Written by PETA
Have you been tuning in for the newest season of Whale Wars? If not, you're missing out. This season has been a wild ride both on and off the Steve Irwin: The boat was almost destroyed by an iceberg, Paul Watson ordered the crew to stand down while whalers within arm's reach searched for a crewmember who had fallen overboard, and there was an anthrax scare in the most recent episode.
Oh, and we can't forget about the addition of PETA's Sexiest Vegetarian Naval Woman to this year's crew. For all of you who are just as thrilled by the addition of Jane Taylor to the Steve Irwin crew as I am, I'll let you in on a little secret: She may be back in the future. Want to know more? Just read our interview with her below:
How did your training in the Navy prepare you for your position with Sea Shepherd? I spent my six and a half years in the Navy as a surface warfare officer, where I was assigned to a marine transport ship in San Diego, California, and a frigate out of Seattle, Washington. On both of those vessels, I was required to be a small-boat officer, which made me very familiar with Sea Shepherd's Delta and Gemini launching, recovery, and general small-boat operations. I've spent countless hours in a Navy small boat. I was also required to qualify as an officer of the watch, so I had experience with ship maneuvering (but not through ice!), navigation, rules of the road, helicopter operations, radars, radio communication, and everything else that comes along with being on the bridge of a 300- to 500-foot ship. As a bonus, I was also a helicopter control officer on the frigate, ensuring the safety of a helicopter when launching and recovering.
The difference: Sea Shepherd plays music on the bridge, we get to ride the bow in major storms, our ship's log has drawings and colorful stamps (after three mistakes in the Navy, you have to rewrite the log) ... and the Steve Irwin is vegan!
What was the most rewarding part of your post with Sea Shepherd?I would say being able to utilize my skills in an appropriate arena—the ocean—and feeling useful. The ultimate for an animal activist is to go on campaign and be in the action and feel the wind and sea spray and life as opposed to being in an office, which, of course, is important as well.
It was wonderful. The day we found the fleet, a minke whale crossed in between us and the factory ship, Nisshin Maru, and we knew we were his or her protector. The whale could safely carry on and live another peaceful day, and to do that for at least one whale was a mission accomplished. But we knew we couldn't stop there ... whaling needs to end.
What was one of the most difficult things about fighting against whalers? When we were out in the Southern Ocean, it was four against one. The harpoon ships are so fast and maneuverable (they could do a 180 in their own wake!) and easily did circles around us. It made it difficult to ever feel as though we had the upper hand, and we often felt a bit like a tin can. It would be amazing if we were no longer outnumbered.
Here are some stats:
LengthTonnage Steve Irwin 60 meters/196 feet 885 gross register tonnage Harpoon ships (Yushin Maru) 1025 gross register tonnage Factory Ship (Nisshin Maru) 130 meters/425feet 8000 gross register tonnage
What animal rights issues are you most passionate about?It was very difficult to decide where to focus my efforts, but I thought Sea Shepherd was the perfect place since I have skills for ship-handling, guts for action, and a heart for humanity.
Immediately, I would like to work on getting Sea Shepherd another ship to use down in Antarctica. But in addition to focusing on marine life, I will also be concentrating my efforts on ending vivisection—another arena of extreme cruelty to animals.
Whale Wars can be a pretty intense show. Have you ever had a moment where you thought you couldn't keep going? What made you persevere?There was never a moment when I thought I couldn't keep going. All the action was extremely intense with lots of adrenaline going through everyone's blood. The action became very addicting, and when we had to leave the whaling fleet, it was very, very disappointing. I was not ready to leave. We definitely need more ships out there.
Now for the question on everyone's mind: How has being named PETA's Sexiest Naval Woman positively affected your life?It's a very fun title to have, and who wouldn't be honored to have the title of PETA's Sexiest Naval Woman? I thought there might only be two vegetarians out there to compete with, but what a wonderful surprise to hear that there were so many! I'm looking forward to wearing my winning T-shirt and sparking some interesting conversations with animal lovers, as well as educating those who want to debate the issues.
Can we look forward to a third season of the show? Oh, yes. There is a third season. Sea Shepherd has just merged with Earthrace, a round-the-world, record-breaking trimaran, so I suspect that the tactics next year are going to be completely different. Anything could happen when you bring a boat that looks like a spaceship down to the Southern Ocean!
