Joan O’Flaherty has sponsored today in memory of her parents, Ned and Noreen. Ned and Noreen were two years apart in age, but they were both born on March 1. They had a great love for animals, conservation, and the environment, and Joan thinks they would have been big fans of CSNW and the Cle Elum Seven. Thank you, Joan!
Sanctuary
Take Action Tuesday: CR Fashion Book features young chimpanzee, Bently
CR Fashion Book has a new issue set to hit stands on Thursday with a big spread featuring Bently, an infant chimpanzee. Bently is owned by Mike Casey, who you might remember was put in front of county commissioners in Las Vegas because he lacked a permit to house his chimpanzees. He has a record of abusing his chimps, punching them, hitting them with a rod, and throwing hot water in their face. Casey also was responsible for breeding Travis, who as an adult escaped and mauled a Connecticut woman in 2009.
In their post about Bently’s upcoming appearance, CR Fashion Book also boasts that Bently’s brother Kenzy was the star of the Speed Racer movie, which actually got an unacceptable rating from the American Humane Association due on-set abuse.
Bently, Kenzy, and others like them deserve to be in a sanctuary where they can receive lifetime quality care. By featuring Bently in their magazine alongside humans, CR Fashion Book is perpetuating the pubic misunderstanding of chimpanzee nature.
Please send a polite letter to CR Fashion Book and ask them to remove the spread from the issue before sending it to stands on Thursday, and ask them to pledge to never use primates in future publications. Your letters make a difference – just earlier this year, Great Clips pulled a commercial featuring a young chimpanzee after they heard from concerned advocates like you.
You may send your letter to the editor-in-chief, Carine Roitfeld at [email protected]
You may also submit your comments to their Facebook page, or comment on this picture they posted from “behind-the-scenes” of the shoot.
Sample Brief Facebook Comment:
Bently the young chimpanzee should not be used in this way. His trainer has a history of abuse! Chimpanzees bred for the pet and entertainment industry eventually become big and strong and it is within their nature to be aggressive. Bently and other chimpanzees simply do not belong with humans, and your magazine spread is suggesting otherwise. Please remove the spread and pledge to never use primates in future publications!
Sample Letter to the Editor-in-Chief:
Dear Ms. Roitfeld:
I was shocked and disappointed to hear that CR Fashion Book is planning to feature Bently, a young chimpanzee. You should know that chimpanzees used in entertainment are torn away from their mothers as infants, often repeatedly beaten during training, and then discarded when they become too strong to be managed. Bently’s trainer has a history of abuse.
Featuring Bently alongside humans sends the message that these amazing beings are simply props. Surely you are aware that chimpanzees are endangered species in critical need of protection? You are exploiting chimpanzees for your own profits and this is an unacceptable business practice.
Please make the compassionate decision to remove the chimpanzee spread from your magazine, and consider making a pledge to never use primates in future publications. Thank you for your consideration of my comments on this urgent matter.
Sincerely,
[Your name here]
[Your city & state]
If you send a e-mail to CR Fashion Book, please remember to BCC Eyes on Apes at [email protected] for tracking purposes. Thank you!
A love letter to the chimps
If you are on our Facebook page, you probably saw that the chimps received a love letter on Friday from my 11-year-old neighbor, Tiffany. It truly made my day! Tiffany is a very special kid and the comments on my Facebook post just made it all the more special – “Sounds like a future Jane Goodall”, “Our children are our future”, “Children are the hope for non-human animals” – I am just thrilled that the Cle Elum Seven have inspired yet another future animal advocate! The chimps are lucky to have you in their corner.
And with a face like Burrito’s, it’s easy to see how he could inspire:
Relationship Status: It’s Complicated
Jamie and Burrito have a complicated relationship. Burrito is the man of the group, but Jamie is the boss. She often treats him like an annoying little brother. Sometimes she takes his food.
Early on, I’d say for the first year the Cle Elum Seven were at the sanctuary, Jamie would use Burrito during fights – I like to describe this and Jamie using Burrito as a henchman – Burrito would be all worked up and displaying, intimidating everyone, and Jamie would follow him as though she was saying to the rest of the group, “better watch out, he’s under my control.” But Burrito has wised up since then and tends to stay out of the fray more these days.
Though Jamie and Burrito do groom each other, they don’t really play together, and I wouldn’t describe them as friends (“frenemies” might be an appropriate term to use). This seems very personal to bring up, but we do get asked about it a lot, so here goes – I did see Burrito and Jamie in an intimate encounter once. Only once. And it was a long time ago. In fact, it is one of the only times we’ve seen that type of encounter between the chimps. It could be that Burrito just doesn’t see the ladies that way, or it could be that, like many captive chimpanzees, he is not sure what to do.
This fall, much to our surprise, these two frenemies would sometimes patrol the perimeter of Young’s Hill together (as seen at the end of this video). Maybe their relationship is evolving.
Today the sun was streaming into the windows upstairs and all seven chimps were on the catwalk. Burrito and Jamie sat next to each other:
How sleepy is Negra?
Due to their size, Negra’s lips are strongly influenced by the earth’s gravitational forces. As the day wears on, it gets harder and harder for Negra to resist their slow, inevitable descent.
Stage 1: Wide awake
Stage 2: It’s been a long day
Stage 3: I could really use a nap
Stage 4: I’m just going to rest these here for a minute
Stage 5: Goodnight
Handsome Burrito
For Bill Schwartz
Today is Bill’s birthday, and Tina Shih has sponsored the day in his honor. Tina says that Bill has been a great friend for over 25 years. Here’s to lasting friendships (and to birthdays)!
Thanks to Tina for thinking of the chimps, and happy birthday, Bill!