Steve Martin's Working Wildlife of Los Angeles, the sole supplier of Hollywood’s orangutans, has finally taken heed of conservationists’ pleas and sent their six remaining apes to a sanctuary in Iowa. The supplier felt that featuring orangutans in advertising, film and television was doing little to enhance awareness of the importance of ape conservation. Rocky, 3, who most recently featured in a photo-shoot with Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie for the US version of Elle, and his 19-year-old mother, Katy, have recently been transferred to the Des Moines research centre and four more will follow in the coming months. They will join three resident orangutans and a cast of bonobos, chimpanzees and gorillas. Norm Rosen, president of the Orangutan Conservancy, believes the move is a much needed change, “The idea of laughing at an orangutan in a television commercial or a greeting card might seem harmless, but there is a very direct correlation between the way we view orangutans in America or Europe and the way they are perceived in Southeast Asia.”

Orangutans demonstrate significant intelligence, including an ability to reason, and are one of our closest relatives, sharing 97% of the same DNA. Wildlife experts say the estimated 62,000 orangutans remaining in the wild could be wiped out within as little as 12 years if loggers and palm oil farmers destroy their remaining Asian forest habitats.