Will you be on deck again?Oh, I got so addicted to Sea Shepherd's campaigns that I want to go on all of them! Before the merge, I met Earthrace in New Zealand and loved the boat, so I will be trying out to crew on it. With Sea Shepherd Conservation Society's new popularity, there are so many new, interesting, skilled, and keen volunteers, so I'm not sure if I will be selected, but my fingers are crossed!
Written by Shawna Flavell
When we first announced our plan to find the "Sexiest Vegetarian Soldier," we meant to end up with just one winner. But how could we come up with just one winner when there are five branches of the military that are equally deserving—and equally sexy?
That's why we've selected one winner each from the Army, Navy, Coast Guard, Marines, and Air Force. Of course, we did promise to find the single Sexiest Vegetarian Soldier, so, as much as it pains us, we did have to choose one overall winner—and here he is!
Syracuse-born Erich Allen joined the Army in 2001 and is currently stationed in Fort Rucker, Alabama, where he is attending flight school and earning his degree in History from Columbia College of Missouri. And where does this busy soldier find all his energy? From his vegetarian diet!
"Since I stopped eating meat, I have noticed an increase in my energy and I am able to better control my weight," Erich says. And as for anyone who hasn't yet figured out that the strongest animals on the planet—stallions, elephants, and bulls—are vegetarian, Erich is glad to serve as evidence of the human species' prowess!
And not only is Erich "Army strong," he's also compassionate—his own doggie companion, Vienna, was a stray whom Erich took in and made part of the family. Put that together with his ability to speak German and some Russian as well as his love of the "great outdoors," and you've got somebody who's strong, sweet, smart, and sporty—now that's sexy!
But wait—there's more! Check out the winners from the other branches of the military:
Lovely Katie, pictured here, is stationed in Barnegat Light, New Jersey. She has been a vegetarian ever since she watched a documentary on, as she says, "how they torture animals" before killing them for human consumption, and it made her "totally disgusted." On the other hand, she thinks that being a vegetarian "is the sexiest thing ever besides fighting for our country."
Bob, who is currently assigned as the Assistant Provost and Dean of Students for the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLIFLC) in Monterey, California, recently returned from a three-year assignment as the Naval and Marine Attaché in Hanoi, Vietnam. He has been a vegetarian ever since the life-changing experience of seeing a dog slaughtered for food in a Vietnamese café and now volunteers at the Monterey County SPCA. He was also active in advocating for California's Proposition 2.
Jane had been stationed in California, Washington state, and Hawaii before resigning her commission as a Naval Officer in September 2008 to pursue a career in animal rescue—and not just any career! Jane has since set sail on the Steve Irwin as part of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. That's right, Sea Shepherd—the same rockin' folks we all love watching on Whale Wars! Now that's sexy—a 13-year-vegetarian who uses her abilities to go out and actively, physically save those whales.
Gina, who is stationed in Hurlburt Field, Florida, has been a vegetarian since the age of six—that's right, six—when she realized that Bambi and his mother were no different from the other animals killed for food. Even though many people told her that she wouldn't be able to maintain her vegetarian lifestyle in the military, Gina not only graduated from boot camp as a Distinguished Honor Graduate—because of her high fitness scores—but also went on to complete four marathons! She is the guardian of two animals (both rescues), has rescued animals at every duty assignment, and hopes to convince the Air Force to switch to leather-free combat boots. And if that weren't enough, she's also a former model—how could anyone argue with this kind of sexy?
Congratulations to our five sexy winners! They will each receive a basket of yummy vegan goodies, as well as a PETA T-shirt—so, ya know, the next time someone dares to doubt their vegetarian sexiness, they'll be able to say, "See this T-shirt? I happen to be the sexiest vegetarian in the whole [insert military branch]. So there!"
Written by Amanda Schinke
Have you heard the story about How the Grinch Stole Christmas From AT&T Employees? Sadly, it's true. AT&T recently announced that it will lay off 12,000 workers—roughly 4 percent of its workforce—as we move into 2009. Yikes, that's rough.
So, to make the holidays a little brighter for these employees and their families, PETA staff members decided to pitch in and spread a little cheer. We (the PETA employees) have decided to donate our annual holiday bonus—a delicious, mouth-watering, lick-your-plate-when-you're-done, cruelty-free Tofurky roast—to help these former employees maintain a sense of normalcy through a wonderful holiday with their families.
There are 283 Tofurky roasts up for grabs, and any laid-off AT&T employee who is reading this blog can e-mail us here to claim one (deadline for this offer is December 30, 2008). We've also sent this letter to the CEO of AT&T Inc. asking him to notify all laid-off employees of our offer. So, ya better get clickin' before they're gone!
In these troubling times, everyone knows that it's important to think of those less fortunate than ourselves—including turkeys. What most people don't know is that turkeys love to have their feathers stroked—but only time most turkeys experience any human touch is when somebody painfully plucks their feathers. They also enjoy flute music, but that's a story for another day.
The Grinch may still be mean, but holiday memories and meals can be jolly.
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
I'm just as psyched about the holidays as anyone else. Free stuff, snow days (oh, right, we don't get those), e-cards— what's not to love? Well, I'll tell you. In certain cities across America, animals are being exposed to all sorts of danger for the sake of live Nativity scenes. Camels, sheep, and donkeys are casually put out in a pen in harsh weather and left unattended outside churches and in Christmas shows, where they are sometimes stolen, injured by passing dogs, or harassed by the public. They are often transported to and from the exhibits in cold, uncomfortable and scary conditions, and they can even spread salmonella and E. coli.
This is super scary, but there have even been cases of sexual abuse, injury in transport, and other cases of neglect and cruelty to animals used in Nativity scenes, which is why we have a better idea.
Instead of using live animals this Christmas, we suggest a lovely fiberglass display like the ones at Christmas Night Inc. These displays are cruelty-free, and they can be shoved into the back of a shed and reused year after year. Fake displays—with ultra-cute Baby Jesus statues—are much less expensive than "renting" real animals, so the money saved could go to a good cause (like vegetarian food for the hungry, perhaps?).
If you know of a live Nativity scene in or planned for your area, take action now, please! The following are a few things you can do to help:
So this holiday season, consider peace on Earth and good will toward humans and animals.
Written by Lianne Turner
While it's widely accepted that most people don't want an eight-second ride, we now have an excellent, bull-free alternative for those of you who, for whatever reason, do: Urban Rodeo!
The concept is like that of a regular rodeo. Mount an unwilling participant and hold on for dear life, marking your success by how long you can stay latched on to the bucking, bewildered beast. The only difference between this and other rodeos is the ropes, spurs, and other cruelty involved, such as internal injuries and extensive bruising. Oh, and I seriously doubt participants in the "Urban Rodeo" are shipped off to slaughter once they've outlived their usefulness. However, similar to a regular rodeo, participants are encouraged to "leg it" immediately after being tossed from the animal in order to avoid injury.
Got any other clever ideas that could serve as an alternative to a performing animal act or rodeo? Let me know—who knows, I might give your idea a shot and see how it works out!
Written by Sean Conner
We're just happy as clams that our roll dogs in the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society are rocketing to stardom on Animal Planet's new show Whale Wars.
I, personally, watch week after week—heart pumping, cheering like it's Monday night football! Well, just in case you were wondering what makes these selfless warriors tick, we thought we'd give you an inside look at their second mate, Peter Hammarstedt.
In Ingrid Newkirk's new book, One Can Make a Difference, she got the chance to talk to Peter at his parents' home in Sweden. She found out about the fascinating events that shaped his convictions on animal rights and learned exactly what it looks like to follow one's deepest passions. Incredible! Check out this excerpt from Hammarstedt's essay in the book:
The Canadian seal slaughter that I witnessed still gives me nightmares. People call it a "hunt" but I have yet to meet a single hunter who would call bashing baby seals over the head with clubs, "hunting." I was there in 2005. The ice is absolutely surreal, heavenly, like a world made of broken fragments of mirrors that sparkle in the light, that reflect the colors of the rising and setting sun. It is a wonderland where mother seals come to have their babies, to leave them to bask in the sun, feeling that they are totally safe, being miles and miles away from man. Not realizing that the boats will come, that human greed will catch up with them and reduce them to a bloody pulp. Humans don't belong there at all. We must go there to confront the seal killers, to film what they do, to report their indefensible acts of unspeakable cruelty to the world, to witness their despicable acts that violate the International Seal Protection Act. We see an entire world of white turn to red as the seals' blood runs across the ice. There are suddenly carcasses everywhere as the babies are killed with the blunt or sharp ends of the Hak-a-piks, and stomped, kicked more than once, sometimes six times or so with the sealers' cleated boots. During the hunt, I found myself running from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They're there on the ice to protect seal killers, not seals. I had video evidence, and I didn't want them to seize it. But they tackled me and knocked me to my stomach. I lay there, practicing passive resistance, my arms held behind my back. And as I turned my head, there, just two or three meters away, was a pup. I was so close to her, and her eyes and my eyes were linked together. I do believe she knew the difference, she knew I was not a sealer. As long as I lay there, she was safe. On a good day, we can stop sealing, but the hunt is massive, and they keep coming back. When I know I have saved a seal, it is an extremely personal experience. I don't care then if I am locked up for years! We're often assaulted, but we have to stand our ground. Our clients are the marine animals who have no way to fight for their lives; no power. I think Captain Watson (founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and founding director of Greenpeace Foundation) speaks for all of us, whether we are on the ice floes or the high seas. When he was challenged about sinking an empty whaling vessel in Iceland, he said, "The hell with you. I didn't do it for you. I did it for the whales. Find me a whale who would disagree and I'll stop." These sea animals have real intelligence, which means they absolutely want to live in harmony with the world. Even the "stupidest" of animals wants that. Captain Watson was once confronted by a whaling boat captain who told him that the reason it is acceptable for human beings to slaughter these magnificent mammals is because "we" have moral reason and intelligence. Captain Watson just stared at him. What is the good of reason and intelligence if all you do is use it to harm others?
