being used in the entertainment industry and as babies they are taken without question from their mothers to be hand raised by humans. What most people do not realize is that the older these great apes get, the stronger and more unpredictable they become. A full grown male chimpanzee can weigh between 130 and 140 lbs and is pound for pound about six times stronger than a person.
Chimps also engage in loud, elaborate displays that in the wild are used to gain dominance. These displays often involve throwing objects, forceful kicking and charging of other individuals. These natural behaviors become difficult to control and can become a a serious problem once juvenile and adolescent chimps begin to challenge their owners. For example, many trainers try to only use positive reinforcement training when working with chimps, and although this method can be very effective in terms of training show behaviors, it is difficult to use positive reinforcement to curb a chimp's naturally aggressive tendencies. In order for these animals to remain under control on a movie set or around a large audience of people, some trainers will use methods such as shock collars to keep them from "acting out" and biting their trainers or other bystanders. Some will even resort to pulling out a chimp's teeth to make them less dangerous (www.janegoodall.org), making it extremely difficult for these individuals to defend themselves if and when they are placed with other chimpanzees. This issue is a double-edged sword. The more humane alternative to using shock collars is also dangerous, as apes who are not under some type of control when out in public could potentially cause serious injury due to their strength and potential aggressiveness.
What happens to these young actors when they become adults? Chimps and other great apes are very long lived; chimpanzees with proper care can live into their 60's. Most primates have very specific social, medical, and dietary requirements (see "Great Ape Husbandry"). Often private owners who acquire apes do not have the resources to be able to care for these animals throughout their entire lives, which leaves their futures uncertain. As our closest relatives, great apes can catch many of the same kinds of diseases that we do and can not be released into the wild once leaving the pet trade. Many zoos and sanctuaries can not take these entertainment apes as they lack the social skills to be able to be integrated into an appropriately behaved social group, having been raised by humans. As Jane Goodall has discovered, many of these animals are relinquished to laboratories once they are no longer acceptable as performers (www.janegoodall.org).
While inhumane treatment of chimpanzee actors does exist, there are many trainers/private owners who give their animal performers a very high quality of care. Many care for their chimps like they were their children, and love them just as much. Some of the more reputable private owners have gone so far as to provide sanctuaries with funds for great apes who have been retired from the entertainment business, enough money to care for these animals for the rest of their lives. In fact, The American Humane Association monitors all productions under contract with the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Alliance of Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) to make sure they comply with standardized guidelines as to how nonhuman primates should be treated on set. These guidelines include allowable training techniques (positive reinforcement), compliance with USDA housing requirements, and provisions for safety of the animal on set.
While this is a step in the right direction, it is important to note that while these chimps have had loving human companions throughout their early lives, their lack of socially appropriate conspecifics during these impressionable years can severely impact their ability to live with other chimps once they have reached adulthood. In fact, the guidelines specifically state that:
Impact on Primate socialization due to the separation of infant Primates from their mothers:
• Primates have the longest infant dependency of any animals otherthan humans, with infant apes dependent on their mothers for up to four years.
• Primates, and apes in particular, learn species appropriate social behavior and cues from their mothers, families, and other group members during their infancy and adolescence.
• Hand-reared and peer-reared Primates suffer from a lack of socialization, often leading to later inabilities to socialize or become integrated into groups of the same species, or engage in proper reproductive or parenting behavior.
(http://www.americanhumane.org)
In summary, even if entertainment apes are provided with an exceptional standard of care early on in life, their lives upon retirement are severely impacted as they are expected to live like normal chimpanzees but they do not have many of the social skills that would allow them to do so. This can result in stereotypic behaviors, social isolation, and even severe wounding from their more socially appropriate and aggressive conspecifics. As we've seen with Kendall, this can be an extremely difficult transition to make.
Another caveat to using chimps in particular is that studies have indicated that their prominence in print ads, television commericals, movies, and other types of media has altered the public perception regarding their status in the wild. CITES lists all chimpanzee subspecies as endangered in the wild. A group of researchers conducted a study at Lincoln Park Zoo, asking visitors which of the great apes they believed were endangered. According to their study, most visitors believed that orangutans and gorillas were endangered, but a majority of visitors did not believe were endangered. When asked why they did not believe chimpanzees were endangered, a majority of people replied that it was because they were so often seen in the media (Ross et al. 2008). As we all know, public perception and understanding is the key to protecting the wild relatives of the species in our care. Misconceptions about the chimpanzee's status in the wild could potentially deprive them of much needed support.
We have a lot to learn about chimpanzees, our closest living relatives. Currently, there are many research projects involving chimpanzees that are opening our eyes to their cognitive abilities. Many of these projects are investigating to what extent chimpanzees possess some of the same social traits as humans, such as cooperation and body language. This research is important as it may provide us with information as to how culture within our own species has evolved. Putting chimpanzees in clothing and training them to ride around a stage on a tricycle is not an appropriate message about this great African ape.