Don't give the apes a reason to rise against mankind.
A video released by the Bronx Zoo depicts Chewy, one of the zoo's pygmy marmosets, appealing to viewers to sign a petition to prevent City Hall from slashing its allotted budget drastically this year. The 58% budget cut would also affect the New York Aquarium in Brooklyn. The video was posted to the Wildlife Conservation Society's YouTube page, as well as the Bronx Zoo website.
The Bronx Zoo is no stranger to scrimping and saving. In 2009, the zoo closed three exhibits and laid off 186 employees. (As they so eloquently put it at the time, "We don't have the luxury of firing the walrus"). The current budget reduction was initially proposed last year in one of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's moves to cut down on institutional spending.