Vegetarian Star

Lions, tigers and bears!

Is this a description of scenes at the zoo? Or your neighbor’s backyard? Sadly, it could be both.

A documentary which received the Humane Society’s Genesis Award, The Elephant In The Living Room, takes a look at the growing problem of people owning exotic pets.

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Charla Nash, the woman who’s face was mauled by the Travis the Chimp was on Oprah recently where she revealed how she looks months after the attack.

Some might find the video hard to watch, but pictures like these may be the only motivation to convince people that wild animals like chimpanzees don’t belong in housing developments.

Travis, the star in Old Navy and Coca Cola commercials lived with his owner and attacked Charla one day, refusing to let her go until he was shot by police.

Our thoughts go out to Charla and we congratulate her for her strength and bravery that’s helped her move forward since the incident.

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This week’s Dancing With The Stars was supposed to feature a chimpanzee as a guest judge.

However, after some efforts from Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, International Primate Protection League and PETA that included writing to executive producer Conrad Green, Dancing officials decided against airing the segment.

Like Paul Abdul, the chimp judge is out of a job.

But we hear he’ll be okay.

One piece of material sent to Green was a video about Great Apes in showbusiness made by Anjelica Huston.

Anjelica was also quick to speak out after Travis the Chimp died earlier this year when law officials had to kill him as he would not stop attacking and mutilating a friend of his owner.

“I sincerely hope that this tragedy will make people realize that great apes should never be kept as pets or exploited for films, television, or advertising,” Huston said of Travis’ incident. “Their lives are miserable from the day that they are taken from their mothers: They endure abusive training—usually beatings—until they are cast off to roadside zoos or meet a violent end, as Travis did in this tragic case.”

Best of luck to the unemployed chimp judge. We know he’ll find something better than show business.

via peta.org

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Whatever happened to Bubbles the Chimp?

No, this isn’t a Child Stars of the 80s episode, it’s just a report on Michael Jackson’s beloved pet chimp, Bubbles.

Bubbles is living large at the Florida sanctuary, Center For Great Apes, getting the star treatment of cucumbers and banannas delivered to him daily as he schmoozes with 14 orangutans and 27 other chimps.

The Center For Great Apes was founded in 1993, by Patti Ragan, to provide “a permanent sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees who have been retired from the entertainment industry, from research, or who are no longer wanted as pets.”

Bubbles became a little aggressive as he grew older (you know how Hollywood divas are) and Michael was forced to give him up.

Sadly, many people like Jackson don’t realize chimps are wild animals and are not suitable for living among humans. Fortunately, the Bubbles story ended happily, unlike the one with Travis the chimp.

Watch the video to see Bubbles perform some sort of slicky slide maneuver around his cage.

via greendaily.com

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“I was saddened to hear about the incident involving the chimpanzee, Travis, and my heart goes out to the woman who is now lying in a hospital bed as a result of this horrific attack.”

“Recently, I narrated a video for PETA about the abuse that chimpanzees and other great apes endure when they are ripped away from their mothers when only days old to be used in commercials (as Travis was) and movies. Although I was sick when I heard about this most recent incident, I wasn’t surprised.”

“I sincerely hope that this tragedy will make people realize that great apes should never be kept as pets or exploited for films, television, or advertising. Their lives are miserable from the day that they are taken from their mothers: They endure abusive training—usually beatings—until they are cast off to roadside zoos or meet a violent end, as Travis did in this tragic case.”

The video Anjelica narrated is below. 

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In a sad, sad story where no one came out the winner, a chimpanzee has been shot to death after mauling a friend of his owner.

The chimp named Travis had starred in Coca-Cola and Old Navy commercials and also appeared on television pilots.

Travis had been cared for by owner Sandra Herold, and he was considered a pet and family member who would go along for car rides and open doors for people.

When Travis attacked Herold’s friend, she stabbed him in an attempt to get him to stop. When police arrived on the scene, Travis began attacking them too, and the chimp was eventually shot dead.

So many celebrities have spoken out against having wild animals like chimps as pets, as well as using them on television, most recently with actress Anjelica Huston protesting the use of apes in the entertainment industry. Perhaps if Travis had been sent to an animal sanctuary, no blood would have been shed.

Watch the video below for the clips from an Old Navy commercial Travis starred in, as well as conversation of the telephone call made to 911 when he attacked.

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