Written by PETA
Back in October, we told you about the geniuses (sarcasm alert) in Clay County, Florida, who decided that the best way to figure out whether a dog had died from heatstroke when an animal control officer left her in a sweltering truck was to—wait for it—put another dog in the sweltering truck and see if that dog would suffer horribly too. (Fortunately, he survived and was returned to the city animal shelter.)
Like I said: geniuses.
As you might expect, we filed a criminal complaint, but the prosecutor's office refused to take the case. So, because the Clay County brain trust had decided that they were qualified to conduct experiments on animals, we filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) because this impromptu experiment appeared to violate numerous Animal Welfare Act (AWA) regulations.
Now, the USDA has cited Clay County Animal Control for no less than five—count 'em, five—violations of the AWA. From the USDA's memo:
Clay County Animal Control does not have an IACUC [Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee]. No protocol was prepared, and a veterinarian was not consulted for this project. There were no searches for alternatives, nor were there any attempts to demonstrate that this project did not unnecessarily duplicate previous experiments.
The animal control brainiacs said that they didn't think that this kind of atrocity experiment was regulated, but, as the USDA official dryly noted, "I explained to them that this was." Apparently, the explanation was slow enough and used one-syllable words, because the violators understood it well enough to assure the USDA that "they will not perform any research activity in the future." Phew!
Clay County's dogs (and other animals) should be able to rest easier—and so should the human residents, as it's now likely that county officials will think twice before deciding that they're qualified to, say, perform open-heart surgery.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Today, lawyers gave their closing arguments in the court case involving Ringling's use of steel-barbed bullhooks and shackles on the elephants it forces to perform. Over the course of the six-week trial, the following evidence was presented:
Check back with the PETA Files in the coming months for an update on the verdict. We hope that the elephants win, but regardless of the outcome, the trial has already generated lots of deservedly negative publicity for this miserable circus. And that's a good thing considering how hard Ringling works to put a misleading, positive spin on clamping elephants in irons, dominating and intimidating them with bullhooks, and confining them to boxcars and arena basements for much of their lives.
Written by Alisa Mullins
So, who watched The Colbert Report last night? I did, of course, but that's not unusual for me. Once again, Stephen's endless pursuit of hard-hitting news has led him to feature PETA's ideas—and Ingrid was on the show!
Colbert interviewed Ingrid on a subject that's either revolutionary or revolting, depending on your point of view: in vitro meat. As you may remember, PETA is offering 1 million dollars to the first team of scientists that can develop a method to produce viable, commercially available, lab-grown chicken meat by 2010. If the in vitro meat looks and tastes just like the "real thing" and can be sold at a competitive price, then even those who refuse to kick their meat addictions will have no justification for the continued slaughter of animals for food.
As you may have seen in last night's episode, scientists are already tackling this, ahem, meaty issue. And hey, who knows—maybe the "Colbert Bump" was exactly what this contest needed! We anticipate an absolute flood of entries in the very near future.
As for in vitro meat, what does the PETA Files nation think—revolutionary or revolting?
Written by Amanda Schinke
It's that time again—"Win It" Wednesday! What's the prize this week? It's our brand-spanking-new "Mean People Wear Fur" T-shirt, in honor of our equally brand-spanking-new "Stolen for Fashion" PSA.
"Stolen for Fashion" follows an alligator and a bunny (voiced by Pink and Ricky Gervais, respectively) as they confront the people who stole their skins. It's the first and only animal rights video using CGI (computer-generated imagery), so it's pretty special, just like these awesome T-shirts.
The tee comes in milky red and black amethyst, so if you win, you'll have to let us know which color you want, in addition to the size.
How do you win? Leave us a comment letting us know why you think people should only wear their own skin. The three people who post the most creative answers will each take home a "Mean People Wear Fur" T-shirt.
The contest ends on March 25, 2009, and we'll choose the three most creative comments on March 26, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Check back every Wednesday for new prizes. Good luck!
