Cheeta the Chimp Still Makes Them Smile

Great article from Cheeta the chimp, combining amusing anecdotes, interesting history and elements of primate interest (“Cheeta Speaks,” by J.R. Moehringer, April 22). He deserves his retirement, but, frankly, he should have been writing all these years.

Eric J. Fleetwood

Los Angeles

Moehringer’s story was excellent. It was informative, humorous, moving--and still managed to get a point across about animals in show business and their plight. Congratulations on a wonderful story and a wonderful writer. The article made my day!

Frank Lucido

Studio City

Cheeta said it all when he, through his spokesperson, pointed out the chief difference between him and humans: language. Otherwise, 98% of both species are about the same, especially our social and emotional lives. Why, then, do humans make great apes perform for our amusement, subject them to medical procedures we wouldn’t wish on our worst criminals and lock them up in solitary confinement?

If we recognize that great apes like Cheeta are close relatives, we should give equal consideration to their interests. Those interests mean they shouldn’t be used for our entertainment or research. And they deserve better living conditions than a barren concrete and steel cage.

Sandra Malone

Los Angeles

Especially sad is how unusual it is for an animal in entertainment to live as long as this one. I pray for a time when we will no longer find it acceptable to take wild animals from their families, confine them, train them and use them in entertainment.

Patti Breitman

Fairfax, Calif.

Moehringer’s delightful article about Cheeta, the chimpanzee who “starred” with Ronald Reagan, reinforces my view that the wrong one went to the White House.

Shelley Martin

San Pedro