Leonardo DiCaprio Slammed by PETA for The Wolf of Wall Street Chimp Scene

Truth rating: 10

(Getty Images)

(Getty Images)

Leonardo DiCaprio is being targeted by PETA for appearing with a chimpanzee in the upcoming movie The Wolf of Wall Street.

The actor’s “raucous scene” with the ape has earned him scrutiny from the animal rights organization, which wants to remind him and moviegoers “that chimpanzees are abused and taken from their mothers at an early age before being forced into Hollywood.”

According to PETA, Chance, the chimpanzee whom DiCaprio’s character drags through an office party in the movie, was provided by the Rosaire family, “which is notorious for operating a traveling circus that forces chimpanzees to perform cruel and unnatural acts.”

The advocacy group alleges that Chance’s exhibitor has been cited for “multiple violations of the Animal Welfare Act” due to failure to ensure safety and well being, and that investigations show that ape “actors” suffer physical abuse, cruelty and isolation in the entertainment business.

“Someone as committed to environmental concerns as Leonardo DiCaprio should know better than to support the well-documented cruelty involved in using great apes for entertainment,” says PETA primatologist Julia Gallucci in a statement.

She adds, “PETA hopes the next time Leo receives a script with an ape ‘actor’ in it, he’ll remember that these sensitive animals are stolen from their mothers at birth and subjected to physical abuse — and he’ll demand a rewrite.”

What do you think about PETA’s campaign?

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Daniel Jacobson