Audiovisual - Living conditions
Animals affected
Birds, Reptiles, Felines, Primates, Amphibians, Cetaceans, Elephants, Bears, Wolves, Giraffes, Seals, Zebras, Sea lionsRange
InternacionalAREA OF FAADA ACTIVITY
SpainDescription
Even having the best intentions does not make it possible to recreate the habitat and complex social relations of wild animals. In most cases the animals used in filming live in reduced spaces lacking in environmental enrichment.
There are also suppliers that keep their animals in relatively large adapted enclosures. However, although they make assurances that the animals will be offered the best living conditions, these suppliers end up supporting and taking economic advantage of the very industry they were hoping to distance themselves from. Ultimately they shut the animals up in their installations denying them their freedom and the physical and social behaviour natural to their species. As long as the demand for wild animals continues for this (and other) type of practice, activities like the hunting and smuggling of wild animals will not disappear.
Loti and Tarzan, chimpanzees rescued in Spain from the audiovisual industry, took 9 years to overcome their problems of agoraphobia and go back outside.
The anti-natural environmental and psychological conditions in which these animals are forced to live may provoke traumas and psychological problems which last a lifetime. Loti and Tarzan, two chimpanzees that appeared in several audiovisual productions (La Marató on TV3 in 2006, among others) and had to live in the trailer of a truck for several years, are an example of this. When they were rescued by the Rainfer Rescue Centre (Madrid) they had serious skin problems (lacking hair and colour, and with severe dermatitis). They also had an underdevelopment of skeletal muscles and serious psychological disorders (profound apathy, fear of people and agoraphobia). It wasn’t until 2016, after 9 years in the centre and a lot of care, that they managed to get over their fear of going out of doors and set foot on the soil of the open-air part of their enclosure.
Our action
At the state level
- Through our project ADnimalsfree we are raising awareness of the problem areas pertaining to the use of animals in the audiovisual sector.
- We organise speeches in specialist universities.
- We donate to national sanctuaries of animals rescued from the audiovisual industry.
- We carry out legal action in Spain.
- We offer advice to Spanish companies in the audiovisual sector.
Among the successful initiatives we highlight:
- Award for the “Best Online Campaign 2014” in the GOLIADS for the campaign “Wild Advertising Awards” made in collaboration with the agency CONTRAPUNTO BBDO.
- Collaboration with the Fundación Mundo Ciudad, which has stopped accepting pieces starring wild animals in their 8 festivals and since 2013 presents the “Adnimalsfree” awards in the Publifestival gala, the International Social Advertising Festival.
- The withdrawal of the images of a white tiger in the Nivea commercial “Incredible Experiences in the Shower”.
- Spanish trending topic with the hashtag #ApagónVayaFauna in 2015.
- Commitment from Unilever not to use wild animals in any more of its European audiovisual productions, 2016.
- Gold in the Premios Eficacia 2016 (Efficiency Awards) in the category of “Social Responsibility NGO” for the campaign #ElCastingMásBestia (the most beastly audition) made in collaboration with the agency CONTRAPUNTO BBDO and getting over a million and a half views on social media.
What can you do?
- Find out what is involved in the use of wild animals in audiovisual productions. Help us to publicise our projects and get the message to more people.
- If you need to contract an advertising agency or a professional from the sector, do so with one which has made the FAADA pledge to work responsibly.
- If you are a professional of the sector, ask us for advice about the existing digital alternatives and make the pledge.
