Humane Society award goes to the Apes

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BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., March 25 (UPI) -- The Humane Society of America presented the 26th Genesis Awards in Los Angeles, naming "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" best feature film, its Web site said.

The Genesis Awards were presented by the Humane Society of the United States Saturday night in Beverly Hills, Calif., to honor exceptional productions by major news and entertainment media that raise public awareness concerning animal issues, the Los Angeles Times reported.

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" was singled out as the best feature film of 2011 "for examining the ethics of using chimpanzees in medical research."

"The Colbert Report" won a Genesis Award in the comedy category for what the Humane Society said was as "a satirical twist on the whaling issue and a Utah legislator's proposal to kill feral dogs and cats."

Other winners included NBC's "Today," Nickelodeon's "Nick News With Linda Ellerbee," CBS' "Hawaii Five-0," ABC's "20/20," PBS' "Sid the Science Kid" and "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the Times said.

The real winners "are the animals themselves, who rely on these invaluable voices to speak for them," said Beverly Kaskey, senior director of the Humane Society's Hollywood Outreach program.