Written by PETA
In Canada, you can have your pie—you just can't throw it too. PETA supporter Emily McCoy is saying au revoir to Canada after a certain tofu cream pie left her hand and wound up in the face of Fisheries Minister Gail Shea. McCoy appeared in an Ontario courtroom yesterday to face charges of assault after she pushed the pie into Shea's face as part of a protest against Canada's annual seal slaughter. McCoy was spared jail time, but the judge sentenced her to two years of probation during which time she is banned from Canada, its embassies, and contact with all Canadian officials.
A New York resident, McCoy doesn't generally visit Canada all that often, although she is sorry that she won't be able to protest the seal slaughter on Canadian soil for the next two years. Hopefully, by the end of her probation, Canada's bloody seal massacre will be nothing but a sad memory, and she will be able to visit Canada as a tourist, not a protester.
If you would like to bring attention to the seal slaughter sans pastry, visit CanadasShame.com.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
The following is a Canada Day guest post from Bill Maher, the genius behind Politically Incorrect and HBO's Real Time With Bill Maher. Maher offered his wit for an op-ed, originally posted in today's Daily News, in a humorous protest against a deadly serious issue: Canada's annual slaughter of tens of thousands of seals—the largest massacre of marine mammals in the world.
Here's some good news from my friends at PETA, just in time for Canada Day on July 1: Canada's annual commercial seal slaughter is over—at least for this year—and more than 80 percent of the seals who had been marked for death were spared because hardly anyone wants to wear baby-seal fur anymore. But Canada won't cancel the massacre outright. Why?
There are a lot of things to admire about our neighbor to the north, but the country's strange seal phobia is not one of them. Canada is terrified of seals. Baby seals, in particular. I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either.
Canada's seal "hunt"—which happens every November to June off Canada's East Coast—is the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet, leaving tens of thousands of animals dead every year. And let's be clear: The Canadian government may call it a "hunt," but impaling baby seals in the jaw with hooks, dragging them across the ice, and throwing them into a pile where they choke on their own blood before being skinned isn't a sport—it's a massacre. The video of it is like a starter snuff film designed for serial killers.
Opposition around the world is growing. Last year, the U.S. Senate—a group of people who usually can't agree that the sky is blue—unanimously passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to the annual slaughter. But the Canadian government just keeps putting its fingers in its ears and singing "la, la, la" so that it won't hear anything it doesn't like. Or, if it does hear, it responds with all the subtlety and sophistication of a fistfight in the men's room at a monster-truck rally.
The European Union, for example, recently passed a ban on seal products. So after stomping its feet and jutting out its lower lips for a while, Canada threatened to go tell mom that it's being picked on. Sorry, did I say "mom"? I meant the World Trade Organization. And as if that weren't tone-deaf enough, in response to the EU's ban, Canada's parliament also pushed—unsuccessfully—to incorporate seal skins into the uniforms of the Canadian Olympic team in a desperate attempt to legitimize the seal slaughter.
When Russia announced a ban on the killing of baby harp seals in that country, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin called the seal slaughter a "bloody industry that should have been banned long ago." Shortly thereafter, Canada's Governor General Michaëlle Jean cut open a seal and chowed down on the animal's raw heart, burbling inanely, "It's like sushi." I'm not making that up.
Note to Canada: When your officials are making Vladimir Putin look like the voice of reason and the U.S. Senate appears to be a model of civility, you're doing something wrong.
Let's clear up a couple of myths perpetrated by the Canadian government in defense of the "hunt." The sealing industry is not a subsistence trade for native peoples. The Inuit—most of whom live in the Arctic, far away from the main seal-killing regions of Newfoundland and Labrador—are responsible for only about 3 percent of the annual seal kill.
Nor is the slaughter important to the Canadian economy. In Newfoundland, where the majority of sealers live, revenues from sealing account for just about 1 percent of the province's economy. But even if it were more, that's still no excuse for clubbing babies.
You'd think that officials would have gotten the message that it's time to stop the slaughter when many sealers sat out this year's massacre in the face of plunging demand and record-low ice levels. Incredibly, Fisheries Minister Gail Shea instead increased the killing quotas.
In fact, Canada is spending millions of dollars—and despite what you may have heard, Canadian dollars are real money—on desperate efforts to prop up the dying commercial seal slaughter, including rushing Shea to China to try to peddle seal pelts there and posting a $75,000 contract for a "Social Media Reputation and Online Issues Management" advisor to track seal chatter on the Web.
Not long ago, Canada launched a "Keep Exploring" ad campaign to attract tourists. Vacationers may find it hard to have a really good time with all that shooting and beating going on in the background.
Reacting to the tourism campaign, PETA is pushing back with its own campaign, called, "Explore Elsewhere," encouraging people to leave Canada out of their travel plans until the seal massacre is stopped for good. I've never really been one to call for boycotting an entire country, but in the face of such heartless ineptitude, maybe it's worth considering.
In yet another one of Canada's attempts to get the media hyped about its bloody seal slaughter, Fisheries Minister Gail Shea just announced an "extension" of the slaughter through the end of May after sealers bemoaned the lack of opportunities to engage in their bloody business.
The funny thing is under Canada's Marine Mammal Regulations Canadian sealers have been allowed to bludgeon or shoot hundreds of thousands of young seals to death until June 15.
Ms. Shea is a veteran when it comes to attempting to put a positive spin on this ugly massacre—she refers to seals as "market opportunities" to be "harvested," so it's little surprise that she's trying to appease sealers and the public with manufactured assistance.
As PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews put it, "This is just another desperate attempt to save the dying commercial seal slaughter. The politicians from all the major federal parties are so desperate for the eight seats in the House of Commons that represent sealing communities that they'll do anything to show voters that they are supporting all business endeavors—even the hideous seal slaughter—despite the fact that it costs the government millions."
Of course, it's easy enough to ignore the political maneuvering by turning your back on travel and spreading the word far and wide.
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Oh, sweet irony: Just weeks after Canadian Fisheries Minister Gail Shea gave the green light for sealers to kill an additional 50,000 seals, officials have announced that they will likely have to call off this year's massacre early because of a lack of buyers for seal fur! All that hard work by friends of seals is finally paying off.
PETA U.K. worked to push the European Union to ban products made from seals, and that ban, combined with the ever-increasing number of people who refuse to buy real fur, has dealt a crushing blow to the seal-fur industry. According to one sealer, "[T]here's no market for seal pelts this year." And according to one estimate, fewer than 15 percent of the projected number of seals will be bludgeoned to death this year!
Is the last gong sounding? Will Canadian officials stop the cruel and senseless seal slaughter forever? Let's keep the pressure on by writing to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and demanding that he put an end to this dying event once and for all.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
It seems that Gail Shea (the same fool member of parliament who tried pulling this number) has hatched another ploy to try to make the waning interest in the Canadian seal slaughter look stronger than it is.
Earlier this week, Shea announced that the number of helpless victims seal slaughters are allowed to bash, smash, and shot during the seal slaughter will increase by 50,000 this year. Even seal slaughterers seemed to be calling her bluff, as they wondered who, if anyone, would be buying the pelts. And today, in a maneuver that reminds me of the hustlers I've seen working "confidence tricks" on New York City street corners, Shea announced that the upcoming hunt may be scaled back, citing "poor ice conditions."
It seems to me that Shea and her seal-eating cohorts are trying to work a con of their own and trick the public into believing that their struggling slaughter is somehow thriving. Please take action to help seals—and to let Canadian politicians know that you're not falling for it.
Written by Karin Bennett
One pie, two pie, red (cherry) pie, blue (berry) pie. Over at Twitter, we have a stockpile of (virtual) pies, and we've been having trouble deciding what to do with them (you can only eat so many virtual pies before you get a virtual stomachache). Then it hit us: We should share the tasty treats. But who is worthy of having a virtual pastry delivered to their Twitter account? Then, last week, Canada's minister of fisheries and oceans, Gail Shea, received a cream delight right to the kisser because of her support of the bloody seal slaughter, and the answer was clear—Stephen Harper!
With so many virtual baked goods on hand, we need your help launching them all. So if you have a Twitter account, click on your pie of choice to send a tart message sailing at Prime Minister Harper. Here are the flavors you can choose from:
Now, folks, we know that you can probably distinguish a real pie throw from a virtual one, but for those of you in the back: Please do not try this for real. Also, choose your flavor carefully—we only want each person to throw one pie. So what are you waiting for? Ready, aim, pie!
