“I think that the Planet of the Apes series makes people think about the apes and perhaps our relationship to them,” says Dr. Jane Goodall. “And anything that makes us think about our own humanity in relation to the rest of the animal kingdom is important. So I think the series has helped”.
“It is an honor and a privilege to partner with the Jane Goodall
Institute in providing needed care for our closest living animal
relatives,” said the film’s director Matt Reeves. “Over the course of
filming Caesar’s cinematic journey, it’s fascinated me to learn so much
about apes and chimpanzees, these amazing sentient animals who organize,
strategize and even socialize in much the same way as humans. Our hope
is this reimagined Apes franchise will spark a fresh awareness,
compassion and respect for these majestic species for generations to
come.”
The island sites where many of these chimpanzees now live, not only
provide a partial return to the kind of habitat from which they were
stolen, but also the opportunity to build strong, dynamic social
communities together in the wild - a true second chance. Just as the
apes in the film franchise work together to establish their own
community, the chimpanzees who live at Tchimpounga are building their
own communities. Many of them are not family members, and so through
observation and rigorous personality research the Institute’s staff
pairs chimpanzees they believe will thrive together in their new
communities within the sanctuary.
“One of the main threats to great apes is hunting and wildlife
trafficking. Many of the chimpanzees rescued by JGI were orphaned to be
taken as pets or for “roadside attractions,” said Dr. Carlos Drews, the
Institute’s executive director. “While use of great apes in
entertainment may be diminishing in some regions, it is increasing in
others. Not only is there no need to use chimpanzees and other great
apes in entertainment, but it is a moral imperative to find
alternatives. With films like War for the Planet of the Apes
using effective and magnificent human actor performance capture and
computer generated imagery, it demonstrates to the world a better way
forward for chimps and all animals.”
As a token of gratitude for
this partnership, the Institute has named the housing on Tchindzoulou
island, the largest of the three island sanctuary sites, after War for the Planet of the Apes’ hero chimpanzee, Caesar.
In “War for the Planet of the Apes,” the third chapter of the
critically acclaimed blockbuster franchise, Caesar and his apes are
forced into a deadly conflict with an army of humans led by a ruthless
Colonel. After the apes suffer unimaginable losses,
Caesar wrestles with his darker instincts and begins his own mythic
quest to avenge his kind. As the journey finally brings them face to
face, Caesar and the Colonel are pitted against each other in an epic
battle that will determine the fate of both their species and the future
of the planet.
“War for the Planet of the Apes” opens July 12 in (Phils.) cinemas nationwide from 20th Century to be distributed by Warner Bros.
Check 20th Century Fox (PH) Facebook page, YouTube 20thcenturyfoxph, IG 20thcenturyfoxph and Twitter @20centuryfoxph for more updates.
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