Great News: Boots Drops Captive Great Ape Greetings Cards
After meeting with PETA US, British health and beauty retailer and chemist’s chain Boots – whose parent organisation is US-based Walgreens Boots Alliance – has stopped selling cards that feature damaging images of great apes in all its stores.
Greetings card company Moonpig has already dropped all images of captive great apes from its products, and top stock-image agencies like Getty Images, Shutterstock, and Dreamstime are banning inappropriate images of primates. We hope other retailers and greetings card manufacturers will follow their lead.
Why Shouldn’t Greetings Cards Show Captive Animals?
Studies show that images of chimpanzees wearing costumes, displayed in studios, or interacting with humans mislead consumers into believing that the species – which may face extinction within our lifetime – is thriving. These portrayals may also increase the black market demand for endangered great apes as “pets”, which is one of the main forces driving them towards extinction.
Many consumers are unaware that the “smile” exhibited by chimpanzees on greetings cards is actually a fear grimace – a sign that they’re deeply afraid. And eyewitness investigations have revealed that physical abuse of apes is standard practice in the entertainment industry.
How You Can Help
Chimpanzees aren’t models or props, and clownish photos of them wearing clothes or sitting at desks put these endangered animals at risk. It’s much kinder to make loved ones smile with greetings cards featuring humans or illustrations, not endangered and exploited animals.
Wild animals don’t belong in captivity. Steer clear of any business or activity that uses animals to draw in customers – including animal circuses, zoos, and marine parks. And please take action for animals in captivity:
