Written by PETA
Sticking up for rats—who are sensitive, intelligent, and nurturing—has always been high on our agenda, although not everyone understands that these dear little mammals are worth caring about … yet.
There is hope, however. For the last 14 months, we've been funding two scientists at the French National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) who are formulating a hybrid species that will make rats less despised. You may remember when we lodged a complaint against the INRA for the glow-in-the-dark rabbit, but sometimes good things come from bad. The rabbit genome is nearly identical to that of the rat, and we have found a way to put this science and experience to good use. Using the same zygote microinjection process (to which we still object!) that was used to create the glow-in-the-dark rabbit, these geneticists can isolate the gene that's responsible for bunnies' cotton-ball tails and then insert it into fertilized rat egg cells. The results are truly phenomenal, producing a genetically engineered rat whom no one will want to harm:
"People are almost certain to be kinder to a tiny mammal with a powder-puff tail," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Not only would this pay off in cities that kill these animals with gut-wrenching poisons, it would also make it harder for lab assistants to force-feed toxic chemicals to them or for homeowners to watch them struggle in cruel glue traps."
Rats with a dominant gene for bunny tails can easily be released to breed with wild rodents in New York and other major cities, creating a "rat pack" whose charms no one will be able to resist.
Written by Logan Scherer
Adrian Grenier has a heart to back up those drive-me-crazy (yes, I did just allude to the 1999 Adrian Grenier–Melissa Joan Hart classic) good looks. While out for a run yesterday, the Entourage star stopped when he spotted an injured dog on the side of the road. Grenier checked the dog's vital signs and attempted to revive the animal, then contacted local authorities when he realized it was too late.
Follow Adrian's lead! If you ever see an injured animal—even if you think he or she may be dead—stop and check. Many animals go into shock after they are hit by cars and can end up paralyzed and in pain. If no one stops to help, they may be left to suffer, sometimes for days, before they eventually succumb to their injuries. It only takes a minute of your time to reduce animal suffering.
Yesterday, Nanci Alexander—one of our most generous and tireless friends to animals—joined a myriad of PETA supporters in D.C. to cut the ribbon and officially open the doors to PETA's Washington home, The Nanci Alexander Center for Animal Rights:
Nanci, whom Ingrid E. Newkirk describes as "an animal rights activist's activist," is the woman to whom Newkirk dedicated her book One Can Make a Difference. She is also the founder of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida and the creator of Fort Lauderdale's fabulous all-vegan world cuisine restaurant Sublime, where Sir Paul McCartney and Steve-O have enjoyed meals, and as Ingrid says, if George Bernard Shaw and the Buddha were alive, you'd find them eating there too. She was among the first to spark debate over SeaWorld's horrible confinement of killer whales and dolphins and was also behind Florida's pig gestation-crate ban.
Finding herself seated next to President Bush the elder one day, Nanci asked him to do one thing: think about the suffering of the animals he shoots. If everyone spoke up that way, the world would be a far kinder place. Nanci has devoted her life to waking people up to cruelty to animals and changing everything from what they think to what they eat. PETA plans to do great things from the building now named after her.
PETA's longtime friend and supporter, Bob Barker, along with some "Barker PETA Beauties," joined our own Ingrid E. Newkirk today to cut the ribbon on the start of renovations to our new Los Angeles office, aptly named—what else?—the Bob Barker Building.
Bob Barker donated $2.5 million to help us open our new location, and time after time after time, he has shown his unwavering support for animal protection. For decades, he influenced millions of people every day by ending each taping of The Price Is Right with his message to spay or neuter companion animals—a message that his successor, Drew Carey, also uses for his sign-off.
We're grateful to have Barker's continued support—and we're delighted to name PETA's new Los Angeles office in his honor.
Written by Karin Bennett
Most of us here at PETA adore sweets, but we've got zero tolerance for sugarcoating—the truth, that is. That's why we're planning to run this public service announcement in Mackinac Island, Michigan, the hometown of Sadie, who was crowned "top dog" (after a slight interruption) at Westminster on Tuesday night.
