Written by PETA
We were blown away when we read that Jess Origliasso, one-half of the gorgeous pop duo The Veronicas, feels the way she does about the nasty fur trade.
Not only is Jess fur-free, but she certainly ain't shy about lettin' the world know it. She told Confidential, "Death for these animals is a horror story—the most common method used for killing foxes is electrocution. I can't speak for Lisa [her twin and bandmate], but I admire the approach to the eye-catching photo shoots PETA [does] to get the important message out there." Wow! Well-worded, and thanks for the shout-out!
She's so bold with her animal rights message that she's even worn a faux fur jacket that reads "F*** Fur." In-your-face sass like this makes her fans set down their soy mochas, snap their necks, and say "Daaaaaang!" at how fly this girl is.
Written by Missy Lane
We approached Spirit Airlines about buying ad space for our G-rated and quite cute "Let Birds Keep Their Wings" ad, which promotes going vegetarian. After Spirit offered us some bogus reasons for rejecting the ad (too small a buy, it only accepts industry ads), we got to the bottom of it. Spirit admitted that it just doesn't want to work with us at all, period. It would rather carry on irritating its flight attendants and captains with ads that have caused a staff uproar for featuring specials for "Double D's," "Red Light Specials," and a "MILF Sale." See our proposed ad below:
We have sent a letter to Patricia Friend, president of the Association of Flight Attendants–Communications Workers of America, asking for support. We figure that most flight attendants would prefer not to have to deal with heart-attacks that may be linked to meat-heavy diets anyway.
Written by Lianne Turner
Going green is on everyone's mind lately—but unfortunately, Indiana is having trouble in that area because of a severe shortage of another type of green …
Basic recycling programs have come under the budget-cutting ax. But don't go grey over it: We've got a suggestion that could save our Hoosier cousins from a real trash flow problem.
We've written to Thomas Easterly, commissioner of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, offering to pay to put creative advertising all over the state's recycling trucks. Check out our letter to Mr. Easterly here.
PETA's point is that in addition to causing immense suffering to animals, meat production is the leading cause of greenhouse-gas emissions and contributes to other forms of pollution such as depletion of aquifers and pollution of waterways. But a picture is worth a thousand words, so check this out:
Written by Christine Doré
San Juan Capistrano has its swallows and Austin has its bats, but who knew that Singer Island, Florida, has its sharks? Lifeguards have reported seeing a thousand sharks this week off just one beach during the sharks' annual migration south. (Check out this video footage that some surfers shot of a spinner shark leaping and twirling out of the water just a few yards away. Da-yum!)
The enormous number of sharks has forced the beaches to close—but they've also drawn a swarm of gawkers and media cameras. And you have to know that wherever gawkers and media cameras can be found, PETA can't be far away. Yup, we've hired a plane to fly up and down the oceanfront tomorrow bearing the message, "Sharks aren't the only dangerous predators. Go vegetarian."
Every year, more than 50 million sharks and billions of other sea animals are killed and eaten by human beings—in contrast, fewer than a dozen people worldwide were killed by sharks last year. Many species of sharks and other fish have been decimated by overfishing—it's estimated that 29 percent of fish species have "collapsed," or declined by 90 percent over the past 50 years.
That's why we're making the case that the world's most dangerous predators aren't in the water at all—they're lined up at the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Because it's the only way he can get out of the mud! Fortunately, this South Carolina dog and two dozen others are now high and dry—literally—thanks to the intervention of a concerned citizen, a plucky animal control officer, and PETA.
The dog's owner—the word "guardian" wouldn't fit the bill here!—kept 15 dogs in mud-filled pens and another 15 on top of each other inside his mobile home (seen in the background of this photo). We think he fits the description of a hoarder—a person who compulsively collects animals in the same way that someone might collect newspapers or stuffed toys. Most hoarders claim to be "saving" animals from euthanasia at animal shelters—some even call themselves "rescue groups" or "no-kill shelters" and have catchy, appealing names for their hellholes. All hoarders have a compulsion to collect (and usually neglect) animals and a total inability to recognize the horrific misery and often slow death that they are imposing on the animals.
This man claimed to be trying to create a new "designer" breed, but there's no indication that he ever planned to sell any of the dogs, and he didn't have a breeding license. Nor did he provide the dogs with anything close to adequate protection from the elements, as you can see in the photos below.
Catch this: South Carolina authorities claim that the only law this man was breaking was in failing to provide the dogs with clean water, which is a misdemeanor. South Carolina's cruelty laws are so vague that the broken pallets, rags, tarps, and pieces of plywood that were the dogs' only "shelter" were deemed to not be in violation.
After a delicate round of negotiations, PETA's Cruelty Investigations Division was able to coordinate a meeting between the man and an animal control officer (who had previously been barred from the property by the man—under threat of being shot). At the meeting, the man agreed to relinquish most of the dogs.