Written by Lianne Turner
We predict a hit with ABC's new sitcom Better Off Ted, which premieres tonight (check local listings for times). I mean, with a story line that revolves around in vitro meat, as it does in the first episode, how could the show fail?
The premise of Ted, which sounds sort of like a cross between The Office and Big Bang Theory, is that smart and successful, if somewhat nerdy, employees are forced to use their powers for bizarre, if not downright unethical, endeavors by a soulless corporation. They are asked to weaponize pumpkins (which doesn't sound all bad, really) and to create uncomfortable, scratchy office chairs (some chairs do seem to have gone missing from the PETA office). They even cryogenically freeze a company scientist for a year as part of an experiment (now that's the kind of animal testing we can get behind—just kidding, c'mon).
But back to that in vitro meat. We can't help but think that the show's creators were inspired by PETA's call to scientists to develop a commercially viable lab-grown meat by 2012. As an incentive, we're dangling a big, juicy carrot in the form of a $1 million prize. Hey, we already have lab-grown candy—how big of a leap is from it Pop Rocks to test-tube T-bones?
Considering that Tiger Woods' life is essentially a media circus, we hope that the superstar golfer can relate to the plight of his namesakes in the circus. That's why we've written a letter to Tiger asking him to tee up for one of our ever-popular naked tiger demos. We're hoping that Mr. Woods will show his true stripes by stripping down to his skivvies and painting his body with orange and black stripes—something like the (awesome) photo illustration below:
Quite a change from the traditional polo shirt and Nike cap, but, hey, we can dream, can't we?
It seems like everyone and their grandma (literally) is getting into social networking. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter are all the rage nowadays, so you know that PETA is all over it. As long as you're scanning your tweets on Twitter and poking friends on Facebook, why don't you check out what PETA is up to as well?
At the moment, we're fighting to end the Canadian seal slaughter. Here are a few easy tips for spreading the word about the seal slaughter through your social network:
Facebook
MySpace
Twitter
Now that you're equipped to fight the social-networking war against the seal slaughter, I'll see you on the field!
After years of pressure from animal rights activists nationwide—including PETA—JCPenney has finally decided to stop peddling pelts.
PETA first wrote to JCPenney about its support of the cruel fur industry in 2001, and we have kept the pressure on the company ever since, including sending complaints to the company over its mislabeling of fur items.
In making this decision to become fur-free, JCPenney joins dozens of other major companies—including Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap, Polo Ralph Lauren, Wet Seal, and Forever 21—that also refuse to sell the fur of abused animals. Like most modern retailers, these companies know that the fur trade is violent and bloody, and they refuse to support it. They know that animals who are trapped and farmed for their fur are often beaten to death, drowned, anally electrocuted, and skinned alive. They know that today's shoppers don't want to support this abuse, and they have responded by refusing to sell any fur, including fur trim.
Three cheers for JCPenney and everyone who helped persuade the company to become fur-free!
If you want to help PETA win more victories like this one, please take part in our current campaign to convince Giorgio Armani to become fur-free by using this automated form to write a letter to his company.
Written by Matt Prescott
Top o' the mornin' and happy St. Patrick's Day to you! Since you'd never find a real leprechaun at a KFC (leprechauns are far too smart for that), PETA sent out our own sexy Leprechaun Ladies to encourage passersby to opt for pots of gold, not buckets of chicken. Check out these photos for a leprechaun sighting that doesn't require a rainbow:
"Even on St. Patty's Day, chickens raised and killed for KFC are the unluckiest animals in the world," says PETA Leprechaun Lady Kristina Addington. "Once people find out about the cruelty behind every bucket of chicken, they won't eat at KFC for all the pots of gold in the world."
This, ladies and gentlemen, is the seal slaughter:
Yeah. We thought that it was awful too.
How can you help end this atrocity? Glad you asked. Click here.
Written by Christine Doré
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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