We want residents of Mackinac Island and beyond to wise up: A "win" at Westminster is no cause for celebration. In fact, a mass funeral might be more fitting.
Bottom line: Every person who purchases a puppy or kitten from a pimp breeder or pet shop (or obtains one from the "free" ads) is signing a death certificate for an animal in an open-admission shelter. I think PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk said it best: "[P]eople don't see themselves as signing some animal's death warrant when they sign their credit card receipt, but that's what they are doing." That's not a half-baked notion cooked up by animal protectionists—it's simple math. There aren't enough homes. And dog shows such as Westminster feed the myth that a French bulldog puppy is somehow "superior" to a lop-eared, one-of-a-kind mutt.
Au contraire!
Remember Uno, the beagle who bayed his way into first place at Westminster two years ago? Just months after Uno's win, I was searching for a new friend in animal shelters in New York City, and I was struck by the number of barely housetrained beagle babies who were pawing at the cage walls. Apparently, a lot of fickle viewers who watched Uno at Westminster scrambled to buy their own beagles—and then realized that they didn't want to deal with the ear-piercing baying, crack-of-dawn walks, or chewed-up Manolo's. (BTW—I, too, am a sucker for big, brown eyes. It's why a lumpy old furry gal named Lucy, who spent her first seven or so years sleeping on the streets, now snores beside me every night.)
True love can come in all shapes and sizes—with floppy ears, crooked teeth, and mismatched eyes. And true love can be easy to find at the local animal shelter. PETA is determined to save lives by sending this message to all would-be animal parents: Always adopt from animal shelters, never buy from pet stores or breeders, and always spay or neuter your four-legged friends. Will you help?
Yesterday morning, walking to the D.C. Metro along the tenuous paths carved through the high banks of snow, the usual birdsong was missing. Then I heard a sparrow chirp and found a group of them sitting under a restaurant awning. I had cereal in a bag with me, so I scattered it under the awning, and out hobbled a pigeon who had been under a table, her legs clearly frozen. At each step, she stumbled and had to right herself. Because she ate, I didn't want to scare her by attempting to catch her and feared she would flutter off into the snow, so I watched her eat and then moved on. Last night, making my way home, I found her back under that table, frozen, snow all over her back. In D.C. and many other cities across the nation, there is no water for the birds and no grass for them to reach under the many feet of snow. At PETA's Washington office and around town, including in Lafayette Park and Union Station, we are doing our best to help them. This morning I had an idea: I picked up whole-grain bread and stuck slices of it in the saplings on the streets.
Birds and countless other animals around the city are struggling to survive. It is crucial that in these dire weather conditions, you take action in behalf of animals who would otherwise be left to succumb to the elements by providing them with something to eat and making sure that they have access to fresh water.
Written by Ingrid E. Newkirk
"I am deeply touched and thrilled to be awarded the PETA U.K. person of the year. When I first saw their video footage on foie gras production three years ago, I felt compelled to do something to help put a stop to this cruel delicacy. I have since become a passionate campaigner against foie gras, and am most humbled that my passion has helped make a positive difference in the lives of these animals."—Sir Roger Moore
On the heels of its recent Selfridges victory, PETA U.K. has named Sir Roger Moore 2009's Person of the Year.
The celebrated actor's tireless and successful efforts against foie gras began three years ago when Moore narrated a video about its production that has attracted more than 300,000 viewers. Since then, Moore has written to every member of the House of Commons asking them to help end foie gras sales in the U.K. and penned many pieces for national publications in his unending attempt to spread the word against the deadly force-feeding of ducks and geese.
For his inspiring accomplishments, Moore will be honored with a plaque and a copy of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's One Can Make a Difference.
Last Sunday, Tennessee Titans owner Bud Adams ecstatically extended his middle fingers as he rejoiced in his team's victory against the Buffalo Bills—and later paid a titanic fine of $250,000.
Who knew that giving the bird could be so expensive?!
