HENRY BODKIN: ‘A new study by the University of Edinburgh directs particular criticism towards films which feature primates appearing to “smile”, as this is actually a sign of distress… Backed by the UK charity Neotropical Primate Conservation (NPC), the researchers analysed two decades of English-speaking film trailers from 1993 to 2013. It estimated that primates spent approximately 19 per cent of their time on screen grinning; they were clothed 50 per cent of the time and appeared alongside human companions 87 per cent of the time.
Published in the journal Anthrozoos, the study concludes that the “low but steady” frequency of use in mainstream films, many of which are aimed at children, fuels a “profound misunderstanding” about the suffering of primates in captivity… Approximately 1,500 primates are believed to be kept as pets in the UK and 15,000 in the US, according to the study, which noted that chimpanzees are currently the species most likely to appear in films, followed by capuchin monkeys’. SOURCE…
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