The next time you hit a mall owned by Simon Property Group, you'll probably find plenty of shoes, sweaters, and giant pretzels—but what you won't find are whips and chains. That's because after meeting with PETA and hearing from countless concerned shoppers who responded to our action alert, Simon—the largest real estate company in the country—has banned all exotic-animal exhibits at all of its properties. For enacting this lifesaving policy, Simon has been given a PETA Proggy Award ("proggy" stands for "progress") for Best Animal-Friendly Real Estate Company. 

If you've been to a local mall, chances are pretty good that it's a Simon property, since the S&P 500 corporation owns more malls in the U.S. than any other company. Simon's new policy means that exhibitors such as Carson & Barnes that haul elephants and tigers around in trucks from one parking lot to the next will have to set up shop elsewhere—or, hopefully, nowhere. Expanding on the company's compassion footprint, earlier this year, Simon demanded that the Iditarod remove its name as a sponsor of the deadly race.

Please thank CEO David Simon for making the right decision and let him know that you'll be sure to shop at Simon malls.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

We're always super chuffed to hear what our supporters are doing to help animals (hey, we can't do it all ourselves!), so please, let us brag on one of our star members:

It was next to the last minute, when Anna Ware—a member of both PETA's Executive Committee and our Vanguard Society—discovered that the notoriously cruel Carson & Barnes Circus would be arriving in her community. Undeterred, she pulled together a great demonstration in less than 24 hours. Calling her friends to call their friends and calling us to call everyone we know, she let circus attendees know that they'd best turn around or they would be contributing to the suffering of animals. Anna went to Kinko's and printed out posters that detailed how camels and other animals are denied basic comforts such as shade and water, and she and the other demonstrators educated anyone within earshot:

No matter which circus may be coming to your town—or how last-minute it may be—you can follow Anna's example and put together an effective demonstration on the fly. For more ideas about how you can speak out for animals, check this out!

Written by Jeff Mackey