Lucky for Adams, we've got a bird for him to give that costs nothing and saves lives. We're sending him one of our newest McCruelty T-shirts and asking him to flip it to an opponent who's much more offensive than any of his football rivals.
Did we mention that he doesn't even have to lift a finger?
McDonald's allows its suppliers to break the wings and legs of chickens, cut their throats while they're still conscious, and scald them to death in defeathering tanks. Chickens continue to suffer these abuses despite the fact that there is a less cruel method of slaughter available. Who wouldn't flip at the chance to give the one-finger salute on behalf of birds who can't do it themselves?
Update: You can now place your order for bin Laden Bites by clicking here. Orders will not ship until January. Proceeds from the chocolate sales will be used for our programs—such as our spay-and-neuter clinic—that help dogs.
I've heard my fair share of oxymorons, but never one as (literally) delicious and biting as this one: cruelty-free beheading.
When we heard that our troops in Afghanistan hungered for some chocolate, we jumped at the opportunity to send them some dairy-free delectable delights and even made a tastily topical design just for the occasion:
When the troops sink their teeth into our savory, vegan chocolate Bin Laden Bites, they'll satisfy their confectionary craving while getting some sweet revenge by taking a bite out of Osama's head.
Who ever thought that chocolate could be this cathartic?
If you can, pick up a copy of this week's New Yorker. There's a review of Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, Eating Animals, along with a photograph of a very powerful painting by artist Sue Coe—the same painting that Coe gave to PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. Ingrid is not ashamed to say that she burst into tears the first time she saw the painting, and she often talks about how powerfully it reminds people of the truth and horror of the slaughter business so casually supported by the majority of people.
The painting is very Coe-esque—dark, haunting, and surreal. It looks like a nightmare put on canvas, and in fact, it is—a real-life nightmare. When Sue Coe was growing up, she lived next door to a hog factory farm and a block away from a slaughterhouse. In an essay she wrote for Ingrid's book, One Can Make a Difference, Coe describes the events that inspired the painting:
One day, a small pig escaped the slaughterhouse, and she ran in and out of the traffic, desperate to get away. Men in white aprons, covered in blood, ran after her. Small groups of people congregated to watch, and they started to laugh and point. I asked my mother why this was so funny, and she said it was not funny, the pig was going to be caught and killed. . . . When it came time to slaughter the pigs, which happened every six months or so, there would be a terrible noise at night. They'd whip the pigs to get them into the truck, and they would go down the road to the slaughterhouse. . . . When I was about ten years old, I went with my friend to the door of the slaughterhouse and demanded to be showed around, as I wanted to know what was happening. The workers in the slaughterhouse … showed us everything that happens in the process of slaughter. The vision of the escaped pig couldn't be ignored; she became louder and louder in my mind …. This experience as a child sent me on my lifetime's mission that was to be an artist, and to reveal what was being concealed. To get into places that have closed doors, and to give art the potential of changing the world, not just reflecting it.
One day, a small pig escaped the slaughterhouse, and she ran in and out of the traffic, desperate to get away. Men in white aprons, covered in blood, ran after her. Small groups of people congregated to watch, and they started to laugh and point. I asked my mother why this was so funny, and she said it was not funny, the pig was going to be caught and killed. . . .
When it came time to slaughter the pigs, which happened every six months or so, there would be a terrible noise at night. They'd whip the pigs to get them into the truck, and they would go down the road to the slaughterhouse. . . .
When I was about ten years old, I went with my friend to the door of the slaughterhouse and demanded to be showed around, as I wanted to know what was happening. The workers in the slaughterhouse … showed us everything that happens in the process of slaughter. The vision of the escaped pig couldn't be ignored; she became louder and louder in my mind ….
This experience as a child sent me on my lifetime's mission that was to be an artist, and to reveal what was being concealed. To get into places that have closed doors, and to give art the potential of changing the world, not just reflecting it.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is. Even though we aren't all gifted artists like Sue Coe or talented writers like Jonathan Safran Foer, there is still plenty that we can do to give animals a voice.
Written by Alisa Mullins
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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