by Stephen Messenger of The Dodo
In a historic move that reflects a positive change in how society regards our primate cousins, the last remaining exhibitor to still force orangutans to act as stage performers in the United States has agreed to end the exploitative practice.
Following pressure from various animal rights organizations, Universal Studios, with theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando, announced it will remove all primates from its live “Animal Actors” stage shows.
The performances, advertised by the theme park as “Tinseltown-trained critters putting pet tricks to shame with their animal antics,” features a variety of species paraded before cheering audiences. Unlike some animal shows purport be of some educational value, Animals Actors made no such claim.
This excerpt from a news article appeared in and is courtesy of The Dodo and can be read in its entirety here.
The Orangutan Conservancy applauds NBC/Universal and their Universal Theme Parks for joining the growing number of entertainment companies who are pledging to stop using primates in their productions. We hope this extends to their films and television shows in the near future as well.
