Crystal the capuchin monkey has been described as “the Angelina Jolie of animal stars” and has performed in 25 films over the last two decades, including Night at the Museum and The Hangover.
According to recent reports, she is one of the “highest paid animals” in Hollywood. A 2012 poll showed Crystal as earning $12,000 per episode for her role in the NBC show, “Animal Practice.” This placed her as the fifth highest earner in TV comedy (regardless of species – Ashton Kutcher topped the list) for that year.
She has recently been awarded a “Pawscar” during a tongue-in-cheek take on the Oscars promoted by the American Humane Association (AHA); the organization whose famous (though controversial) statement, “No animals were harmed in the making of this film,” has attempted to assure audiences since the 1940s that their favourite animal actors have been well cared for.
But is dressing a wild animal in a ball gown and parading her in front of large audiences, or having her don a tiny three piece suit to perform comedy skits in a Hollywood film, really harmless fun, as the AHA would have us believe? Or is it animal cruelty, plain and simple? Here are five important reasons why we think you should avoid films with performing monkeys (or any other wild animal!) in them.
1. Primates are social animals who need to live in large groups
Capuchins, like Crystal, would naturally live in the rainforests of Central and South America in groups made up of up to twenty individuals. A capuchin forms part of a complex social structure and will forge familial and friendship bonds with his or her troop mates. Monkeys used as actors are usually deliberately removed from their mothers at a very young age in order to habituate them to human contact. They are denied normal social development and this can cause lifelong psychological harm to the animals involved.
John Trainor/Flickr
2. Monkeys are wild animals and they belong in the wild!
The capuchins’ natural rainforest home presents a huge range of challenges and opportunities for its inhabitants. With lush greenery, exciting smells, sounds and co-habitants, capuchins thrive in their natural jungle home. Travelling over large areas and making the most of the bountiful fruits, leaves, nuts, insects and small animals which make up their natural diet, capuchins lives life to the full in the forest. In contrast, wild animal actors held captive by the entertainment industry are denied some of the most fundamental opportunities experienced by their free-living counterparts.
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3. That monkey isn’t smiling…
Monkeys and other non-human primates, such as chimps, are often thought to “smile” like humans. Many scenes featuring Crystal the capuchin show the little monkey raising her eyebrows and giving a toothy “grin” to the audience. But for a capuchin, this grin does not denote happiness. Instead, it is used to signal uncertainty, nerves or even fear. Subordinate members of a troop will grimace in this way to appease another, more dominant, monkey.
Anna_Cotta/Flickr
4. When the camera stops rolling, the “star treatment” ends
Marco is a chimpanzee. For the first part of his life, he lived with his father and six other chimpanzees in an old dilapidated truck in Valencia, Spain, and was used in a number of high profile television and print adverts. Within the truck, each chimpanzee was housed individually in very small 6×6 foot cages in total darkness. The chimpanzees had no choice but to sit in their own feces and leftover food. Marco spent the majority of his time inside the truck. In fact, the only time he was any light of day was when he had to “star” in the commercials. Sadly, this is the reality for most animals used in the entertainment industry; the bulk of their time is spent wasting away in a cage until they are pulled out to entertain.
Thankfully, Marco was rescued at age seventeen and now lives at the Mona Sanctuary in Spain, where he has adjusted and his health and welfare needs are properly met. Others are not so lucky and endure a lifetime of suffering in the entertainment industry.
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5. Use of monkeys in the media can negatively impact Conservation efforts and fuels the exotic pet trade
Recently published research has confirmed that the portrayal of non-human primates in the media can lead people to believe that these species are not threatened in the wildand that they might make suitable pets. This means that the use of one monkey in a film or television show might have a direct impact on other monkeys; both those threatened in the wild and those who are deliberately bred into a life in captivity as part of the exotic pet trade.
Vincentraal/Flickr
Help Protect Primates
Wild animals are not actors and monkeys do not belong in ball gowns or on red carpets. Please don’t Support movies which feature wild animal actors and, instead, check out the great work being carried out to bring an end to the use of wild animal actors in TV and film, such as the Animal Pledgeand AdNimals free
Lead image source: Eric Kilby/Flickr
FAQs
Monkeys are distant relatives of humans. But some basic patterns occurred when our very remote common ancestor was alive. We and the monkeys evolved from that creature and characteristics of behavior went with evolution to today's monkeys and to modern humans.
