Victory! Capital One Pulls Ape Ads

After years of using primates in its television spots, Capital One has informed PETA that it will stop airing its current ad featuring a chimpanzee and that it will not use primates in future advertisements.

Capital One’s decision comes after PETA provided the company with information on how great apes used in advertising are ripped away from their mothers as babies and physically and psychologically abused during training. When they grow too big and strong to be safely handled, they are often discarded at seedy roadside zoos and pseudo-sanctuaries.

Capital One told PETA, “We believe you have made profound and compelling arguments about the treatment of primates.”

Of the top 15 U.S. ad agencies, 10 refuse to use great apes in their ads. And every new national ad featuring great apes in 2010 was either pulled or modified when the companies learned about the cruelty associated with using wild animals as “actors.” Now, please help us keep the pressure on CareerBuilder, which once again exploited chimpanzees for its 2011 Super Bowl ad and says that it intends to continue to use these animals.

Written by Michelle Sherrow