TV Vampire Rallies Thousands to Protect Captive Chimpanzees

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2011-10-26 14:34:00 UTC
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Actress Kristin Bauer, who plays  the vampire Pam on HBO's True Blood, has launched a campaign on Change.org with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to protect captive chimpanzees.

Bauer’s online campaign asks the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend the endangered species protections currently given to wild chimpanzees to captive chimpanzees used in experiments and the entertainment industry and kept as pets in United States. A proposal to extend protections to captive chimpanzees is currently under consideration by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The public comment period ends October 31.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the incredible intelligence and rich, complex social lives of chimpanzees,” said Bauer. “It would be shameful to see them go extinct in the wild as we continue to exploit them here in the U.S. in invasive experiments, entertainment and as pets.”

Bauer cites studies demonstrating that when people see chimpanzees used in commercials and interacting with humans in the media, they are more likely to believe that chimpanzees not only make good pets, but that they are not endangered in the wild.

“The Endangered Species Act should protect all chimpanzees, including those being used in laboratory experiments,” said John Pippin, M.D., F.A.C.C., of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. “No other developed countries allow invasive research on chimpanzees because of ethical and scientific problems with such experiments. The U.S. must do more to protect humankind’s closest genetic relatives.”

This campaign is Bauer's first online petition. She tweeted that she was inspired by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Jane Goodall in getting behind the campaign.

“Chimpanzees are emotional and suffer much as humans do," Bauer said. "They express joy and fear, and when they are traumatized in captivity, these amazingly sensitive animals also show signs of depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder."

Bauer’s campaign is likely to draw national attention to the lack of protections for captive chimpanzees. Several True Blood fan sites have already stepped up and featured the campaign on their blogs. Teddy Hilton, the animal blog of internet gossip columnist Perez Hilton, asked readers to sign the petition, too.

The petition has also received the support of another TV vampire: Ian Somerhalder asked his Twitter followers to join the campaign, boosting it by several hundred supporters.

Help Kristin Bauer reach 5,000 signatures to protect all chimpanzees by the Halloween deadline.

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

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