Written by Jeff Mackey
Kim Basinger has offered her support for PETA's campaign to dissuade the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) from issuing a permit to the Georgia Aquarium to export 18 beluga whales from Russia to the U.S. to breed them for exhibition. The Oscar winner and Georgia native has sent a letter to the chief of the agency's Permits and Conservation Division asking him to oppose the aquarium's reckless plan.
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Beluga whales are sensitive marine mammals with complex physical and psychological needs. But if the NOAA issues this permit, these whales will be forced to make a dangerous journey, after which they will be imprisoned—in tiny tanks that are as confining as bathtubs are to humans—for the rest of their lives.
The proposed breeding program would be a huge step in the wrong direction. We should be getting animals out of captivity, not imposing miserable and maddening life sentences on more of them. In fact, newer facilities such as Ripley's Aquarium of Canada—currently under construction in Toronto—are deciding not to house marine mammals at all.
There is a public hearing on Friday, October 12, for NOAA to hear comments about this issue. Please join Kim Basinger and PETA in urging officials to spare these whales a lifetime of suffering by denying the Georgia Aquarium's permit request.
Written by PETA
Academy Award–winning actor and animal advocate extraordinaire Kim Basinger has stepped up, yet again, to speak up for animals who are skinned alive for their fur.
Kim's classic anti-fur ad was one of the first in PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign, and the issue remains vitally important to her. Today she sent a letter to leading Chinese designer Luo Zheng reminding her that there's nothing fashionable about using the skins of dead animals in her designs. Kim writes:
As you may know, this is an issue that is very dear to my heart. I have avoided wearing real fur for many years …. PETA's heartrending investigations have documented that animals, including dogs and cats, are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Workers have been caught beating raccoons, dogs and foxes with metal rods and leaving them to convulse on the ground. Some animals are injured but still completely conscious as they are skinned, and they kick and writhe as their skin is ripped from their bodies.
As you may know, this is an issue that is very dear to my heart. I have avoided wearing real fur for many years ….
PETA's heartrending investigations have documented that animals, including dogs and cats, are bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Workers have been caught beating raccoons, dogs and foxes with metal rods and leaving them to convulse on the ground. Some animals are injured but still completely conscious as they are skinned, and they kick and writhe as their skin is ripped from their bodies.
As China's leading designer, Zheng could have a huge influence on the fashion world by joining compassionate, world-class designers such as Qi Gang, Stella McCartney, Betsey Johnson, Vivienne Westwood, and Todd Oldham who have already refused to use fur.
Take a cue from Kim, and tell another behind-the-times designer that fur is cruel and outdated.
Written by Heather Drennan
At our behest she has just sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their irresponsible decision to issue a permit that will allow two tigers to be transferred to the Baghdad Zoo. That's right, according to the permit, Riley and Hope will be sent off to live an uncertain future in a war zone—an area already proved to be dangerous and deadly to the animals at the Baghdad Zoo and where the last two tigers were shot to death by…”friendly fire.” You can read Kim's full letter here:
July 28, 2008H. Dale Hall, DirectorU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1849 C St. N.W.Mail Stop 3238 MIBWashington, DC 20240Dear Mr. Hall,I have long had an interest in how “exotic” animals are treated in captivity. Now, I am very troubled to learn that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved an export permit to send two tigers, Riley and Hope to the Baghdad Zoo - into a war zone with an uncertain future - and hope you will do all in your power to reverse the Service’s decision.It has already been shown that the animals at the Baghdad Zoo cannot be properly protected from the country’s military conflict. When the war began, hundreds of animals in the zoo were killed, stolen, eaten, or let loose by looters. The last two tigers escaped and were shot dead. The future is uncertain. Most of the people in Iraq still do not have access to basic necessities or a safe environment and Iraq remains a war zone: sending tigers there would place the animals squarely in harm’s way.Also, because Iraq is not a signatory to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), issuance of the permit would violate the basic tenet of CITES and will eliminate a significant incentive for other countries to sign on to the provisions of this very important international treaty that is designed to protect tigers like Riley and Hope.The Endangered Species Act mandates that such a transfer enhance the species in the wild, yet there’s absolutely no evidence that sending these tigers to Iraq would fulfill that requirement. Their presence is for amusement.In their natural environment, tigers quietly roam throughout many miles of territory consisting of forests, swamps, grasslands, savannahs, and rocky terrain, hunt, and raise their young. This is the life that they were meant to have—not dodging bullets in a facility that does not have the expertise or resources to properly care for them. It’s my understanding that the zoo even lacks veterinary diagnostic capabilities and many of the animals are handled with the crude use of ropes.Surely your agency will give thoughtful reconsideration and make the kind and responsible decision to deny the export. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.Sincerely,Kim Basinger
If you're as outraged by this decision as Kim is, please immediately contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using our action alert. Ask them to rethink their decision to transfer Riley and Hope and to consider the safety of all animals at the Baghdad Zoo.
Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky
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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