What do monkeys do for fun? ›
In many species, things like play-fighting, chasing, and even games of stealing from each other are forms of recreation and amusem*nt. There's one behavior, however, that is nearly universal: grooming. Social grooming is one of monkeys' favorite things to do.
What human things can monkeys do? ›
Here are 9 different ways that monkeys act just like us.
- Some monkeys shake their head to indicate “No!” ...
- Monkeys can learn how to recognize their reflection. ...
- Monkeys use their hands to gesture. ...
- Monkeys laugh when they are tickled. ...
- Monkeys memorize faces. ...
- Monkeys stress eat. ...
- Monkeys have language – and dialects.
Most monkeys live in large social groups and spend the majority of their day searching for food and socializing. Some species may spend time grooming one another, playing, communicating and forming social bonds with one another.
What do monkeys act like? ›
Monkeys are intelligent animals that are good at solving problems. Almost all types live together in groups. A monkey group commonly includes several related females, their young, and one or more males. Monkeys use facial expressions, body movements, and various noises to communicate with each other.
Do monkeys smile and laugh? ›
The team interpreted that spontaneous smiles facilitate the development of cheek muscles, enabling humans, chimpanzees, and Japanese monkeys to produce smiles, laughs, and grimaces.
Why do monkeys laugh? ›
Chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans show laughter-like vocalizations in response to physical contact such as wrestling, play chasing or tickling. Some orangutans also react with laughter at magic tricks performed by humans. This behavior is documented in both wild and captive chimpanzees.
Can monkeys cry? ›
Some monkeys shout or wail, others become excitable or frantic, some jump, and some curl up. Many of these vocalizations and behaviors are more common among infants, similar to how human infants cry more than adults. So, in this sense, monkeys cry in their own ways.
Is monkey friendly to human? ›
While some monkeys are gentle, some are very aggressive. However, even the gentlest monkeys are unpredictable and might turn aggressive on anyone, including the person to whom they are the closest, especially during and after puberty.
Do monkeys have weapons? ›
Research in 2007 showed that common chimpanzees sharpen sticks to use as weapons when hunting mammals. This is considered the first evidence of systematic use of weapons in a species other than humans.
“Monkey see, monkey do” just means people imitate behaviour that they see, and usually not in a good way. It's not a compliment. The saying is mildly disparaging to our primate cousins because there's an element of mindless imitation implicit in it, i.e. copying something without understanding it.
Can monkeys live to 100? ›
Although humans are the longest-lived members of the order, the potential life span of the chimpanzee has been estimated at 60 years, and orangutans occasionally achieve this in captivity. The life span of a lemur, on the other hand, is about 15 years and a monkey's 25–30 years.
What can monkeys not eat? ›
Sugary sweets should be entirely avoided, and sweet fruits restricted, in order to avoid diabetes. Dental health should be maintained by including leafy branches and pelleted or other hard foods, which give the primate the opportunity to gnaw and chew.
How often do monkeys poop a day? ›
Monkeys poop throughout the day, but do so more frequently in certain situations.. Woolly monkeys often poop directly after foraging, after extended periods of rest (for some reason, I find the idea of groggy monkeys pooping after a nap irresistibly adorable), and after peeing (like some humans, no?).
Why do monkeys misbehave? ›
Here are some common reasons why monkeys may exhibit aggressive behavior: Social hierarchy: Monkeys often live in social groups with complex dominance hierarchies. Aggression can occur as individuals vie for higher status or access to resources such as food, mates, or territory.
Can monkeys bond with humans? ›
Primates naturally want to be the one in charge in a group, or at least be second in command. This means that generally a primate will bond with one person who they think is in charge, and then perceive everyone else as the enemy.
Do monkeys have feelings like humans? ›
Familiar emotions
Chimpanzees laugh when they play and cry when they grieve. They experience and express joy, anger, jealousy, compassion, despair, affection, and a host of other emotions. Touching and grooming are vital to maintaining stable relationships and keeping the peace within the community group.
Are monkeys conscious like humans? ›
This striking result suggests that monkeys have two levels of processing just as humans do, one of which must be conscious. “These results show that at least one non-human animal exhibits both non-conscious perception as well as human-like conscious visual awareness.”
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