Walmart—the largest retail company in the world—is banning greeting cards that feature demeaning images of great apes! The company made this compassionate decision after learning from PETA that clownish, unnatural images of chimpanzees hinder conservation efforts.
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Great Apes Belong in Their Natural Habitat—Not Mocked on Greeting Cards
Crude images of chimpanzees wearing costumes, displayed in studios, or interacting with humans mislead consumers into believing that the species—which may face extinction within our lifetime—is thriving. These portrayals may also increase the black-market demand for endangered great apes as “pets,” which is one of the main forces driving them toward extinction.
Mocking great apes also undermines efforts to inform the public about these fascinating, complex primates. Chimpanzees work with tools, communicate with a series of complex vocalizations, and are fantastic problem-solvers—they should be protected, not made the butt of a joke.
Rite Aid, CVS, and Walgreens have already banned the sale of cards demeaning great apes—now, we’re waiting for Hallmark to follow suit by retiring them altogether.
Tell Hallmark to Stop Selling Degrading Greeting Cards
Making a mockery of chimpanzees is a form of speciesism—a human-supremacist worldview that harms our fellow animals. Take action by urging Hallmark to stop selling all greeting cards featuring demeaning images of chimpanzees and other endangered great apes:
