Written by PETA
Award-winning British soul singer Joss Stone says there's one thing that she can't bear—the killing of bears to make hats for The Queen's Guards.
The "For the Love of You" singer is baring all for the love of Canadian bears, who are sometimes shot or ensnared in traps, where they may languish for days. Some wounded bears escape, only to die slowly of starvation or blood loss.
Stone, a World's Sexiest Vegetarian winner, previously collaborated with PETA on a pro-vegetarian ad. Now, she's calling on the U.K.'s Ministry of Defence to approve the new faux-bearskin cap designed by Stella McCartney. The faux cap looks just like the real thing, but it breathes better and is less expensive—and you can make one without harming a single hair on a bear's head. Everybody wins!
Written by Michelle Sherrow
What was the grooviest thing about having hippie parents? Growing up listening to Donovan. Seriously, my mother almost named me "Jennifer Juniper." Instead she went for something more mainstream—Skylark.
And I'm sure he hears it all the time, but I'm not exaggerating when I say that I'm Donovan's biggest fan. Star-struck? Yes, consider me struck. What's even more striking is that this folk/pop legend lent his anti–seal slaughter anthem "Celia of the Seals" to this heart-wrenching new video:
Here's what the "Sunshine Superman" had to say about his song and putting an end to the war on baby seals:
"I wrote this song to show what's going on. And the song is influenced by Celia Hammond, the great 60s model who is such a Green Goddess for all the creatures of the Earth. Shortly after I released 'Celia of the Seals' back in the 70s, I was glad to see a reduced demand for seal products worldwide. It's now disappointing to see that the Canadian government is doing everything it can to prop up this dying, violent industry, including challenging the EU's recent compassionate decision to ban seal pelts. Instead of trying to salvage this cruel slaughter, the government should listen to the court of public opinion and ban the massacre on ice."
Celia of the Seals, we know just how you feel. So for the love of Donovan, help us get the word out by showing this video to everyone you know!
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
While we here in the States are focused on recently discovered godly gluten, the folks at PETA Germany have offered the Catholic Church the "Veggie-Shroud" to fill the void when the Shroud of Turin is retired on Sunday.
Debate abounds over the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, but there's no mystery surrounding the powerful message put forth by the clearly defined slaughtered pig depicted in the "Veggie-Shroud": Animals who end up on a dinner plate "died for the diet sins of mankind."
While we wait to find out whether the Catholic Church will agree to display the "Veggie Shroud," won't you urge everyone you know to find savory salvation from the universal cruelty and unholy unhealthiness of flesh-based diets? Catholics, atheists, Muslims, and people of all faiths and views are coming together to say, "Praise Seitan!"
Written by Karin Bennett
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys.
Who wouldn't, right? Earlier this month, we asked our Twitter followers to let everyone know what they'd rather do than torment animals in NASA's cruel radiation experiments.
If you haven't heard, NASA plans to spend $1.75 million of our tax dollars to fund an experiment that entails irradiating squirrel monkeys, socially isolating them in barren cages, and then watching what happens to their minds and bodies. Effects of the radiation exposure may include blindness, brain tumors, and cancer. This is why we pay taxes?
Check out these creative Tweets from the tweeps who are exposing NASA's monkey-torment plan:
And if you haven't yet, let NASA know how you feel. It's not too late, tweeple!
Written by Paula Moore
This summer, I plan to exercise, read, and socialize, so I intend to focus my Web surfing and not get so lost in cyberspace. Enter PETA's new Internet Explorer add-ons.
By placing them in your Internet Explorer favorites bar, you can stay current on streaming PETA News and PETA Files updates—no Googling required. Instead, you'll go straight to the streaming source: The PETA News widget will keep you in the know on PETA's groundbreaking work for animals, and the PETA Files add-on can boost your chances of being the first person to "awww" us with your "Win It" Wednesday entries. The add-ons are free and easy to install, so what are you waiting for? Go get 'em.
A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model's image on a plane is OK, but an ad with metal undies is too much? Really, Southwest?
Recently, Southwest Airlines rejected this ad saying that it was "too provocative" for their in-flight magazine, "due to the lack of clothing the woman is wearing." Can I get a ticket to Prudes-ville via Hypocrite City, please? The only thing revealing about this ad is the fact that going vegan is the best thing that you can do for your health, the environment, and animals.
