ARFF - Parrot Jungle



	Affection for animals leads many well-meaning people to visit zoos like Parrot Jungle. However, behind the artificial "habitats" and colorful shows lies a world of hidden cruelty.
	Parrot Jungle is a glorified roadside zoo that lost its accreditation from The American Zoo and Aquarium Association because of: Poor animal care. Parrots confined in stark environments with no retreat from visitors. The removal of young primates from their mothers so that they can be used in shows. The disposal of older animals. Animals allowed to have extensive contact with the public.

	Cradle Robbers At Parrot Jungle baby animals are exploited from the day they are born. Newborns are torn from their mothers prematurely. Still nursing, these frightened, helpless infants are then subjected to large crowds and are plopped into the laps of countless people for a photo souvenir. Aside from the tremendous stress this inflicts on the animals, it also creates the need for a constant supply of baby animals — compounding a nationwide crisis of unwanted exotic animals. Dumping of Older Animals Once babies outgrow their usefulness as crowd pleasers they are disposed of. Most recently, the owners of Parrot Jungle discarded an elderly chimpanzee named Edith, who now lives at roadside menagerie in Texas in a filthy, barren enclosure, filled with feces and swarming with flies and maggots. Tragically, Edith’s situation is a common fate for for older animals used by Parrot Jungle. Involuntary Performers Unlike human performers, the animals used in shows at Parrot Jungle don't have a choice. They are forced to perform, often enduring rigorous training sessions which include violent beatings, deprivation of food and water, intense confinement and many other forms of cruel intimidation. One of Parrot Jungle's head trainers, Doc Antle, has over 150 violations of the Animal Welfare Act and is notorious for his abusive training techniques.

	Parrot Jungle: Stop Exploiting Great Apes in Television Shows and Commercials! In June 2005, primate expert Dr. Jane Goodall, the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida, and The Chimpanzee Collaboratory, sent urgent appeals to sponsors of Parrot Jungle, pleading for help to convince the zoo to stop supplying great apes for use in television shows and commercials. In 2005, two baby orangutans from Parrot Jungle were featured on an episode of The Simple Life with Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. In May 2006, a young orangutan from Parrot Jungle was featured in a television commercial for Bennett Auto Supply. (Left: Parrot Jungle promotional photo) Click here to read Dr. Goodall's letter (.pdf document). In her letter, Dr. Goodall explains to Parrot Jungle sponsors that baby orangutans are traumatically separated from their mothers prematurely, causing severe behavioral problems. Dr. Goodall also points to the beatings and electrical shocks given to babies as part of the training it takes to turn apes into performers. The Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and the Chimpanzee Collaboratory echo these concerns and ask this urgent question: Where will Parrot Jungle’s ape actors go for the remaining 50 years of their lives after they mature and become too strong to be dominated by trainers? Many great apes used in television shows and films are destined for deplorable roadside zoos, medical experiments, or euthanasia. Even The American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA) has spoken out against the use of chimpanzees in this manner. In February 2004, the AZA wrote, "The use of chimpanzees and other great apes for entertainment such as this creates terribly wrong perceptions of these animals, who are highly endangered in their native Africa." It is utterly irresponsible for Parrot Jungle’s owner, Bern Levine, to continue to add to the exploitation of these animals by leasing them out as forced performers in television shows or commercials. In the words of Jane Goodall, “The time has come to move beyond the misuse of creatures who are vulnerable to our exploitation precisely because they are so like us.”

	What You Can Do? Please contact the following Parrot Jungle sponsors and let them know that while you appreciate their business’ contribution to our community, by sponsoring Parrot Jungle they are helping to promote a cruel industry that rips baby apes away from their mothers and uses brutal training tactics to force them to perform difficult and demeaning tricks. Urge them to do what they can to convince Parrot Jungle to stop using great apes in television shows and commercials, or withdraw their support of this abusive attraction.
	Michael Joseph, Chief Executive Officer Cedars Medical Center 1400 NW 12th Avenue Miami, FL 33136 Phone: (305) 325-5511 Online comment form.	Carol Ann Wehle, Executive Director South Florida Water Management District P.O. Box 24680 West Palm Beach, FL 33416 Phone: (561) 686-8800 Online comment form.
	Lynn Warren, President Florida Huddle 14606 Mandarin Road Jacksonville, FL 32223 Phone: (904) 268-1354 E-mail: Lynn.Warren@FloridaHuddle.com	Donna Ross, President Florida Attractions Association 1114 N. Gadsden Street Tallahassee, FL 32303 Phone: (850) 222-2885 E-mail: Ross@FloridaAttractions.org
	BellSouth: comment form. Kodak: online comment form.	Dial Corporation: comment form.

	Click here to download ARFF's brochure about captive exotic birds (PDF file; black and white version).