Intentions bared

Under normal circumstances, a photo of a mostly naked Diether Ocampo would cause a fit of giggles and uncomfortable blushing, probably elicit gasps from women, some sighing, some swooning, and some ribbing among the men instinctively sucking in their guts. After all, pretty-boy actor Diether Ocampo isn’t difficult to look at, in the buff.

This time, however, the simpering sighs aren’t as audible and the giggles are absent, replaced by a somber stirring usually incited by a dawning realization or even a guilty conscience. Because this time, Diether isn’t baring almost all for a film, a show or even a magazine. Indeed, he wouldn’t even go that far for those media outlets. Diether has gone bare for a good cause, an ad for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) that promotes an anti-zoo sentiment.

PETA has a reputation for convincing celebrities to bare skin. In previous locally-produced campaigns, PETA featured models Raya Mananquil, Isabel Roces and Corey Wills, and actress Chin Chin Gutierrez, who posed either naked or wearing nothing but stylized vegetables to promote vegetarianism and animal love. On the international scene, celebs like Pamela Anderson and Dennis Rodman have also posed almost in the buff for PETA.

The Diether ad is partly controversial, not only for the message it imparts, but because this is the actor’s boldest shoot to date. Shot by David Fabros, it shows Diether, naked except for the barest of skivvies, crouched inside a box barely four feet around painted with zebra stripes. A painted sign that reads "Naked Truth: Animals Don’t Belong in Zoos" is strategically positioned over his lower body to camouflage his underwear, creating an illusion that Diether is wearing nothing at all. Add to the image Diether’s unkempt longish hair, which makes him seem almost feral.

"We knew that it would get (the attention) of the young people of the MTV generation. We wanted something visual so it would really get them thinking," says Jason Baker, PETA director for the Asia-Pacific region. "It’s a cool-looking ad and Diether and I would just love to talk to people about zoos."

According to PETA, while animals in the wild live their entire lives with their close-knit families, animals kept in zoos are separated from their families as babies and "sentenced to a lifetime of boredom, loneliness, and even abuse." The cramped spaces (Jason tells of how some 80 to 100 turtles are crammed into a paltry eight-foot space in the Manila Zoo or how snakes are kept in glass cages where they can barely stretch to their full length, much less slither) and less-than-adequate conditions in zoos also cause many animals to perform self-mutilation and self-destructive behaviors, known as "zoochosis."

For Diether, who just finished Rounin, his new animefantaserye for ABS-CBN, and is now also promoting his rock band Blow’s newest album, baring almost all for PETA was no big deal. Openly an animal lover (he has 11 pets to date), Diether knows that a show of skin goes a long way to show support.

STAR: How did PETA convince you to go naked?

DIETHER OCAMPO: Actually, I convinced them. I asked Jason, "Can I do this ad for you guys?"

How did you learn about PETA?

I’m an animal lover myself and I received a copy of the Animal Times (published by PETA) and I got curious about PETA and found out that Jason is the one in charge in the Asia-Pacific region. We hooked up and we started exchanging e-mail and I learned more about animals, especially the ones in the zoos. Out of curiosity, I asked him about the current conditions of the animals in the Manila Zoo. It just so happened that they were coming up with this particular campaign and he started considering me for it.

Is this your most daring shoot yet?

Yes. I haven’t done anything like this before. When he told me about it, I said, "Well, let’s discuss it further."

How did you prepare for this shoot?

I actually had just returned from the States when Jason called me and said we were shooting the campaign. I really didn’t have time to prepare.

What do you remember about your zoo visits during your childhood?

I was in grade school when I went to the Manila Zoo. Looking back on it now, I realize that when you’re a kid inside a zoo, you don’t really look at the animals. You take a look for a few seconds and then just play around. You spend most of your time inside the zoo in the play area. So I can just imagine how those creatures feel inside their cages – they’re on exhibit but not much attention is really given to them. It’s probably like being stuck in your bedroom and your only communication with the outside world is through this small window, and you see people looking at you. But that’s it. You don’t get any exercise, no TV, no friends, no family. It’s total isolation. It’s really sad.

Do you think people gain anything from going to zoos, then?

Zoos don’t really serve the real purpose of having the animals there. Those animals don’t really exhibit their natural behavior in zoos. The zebra, for example. If you let them go in the wild, they’ll be running as fast as 56 kms per hour, but they can’t do that in a zoo, in those small containers. And they had no choice. It’s really up to us to do something about it.

What’s your favorite wild animal?

The lion. It’s supposed to be the supreme creature of the wild. I also like the zebra because I love to run.

What wild animal scares you?

Well, I’m arachnophobic. I hate huge spiders.

Refresh our memory on your current pet count.

I have six dogs, five cats. I have two Siberian huskies, one Golden Retriever, two Pomeranians, and a Toy Poodle.

Those are pretty hairy pets…

They are. I have to vacuum the sofa every single day.

Have you had other pets aside from dogs and cats?

Somebody gave me a bird but I set it free after a while. I didn’t want to keep it in a small cage. It should be flying from one tree to another. Even my dogs are let loose inside our house. They’re not leashed or inside a cage.

Do you adopt stray animals off the street?

I started out with a stray cat. But when we moved to another house, I realized that the cat had gotten used to the environment in the old house, so I left it there.

Let’s say you see a stray cat that has been run over in the street…

Oh, I had a very traumatic experience that was something like that. I was driving down one of the side streets along Shaw Boulevard and I saw this guy who was holding up a steel rod and was using it to whack this dog that was tied to a pole. I really wanted to get out of my car and stop him but I didn’t want to create any more tension. I felt so bad, though, and I really wish I had stopped.

Part of PETA’s mission is to convince people to go vegetarian…

Yes, I realize that.

Have they convinced you?

Getting there. It’s really hard. I’m starting to get into this fish-and-vegetable diet…

So you’re trying to become a pesco-vegetarian?

Yes.

Has it been hard? Would that explain the weight loss?

(Laughs) Yeah, I guess so, but it’s quite healthy. I have to watch my diet. My father died of colon cancer and one thing I learned about colon cancer is that you can get it from polyps you get from meat, especially red meat.

What do you think would be a better alternative to zoos?

Children can watch TV or maybe the government can provide schools with video documentaries featuring animals. This would be more cost-effective than bringing kids to Manila Zoo, where the kids won’t even be able to appreciate the natural behavior of these animals.

Are you up to doing more campaigns for PETA?

I wish I could do more for them. I hope people don’t take this campaign against PETA or against me. We have very good intentions in providing these animals with a proper sanctuary.

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For more information on the conditions of animals in zoos, visit www.wildlifepimps.com. For more information on PETA, visit www.PETAasiapacific.org or e-mail media@petaasiapacific.org. E-mail comments to ana_kalaw@pldtdsl.net.