As if my rant about not liking the Aflac commercial that uses the orangutan seemed excessive before, here is new research highlighting why the overuse of apes in advertising has an adverse effect...Because many people in the researchers' survey see apes widely used in the entertainment and advertising industry, many assume "wild chimps must be plentiful and thriving." This is a blow to conservation efforts for the highly endangered species. Here is an excerpt from their statistics:
The number of wild chimps in Africa is thought to have shrunk from perhaps 2 million across the continent in 1900 to an estimated 150,000 to 200,000 and falling today. Only four nations now have significant chimp populations.
[The World Conservation Union] blames the losses on expanding human activity, spread of deadly diseases such as Ebola and political instability in some nations, leaving chimps with no protection and vulnerable to slaughter.
Chimpanzees are endangered, folks! (Though, my Clever Blog Readers, I'm sure YOU already knew this.) :)
Pictured is Ramona, a sweet chimp I used to work with in Fort Worth. (I didn't take the picture, though.)
