For Immediate Release:
February 6, 2003

Contact:
Brandi Valladolid 757-622-7382

Chicago — PETA members, including one wearing nothing but a banner that reads, "I’d Rather Bare Skin Than Wear Skin," and with her nude body painted like an exotic leopard, will prowl the streets of Chicago next week as they protest cruelty to animals on fur farms.

Date: Tuesday, February 11
Time: 12 noon sharp
Place: 737 N. Michigan Ave. (outside Neiman-Marcus)

PETA’s "Leopard Lady" plans to warm even the coldest-hearted fur-wearers. "By showing some of my skin, I hope to save animals’ skins," says stripper-for-a-cause Brandi Valladolid.

On fur farms, animals are confined year-round to crowded, smelly cages, often with little protection from the elements. In winter, minks, foxes, and other animals endure freezing temperatures, rain, sleet, and snow. Minks are generally kept in cages only 1 foot by 3 feet, with up to four animals per cage. This crowding and confinement is especially distressing to minks, who are by nature solitary animals. Many exhibit symptoms of psychological distress, such as self-mutilation, pacing, and endless circling.

No federal law protects animals on fur farms. Because fur farmers care only about preserving the quality of the fur, minks and foxes are gassed, strangled, or electrocuted for their pelts. PETA’s "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" Campaign has made headlines worldwide, with protesters marching au naturel for animals in Tokyo, Montréal, Paris, Milan, Hong Kong, Moscow, and most recently, Beijing.

For more information about PETA’s Anti-Fur Campaign, please visit our Web site FurIsDead.com.