PETA was notified by concerned citizens that a Jackson, Tenn., merchant's planned festivities for its National Day of the American Cowboy celebration included a cruel greased-pig contest. This "family fun" event would have involved slathering terrified pigs in grease and letting children pull and chase them around. We immediately contacted event organizers to let them know that these contests cause pigs to endure pain and stress and that the children who participate in these cruel events receive a lesson in insensitivity to animals. R&J Feed Supply quickly wrote back to let us know that it will not use pigs or any other animals at future "Cowboy Day" events!
A student at Plant City High School in Florida alerted PETA to the fact that one of his agricultural science teachers had ordered her students to bury alive several baby rabbits and that when they refused, she had dismembered them with a shovel. PETA immediately forwarded this information to Hillsborough County Animal Services, which investigated and charged the teacher with two counts of cruelty to animals.
After hearing from a whistleblower that students in an animal science class at a Texas high school were forced to kill and skin rabbits, PETA's Laboratory Investigations Department immediately contacted the school's principal with information about teaching methods that don't involve animals. The school has announced a permanent end to the rabbit killings.
PETA successfully facilitated the release of four raccoons and two coatis from a disgusting Arkansas hellhole that was disguised as a "Raccoon Rescue." These wild animals had been born and raised in deplorable conditions, and some of them had even been bred for profit. The animals are now thriving in a reputable wildlife rehab center in Texas.
Upon learning that mice were being used in radiation demonstrations at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell, PETA sent a letter to the university administration asking for an immediate end to these cruel and unnecessary exercises. In a timely and compassionate response, the university agreed.
