Officials representing the animal rights group PETA are still investigating claims that ape actor Chim Chim has been beaten.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) activists are urging Hollywood insiders to report animal cruelty issues on film sets after learning a chimpanzee

Officials representing the animal rights group are still investigating claims that ape actor Chim Chim was beaten after biting one of his human co-stars.

And, in the meantime, they want "whistle-blowers" to come forward with cruelty stories - and they've taken out a full-page ad in trade paper Daily Variety to recruit animal lovers.

A PETA spokeswoman says, "(Variety) readers who witness or suspect animal abuse in the production of a movie should immediately report the incident to PETA."

The group has set up a "special hotline" and a website, NoMoreMonkeyBusiness.com, for their insiders, and promise all alerts will be treated with confidentiality. (c) WENN