NBC's 'Animal Practice' Exploits Wild Animals for Cheap Laughs

Originally Posted: September 6, 2012

NBC's 'Animal Practice' Exploits Wild Animals for Cheap Laughs

[Ed. Note: VICTORY: Animal Practice TV Show Abusing Capuchin, Crystal, Canceled (October 2012). Also see A monkey named Crystal exploited in new NBC show 'Animal Practice'.]

FROM People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

ACTION

Tell NBC that monkeys like Crystal who are used for entertainment are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth—a practice that is deeply cruel to both the baby and the mother and that denies the infants the maternal care and nurturing that they need.

Sign an online petition (copy/paste URL into your browser):
https://secure.peta.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=4312&autologin=true&utm_campaign=0912%20Animal%20Practice%20Action%20Alert&utm_source=PETA%20E-Mail&utm_medium=Alert

And/or better yet, make direct contact:

Bob Greenblatt
Chairman of NBC
r.greenblatt@nbcuni.com

NBC Los Angeles
(818) 840-4444

NBC New York
(818) 664-4444

Animal Practice Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/AnimalPractice

INFORMATION / TALKING POINTS

NBC's upcoming television series Animal Practice features a number of wild animals, including a capuchin monkey named Crystal as a main character on the show. Monkeys like Crystal who are used for entertainment are taken away from their mothers shortly after birth—a practice that is deeply cruel to both the baby and the mother and that denies the infants the maternal care and nurturing that they need.

The "smile" that Crystal exhibits on the show is actually an expression that indicates fear and stress in capuchin monkeys. Capuchin expert Dr. Eduardo Ottoni states, "In the case of monkeys like Crystal, who lead complex social lives in nature, raising them in captivity means to condemn them to a life of utter loneliness. And since we do not usually understand their communicative behaviors properly, fear, submission, or avoidance displays can easily be mistaken for 'smiles.'"

Primate sanctuaries tell us that they are "gearing up" for the influx of discarded monkeys that will inevitably result from Crystal's appearance on the show. When a monkey was featured as a series regular on Friends several years ago, sanctuaries were flooded with "pet" monkeys after the misguided owners realized that they were wholly unprepared to meet these complex animals' specialized needs.

Please do not watch Animal Practice—and be sure to spread the word about NBC's cruelty to your friends, family, and coworkers. Take a moment to voice your concern about NBC's use of Crystal and other wild animals to the chair of the company, Bob Greenblatt.

 

I was very disappointed to learn that NBC's new show 'Animal Practice' features Crystal the monkey and other wild animals. Monkeys used for entertainment are torn away from their mothers as infants, causing severe distress and depriving the animals of essential maternal care. I will not be watching this show. Shame on NBC for using wild animals for a cheap laugh.

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Thank you for everything you do for animals!