Watch TV? PETA Needs Your Help!

Ian with his favorite Tides player, Mike Cervanak, and fellow PETA employee Erin. Ian likes to eat veggie dogs at Tides games.

My buddy Ian, who is PETA's Animals in Film, TV, and Advertising Specialist—as well as the Norfolk Tides' biggest fan—asked me to post the following info as a favor to him.Here's what's up. It's crappy when advertisers use chimpanzees and orangutans in their commercials and you can help to stop it.When not "performing," most of these animals live in extreme confinement and are deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, including companionship with others of their own species and a spacious, enriching environment. I could go on and on about the cruelty—including how investigators have witnessed trainers punching chimpanzees, kicking them in the head, throwing rocks and mallets at them, and beating them with broom handles—but we have a whole web site for that.So if you're not already convinced that it's cruel to use chimpanzees and orangutans in advertising then please click here now. When we hear that a national company is exploiting chimpanzees or other exotic animals for their advertisements we contact them, explain the cruelties inherent in the Hollywood animal training industry, and urge them to drop the ad. Unfortunately, smaller local companies can manage to slip under PETA's radar unless someone brings the matter to our attention. That's where you come in.When you're sitting in front of the tube, be on the lookout for local commercials—you know, those poorly done ads for local car dealerships, law firms, furniture stores, and so on—that feature exotic animals like chimpanzees, lions, bears, etc. If you see any, e-mail Ian with details like the name of the company, what types of animals were used, and how they were used, and we'll jump all over them. Contact them yourself too and tell them you'll never support a company that exploits animals for a lame advertising gimmick.