Personally, on my next flight I'd much rather see metal panties with a pertinent message than another passenger wearing sweatpants with the words "Bootylicious" or "Juicy" stamped across the butt.
Some people don't eat animals because they don't want to support factory farming. Others are worried about protecting their health or the environment. Nicolas Cage has a much more, shall we say, X-centric reason for why he leaves certain animals off his plate: They have undignified sex.
No, I am not making this up. Here's what Cage told the U.K. tabloid The Sun: "I actually choose the way I eat according to the way animals have sex. I think fish are very dignified with sex. So are birds. But pigs, not so much. So I don't eat pig meat or things like that. I eat fish and fowl."
While this is great news for pigs and cows, I have to wonder where Nick got the idea that there is anything dignified about the way birds live on factory farms. Turkeys are bred to grow so top-heavy that they can no longer reproduce naturally, so female turkeys are artificially inseminated. "Breeder broiler" chickens are kept alive longer than most chickens who are raised for their flesh (most of whom are killed when they are just a few weeks old), so the males are deprived of food to prevent their bodies from getting too large for their organs to support. How do farmers do this? By shoving plastic rods through their beaks to prevent them from gaining access to females' feed troughs. Yeah, real dignified.
As for me, I'm not particularly concerned about how birds, bees, or even educated fleas do it. I'm more worried about making sure that animals have a dignified life—and death.
Written by Alisa Mullins
As a seitan worshipper, I got a kick out of a recent letter that found its way to PETA's inbox: A PETA supporter (who wishes to remain anonymous) was preparing to barbeque some seitan—also known as "wheat meat"—when an image of Jesus Christ on the cross appeared in the godly gluten. Here's the photo he/she sent us:
It makes me wonder, WWJD if He knew that billions of animals live miserable lives and die violent, bloody deaths to sate our addiction to the taste of their flesh? Considering that His message is one of love, kindness, and mercy for all of God's creatures, I think that Jesus would say to hell with meat.
Right now, I'm going to practice the compassion that Jesus preached and grab some vegan eats …
OMG, there's an image of SpongeBob SquarePants in my block of tofu!
Sure, factory farms are mechanized madness but have you ever thought about how computers drive the insanity? I worked in software development before coming to PETA but never considered the ways that the software could be used to hurt or kill animals. Almost everything seems to depend on computers today—from running increasingly automated factory farms and slaughterhouses to tracking fish using sonar and satellites to guiding deadly missiles to their targets.
Thankfully, software developer Anders Sundman has been looking out for animals on the techie front and has joined up with PETA to create the Harm-Less Permissive License (HPL), the first-ever license that will prohibit the use of software being used in any way that will harm humans or animals. Anders originally developed the license for personal use but decided to release it to the public because "having seen images from inside slaughterhouses and modern fishing vessels it is obvious to me just how dependent these industries are on technology and computer software."
PETA will be contacting compassionate developers to encourage them to use the free and open-source legal text to ensure that their products aren't used for harmful purposes. You can help by making sure the geeks and code jockeys in your life—especially if you are one—know about the HPL, and push them to include the HPL in any software they have developed or plan on developing. Then take your own swipe at the murderous meat industry by going vegan.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Two female orcas at SeaWorld Orlando are pregnant—one is expected to give birth later this month or in early June—but we're not celebrating.
If the calves survive, what do they have to look forward to? Swimming endless circles in barren concrete tanks, doing circus-type tricks, and dying an early death. Twenty-one orcas died in U.S. SeaWorld facilities between 1986 and 2008—an average of nearly one each year for 22 years. Their deaths were caused by severe trauma, intestinal gangrene, acute hemorrhagic pneumonia, pulmonary abscesses, chronic kidney disease, chronic cardiovascular failure, septicemia, and influenza. In some cases, the cause of death could not even be determined, but it is clear that none of these animals died of old age.
The father in both of the pregnancies is Tilikum, the same orca who attacked trainer Dawn Brancheau—ripping off her left arm and part of her scalp, crushing her ribs, and breaking bones throughout her body before drowning her. Despite knowing about the extreme danger posed by Tilikum—including the fact that he had killed humans twice before—SeaWorld refuses to "Free Tilly" most likely because he's a valuable and prodigious breeder. Tilikum has already sired 13 calves for SeaWorld.
Enough is enough. Please take a moment to write to the Blackstone Group—the company that owns SeaWorld—and ask that it send Tilly and the other animal inmates in its facilities to sanctuaries.
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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