"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" took top film honors at the Genesis Awards for examining the ethics of using chimpanzees in medical research.
The awards, which honor news and entertainment media for raising public awareness of animal issues, were held Saturday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. The event will be presented as a one-hour special on Animal Planet on May 5.
Also read: 'War Horse," "Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Nominated for Genesis Awards
The Sid Caesar Comedy Award went to "The Colbert Report" for the second consecutive year, this time for a satirical twist on the whaling issue and a Utah legislator’s proposal to kill feral dogs and cats.
"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" was named outstanding talk show for an interview with Humane Society president and CEO Wayne Pacelle about dogfighting and puppy mills.
The Morgan Freeman-narrated IMAX documentary, 'Born to Be Wild 3D" won the feature documentary honor for its look at people rehabilitating baby elephants and orangutans orphaned by poaching and habitat encroachment.
"Gordon Ramsay: Shark Bait" was named best TV documentary for its expose of shark-finning and "Animal Planet Investigates: Captive Hunting Exposed" was named top reality series for is show about “hunting” tame animals trapped in fenced pens.
ABC’s "20/20" was honored in the TV newsmagazine category for exposing inhumane conditions at an egg factory farm; "NBC Nightly News" was recognized with the national news award for multiple issues, including the fate of horses used by smugglers to cross the border; while the morning news award went to NBC’s Jill Rappaport of "Today" for a series of reports on the dedicated rescuers of homeless pets.
"Dancing with the Stars" judge Carrie Ann Inaba opened the ceremony alongside Uggie, the show-stealing terrier from "The Artist."