Hypocrites! House of the Dragon Exploits Monkey While HBO Promotes Chimp Crazy Docuseries; PETA Demands Recut

For Immediate Release:
August 5, 2024

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Fans aren’t the only ones fuming over House of the Dragon’s disappointing season two finale. Animal advocates were horrified to see a macaque monkey used as a set decoration in a scene that, hypocritically, played just six minutes after a teaser for the upcoming HBO documentary Chimp Crazy—a four-episode series that will show viewers how intelligent, social primates suffer when they’re exploited for entertainment. In response, PETA rushed a letter today to HBO Chair and CEO Casey Bloys calling on the company to recut the scene to remove the monkey and to establish a policy against using any real wild animals in its programs.

“Primates exploited for movies and television are torn away from their mothers as babies, denied everything that’s natural and important to them, and forced to perform through fear of punishment,” says PETA Director of Animals in Film and Television Lauren Thomasson. “HBO uses special effects to make the Targaryens look as if they’re riding dragons, so surely it can create a monkey using the same technology. PETA urges the network to ban primates and all other wild animals from its sets immediately.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Bloys follows.

Dear Mr. Bloys:

I’m writing from PETA’s Animals in Film and Television division as we were shocked to see a macaque monkey used as a set decoration in the House of the Dragon season finale just six minutes after a teaser aired for Chimp Crazy, an upcoming HBO docuseries that tells the stories of primates bred, abused, and exploited for the entertainment industry and the pet trade.

We implore HBO to immediately recut the scene to remove the monkey from the episode, and if producers need suggestions on how best to do that, we’re available to help with creative yet realistic solutions.

May we please also hear that you will establish a ban on using primates and all other wild animals for future HBO productions?

We can assure you that audiences are overwhelmingly opposed to the use of primates and other wild animals for film and TV due to the well-publicized cruelty inherent in how these animals live and are trained when they’re forced to appear on screen. There are no more chimpanzees in Hollywood, and responsible producers today recognize that CGI is the only conscionable way to depict other primates, like monkeys, on screen.

The lives of monkeys exploited for TV are tragic. Most are taken away from their mothers prematurely—a practice that denies the infants the maternal care and nurturing that they need for normal development. In nature, macaques explore and forage through the tropical rainforests or temperate mountain ranges of Asia in large family groups. Denying these primates what’s natural and important to them and forcing them into close proximity to humans—a species they naturally avoid––causes them constant stress. Many suffer from debilitating loneliness and depression, as their complex physical and psychological needs can’t be met at training compounds or on television sets.

Using a monkey in this way is also a huge setback to the important efforts of animal advocates and primatologists, who are helping the public understand these animals’ similarities to humans and their capacity to suffer—a topic explored in depth in HBO’s very own Chimp Crazy.

Thank you for your attention. I look forward to discussing this important topic with you as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Lauren Thomasson

Director, Animals in Film and Television

PETA