Aflac Up for PETA Litterbox Award for Bad Animal Ad

PETA nominated Aflac for its Litterbox Award, for using a young orangutan to portray inferior competitors in one of its television ads. PETA gives out its Litterbox Awards once a year for ads that are bad for animals. The Columbus, Ga based company Aflac has ignored evidence presented by PETA and great-ape experts about young orangutan’s abuse and other primates for entertainment. Baby primates are often taken from their parents at a young age and are beaten and shocked in order to get them to pay attention and do acts they see as senseless. PETA provided Aflac with results conducted by a primatologist who spent 14 months undercover at a California facility that trains primates for entertainment. Orangutans around 8-years-old are considered to powerful to control and are often left in old roadside zoos. . A study recently published by primatologists revealed, "The inappropriate portrayal of great apes in advertisements undermines the scientific, welfare, and conservation goals that we and many readers work hard to achieve." A reported 3,500 people have complained to Aflac for it is add after viewing PETAs Web site. "Aflac is damaging its own reputation by ignoring the public's interest in the preservation and protection of great apes," PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said.

PETA also gives out Glitterbox Awards to company ads that depict animals in a positive manner and promote respect for animals. After viewing the ad, it doesn’t seem harmful to the animal or negative but the use of animals in ads usually is supposed to be cute and bring in sales. Aflac needs to respond to PETAs statements and either pull the ad or refute the organizations claims of animal cruelty. The negative attention from PETA could ruin the image of the insurance company and lead to Aflac no longer using animal’s period in their ads. This could spillover to the company not using their famed Aflac duck although not a real animal in its TV ads. This is the commercial in question and judged by PETAs Litterbox Awards.