'When I'm 64': Sir Paul McCartney donates Beatles classic to help Save the Chimps

Many of us will be familiar with the Beatles classic 'When I'm 64'. What do you think of his donation of its use in this Save the Chimps for this campaign, reminding us that chimpanzees can live into their 60s? The aim is for fans to add their donations to those of animal welfare donors to contribute to their lifetime care at the organisation's Florida sanctuary. Save the Chimps says it is "one of the largest chimpanzee sanctuaries in the world whose mission is to provide refuge and exemplary care to chimpanzees in need. Save the Chimps offers life-long care for chimpanzees rescued from research laboratories, the pet trade, and entertainment industry". It was founded by the late Carole Noon in 1997 in response to the U.S. Air Force’s announcement that it would no longer conduct research on chimpanzees. Outraged over the treatment and conditions that these chimpanzees had endured, Dr. Noon sued the Air Force on behalf of the captive chimpanzees and gained permanent custody of twenty-one chimps. According to the organisation's website, she and co-founder Jon Stryker of the Arcus Foundation worked together to purchase 150 acres in Fort Pierce, Florida and designed a state-of-the-art chimpanzee sanctuary, including a three-acre island home complete with hills, shelter, and climbing structures. Sir Paul McCartney, himself now 80 and said to be the richest musician in the world, says that he wrote the song 'When I'm 64' when he was about 15 and it was worked into a full track when his own father, Jim, turned 64 in 1966. It tells the tale of young man looking ahead with concern about the longevity and quality of his relationships in the onset of old age. "Back then I wasn’t necessarily looking to be a rock ‘n’ roller," Sir Paul reportedly said. "When I wrote ‘When I’m 64’ I thought I was writing a song for Sinatra". Is this campaign an effective blend of classic song with humanitarian purpose?

Keywords: Save the Chimps When I'm 64, chimpanzee sanctuary Florida, Sir Paul McCartney and Save the Chimps, animal welfare