If you’re moved by this story please take a moment to help with other cruelty cases by participating in PETA’s Action Alerts.
Veggie Love—our ad that we tried to air during the upcoming Super Bowl but that was rejected by NBC—has sparked mega-interest in the sex appeal of bok choy and broccoli! From CNN and Fox News to the Huffington Post—and Whoopi Goldberg acting out the ad on The View—everyone's in the mood … for steaming-hot vegetables.
Some sillies have labeled the video as NSFW and NSFTSB because of the sexual theme and scantily clad women, but others have rightly pointed out that PETA is not alone in such advertising.
Does anyone remember the Carl's Jr. commercial in which a woman rides a mechanical bull while chowing down on a greasy beef burger? I guess a bump and grind with a mechanical animal is somehow less suggestive than playfully licking a pumpkin?
Part of the debate surrounding the ad has been about the beautiful actresses who lent their talents for it. Our behind-the-scenes video gives you an insiders' look at the set of "Veggie Love," and Cassie (the hot tub girl) talks about her lives and loves. Amanda goes into the whole group thing, but that's another story …
Written by Amy Cook
Many of us have trouble envisioning a world without iPods, iPhones, and other iAwesome ways to connect with each other and listen to tunes, but Apple has really outdone itself this time. The new iPhoto face-recognition software that comes in the new iLife package for Mac computers is designed to make tagging photos in your library much quicker. You tell it who a person is, and it automatically goes and finds other pictures of that person and tags them with his or her name. Pretty incredible as is, right? But here's the coolest part—it also works for cats!
Now, you and I know that every cat is a unique and special individual, but who knew that the folks at Apple were cat people, too? We're so pleased at Apple's acknowledgment that cats are members of the family that we're sending Apple a certificate of recognition today.
You can show your love for Apple, too, by posting a comment below.
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner has to have a lot on his mind right now. With the Super Bowl right around the corner, he's gotta be fully focused on taking the Cards to their first "Big Dance." And stress? Not only is he feeling pressure to bring home some more Super Bowl bling, but his wife and kids are also pressuring him to bring home a dog.
According to a recent article, good ol' Kurt allegedly promised his family that they could get a dog if the Cards win the Super Bowl. While Warner doesn't seem quite ready to bow to their request for a new bow-wow yet, wife Brenda isn't backing down. And neither are we. Recently, our sports aficionado Dan Shannon penned a missive to Warner asking him to consider adopting a dog from an animal shelter.
"The Cardinals have been called an underdog all season, so I think you'll easily sympathize with the 'underdogs' staring out from the shelter kennels, longing for someone to take them home and love them," writes Dan in the letter.
Our advice to Kurt? Watch out for the blitz, don't get on Anquan Boldin's bad side, and avoid getting tackled by or tangled up in Polamalu's hair. And if you do win, skip Disneyland and take the kiddies to your local animal shelter instead. If you don't win, head to the shelter anyways. Nothing mends a broken heart like the love of a good mutt.
Written by Amy Elizabeth
People often hear about PETA's "big" victories for animals—such as how Donna Karan dropped fur from her collections—but that's just the tip of the iceberg. For instance, as a result of pressure from PETA, government officials in Ohio agreed to cancel plans to poison the pigeons who had made their homes near the county courthouse. The original plan was to serve up feeders full of poisoned birdseed to the unsuspecting pigeons. Messed up, right? Good thing we stepped in, because—thanks to our efforts—they'll be researching more humane methods.
The poison would have sent birds into convulsions, made them disoriented, and caused them to suffer for hours before dying. Poison is indiscriminate—any bird could ingest it. And the dead birds' bodies would also have posed a hazard to other animals, including cats, dogs, and birds of prey, who might consume them.
Not only is poisoning pigeons cruel, it doesn't even accomplish the long-term goal of getting rid of the population. Pigeons naturally maintain their numbers depending on the amount of food and space available. If 100 pigeons were poisoned, the surviving pigeons would breed more quickly to replace the dead members of their flock, which means that the population would actually increase over time. Case in point: These same officials had tried poisoning the flock in the past, only to find themselves with even more feathered friends in the long run.
Nonlethal methods of resolving conflicts with pigeons, such as Bird Barrier, are not only kinder but also more effective. Everybody wins!
Once again our band of beautiful activists braved the winter weather to throw an eye-catching unwelcome party for circuses all across the South. The attention garnered by their loveliness was directed at the ugly circus industry.
Using abuse to force majestic elephants and big cats into performing humiliating tricks is depraved. That fact that circuses pawn this off as family entertainment just makes us tear our hair out (and our clothes off)! Take a look.
Whew—and I have to wear a jacket just sitting at my desk sometimes. Thanks for your dedication!
If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.
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