Written by Shawna Flavell
Vegan-Sisqó mash-up time: "Meat's wrong, wra-wrong, wrong, wrong!" If that doesn't make you want PETA's "Vegans Taste Better" thong, which is half of this week's "Win It" Wednesday, I don't know what will! The other half is for those who like a looser fit when it comes to their underclothing—a pair of ladies' zebra print boxer shorts that'll take your valentine's zebreath away.
Ready to sport this humane nightwear? Just take some lyrics from your favorite song (don't worry, you're not limited to Sisqó's lyrically rich canon), and come up with an animal-friendly alternative. We're giving a thong and a pair of boxers each to the two readers who come up with the catchiest verse—so start tapping your inner rhapsodist!
Enter by posting your revised rhymes in the comments section. The contest ends on February 10, 2010, and we'll pick the winners on February 12, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
Written by Logan Scherer
We're saddened to report that a dear friend to both animals and PETA, Cynthia Long, recently passed away after what appears to have been a terrible, tragic accident.
Cynthia and her lifelong friend were returning from a gardening class when they drove past a cat who was stuck on a median, too frightened to cross in front of traffic. Knowing that the cat desperately needed help, they exited the interstate and turned the car around. Cynthia emerged from the car but as she tried to cross the passing lane, she was struck by another motorist. She died at the scene and investigators believe that both the glare from the setting sun and a bend in the road impaired the other driver's ability to see Cynthia until it was too late.
State Trooper Kurt Wagenbach told the Brattleboro Reformer "She was trying to do something out of the goodness of her heart, and it had tragic consequences." Another officer noted that, although the police have received calls about the cat, the animal has not yet been found.
Our deepest condolences go out to Cynthia's family and friends, and for her unwavering determination to help animals, we're honoring her posthumously with PETA's Compassionate Citizen Award. We're also adding a leaf in her name to our "Tree of Life", believing that her commitment to animal protection will inspire other people to always take action to help them, too.
Bleary-eyed and barely out of bed, I woke up to this morning's Oscar nominations delightfully unsurprised. Every year, the nominees for the Best Documentary Academy Award manage to reflect concerns that stir Americans most, so I wasn't shocked to see that two of this year's five nominated films are The Cove—the critically acclaimed examination of Japan's bloody dolphin trade and slaughter—and Food Inc., the eye-opening examination of the nation's grossly inhumane and environmentally unsustainable production of meat.
Alec Baldwin—who, coincidentally, narrated PETA's iconic documentary, "Meet Your Meat"—is hosting this year's award show, so on March 7, I'm going to be sitting on my couch, waiting for him to give a gold statue to The Cove or Food Inc. with his best Jack Donaghy swagger. I'll be happy if either movie wins, although I am partial to The Cove. How about you? Which do you think will take home the gold?
It was 20 degrees in Michigan, and this small dog was tethered outdoors without any shelter to protect her from the plummeting temperatures. She was shivering, lonely, and suffering from a severe skin infection that was causing her fur—her only defense against the bitter cold—to fall out.
A compassionate passerby alerted PETA's Emergency Response Team that the dog appeared to be in danger. It was late, but we promptly notified a solid dedicated humane officer who with whom we'd worked with in the past. Despite being off duty at the time, he rushed to the scene and made a heartfelt plea to the dog's guardians, who, thankfully, agreed to relinquish her into his custody on the spot. The dog, later named Suzy, was whisked to a nearby animal shelter for immediate assessment and care. Shortly after the rescue, the wonderful humane officer posted pictures of Suzy and an account of the incident on his Facebook page. His post stated, "Strange thing just happened; I just got a call from PETA requesting I check on a dog …. Don't know how they got my # but I'm off to go check, after all I gave my word that I would."
Every winter, we're inundated with calls about dogs who are relegated to lonely back yards by people who refuse to allow them inside and make them a part of their family. These dogs are often forced to withstand freezing temperatures, often with nothing more than a plastic barrel or a lean-to as shelter from the ice, sleet, and snow. Not only are these dogs cold and miserable, they are susceptible to hypothermia, frostbite, and even death. Although winter is especially harsh, chaining a dog is never a safe or acceptable option. Dogs are social pack animals who want and deserve companionship. If you ever spot a dog in need, please do everything you can to help, including alerting local officials to your concerns. Your voice can make a difference!
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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