GREETINGS cards featuring apes have been withdrawn from sale after animal rights activists claimed they are cruel.
Card firm Moonpig has pulled all products featuring dressed-up chimps following pressure from animal rights PETA.
The company caved in after strong protests the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Apes have featured in TV advertising and on greeting cards for decades – most famously in a long-running series of popular adverts for PG Tips tea bags.
Peta’s Yvonne Taylor said: “By banning images of captive great apes in unnatural situations, Moonpig has made a huge difference in both the wild and in captivity.
“We now hope other card manufacturers follow the company’s compassionate lead.”
But social media watchers said PETA were being “killjoys” and trying to end harmless fun.
One said: “Really what harm do these cards do?
“Whatever next?”
A study by the University of Edinburgh claimed the use of primates in the entertainment industry “damages their welfare by fooling the public into thinking they are happy in human environments”.
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