The Canadian seal slaughter that I witnessed still gives me nightmares. People call it a "hunt" but I have yet to meet a single hunter who would call bashing baby seals over the head with clubs, "hunting." I was there in 2005. The ice is absolutely surreal, heavenly, like a world made of broken fragments of mirrors that sparkle in the light, that reflect the colors of the rising and setting sun. It is a wonderland where mother seals come to have their babies, to leave them to bask in the sun, feeling that they are totally safe, being miles and miles away from man. Not realizing that the boats will come, that human greed will catch up with them and reduce them to a bloody pulp.
Humans don't belong there at all. We must go there to confront the seal killers, to film what they do, to report their indefensible acts of unspeakable cruelty to the world, to witness their despicable acts that violate the International Seal Protection Act. We see an entire world of white turn to red as the seals' blood runs across the ice. There are suddenly carcasses everywhere as the babies are killed with the blunt or sharp ends of the Hak-a-piks, and stomped, kicked more than once, sometimes six times or so with the sealers' cleated boots.
During the hunt, I found myself running from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. They're there on the ice to protect seal killers, not seals. I had video evidence, and I didn't want them to seize it. But they tackled me and knocked me to my stomach. I lay there, practicing passive resistance, my arms held behind my back. And as I turned my head, there, just two or three meters away, was a pup. I was so close to her, and her eyes and my eyes were linked together. I do believe she knew the difference, she knew I was not a sealer. As long as I lay there, she was safe.
On a good day, we can stop sealing, but the hunt is massive, and they keep coming back. When I know I have saved a seal, it is an extremely personal experience. I don't care then if I am locked up for years! We're often assaulted, but we have to stand our ground. Our clients are the marine animals who have no way to fight for their lives; no power. I think Captain Watson (founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society and founding director of Greenpeace Foundation) speaks for all of us, whether we are on the ice floes or the high seas. When he was challenged about sinking an empty whaling vessel in Iceland, he said, "The hell with you. I didn't do it for you. I did it for the whales. Find me a whale who would disagree and I'll stop." These sea animals have real intelligence, which means they absolutely want to live in harmony with the world. Even the "stupidest" of animals wants that. Captain Watson was once confronted by a whaling boat captain who told him that the reason it is acceptable for human beings to slaughter these magnificent mammals is because "we" have moral reason and intelligence. Captain Watson just stared at him. What is the good of reason and intelligence if all you do is use it to harm others?
Written by Missy Lane
I am super-excited to reveal to you our brand new "Rather Go Naked" ad, starring none other than gorgeous reality TV star Khloe Kardashian!
If you've ever watched Keeping Up With the Kardashians—and who hasn't?—you've probably noticed that Khloe can be the most outspoken of the Kardashian clan. She's never afraid to tell it like it is, and that's why we're so proud to have her speak up about fur. As you may have guessed, she's so against fur that she'd rather go naked!
There was a live unveiling of Khloe's ad in L.A., and Khloe has invited all her local fans to came out and support her. Check out the photos and video from the unveiling here:
You can also enter to win your very own copy of Season 1 of Keeping Up With the Kardashians. So go, enter, and enjoy the new ad!
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