Four costumed monkeys who were being used as photo props by a couple at a Mardi Gras celebration were confiscated by Louisiana wildlife officials.  

Despite taking money for allowing people to take photos with the monkeys, the woman claimed that the animals "help" her with her autism. PETA will be contacting the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to request that these four primates—who are suffering from diarrhea and rashes—aren't put back in harm's way.

Primates are extremely smart, and their complex social, physical, and psychological needs cannot be met in captivity. Baby monkeys are routinely ripped from their mothers, which is traumatic for both the babies and the mothers, in order to be "hand-raised" and sold as pets. You can dress them up, diaper them, and call them your "babies," but primates are meant to be in the jungles and rainforests, not on Bourbon Street or Main Street.

nagyman/cc by 2.0

Contact our Action Team to request materials to help you get a ban on exotic "pets" passed in your community.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

A cap on the massive gusher in the Gulf of Mexico has stanched the flow of oil (although seepage has been detected), but millions of gallons of crude in the water continue to wreak havoc. According to an Associated Press article, oil has now coated up to 400 pelicans and hundreds of terns who live on Raccoon Island, Louisiana's largest seabird-nesting area. Ten thousand birds nest there, and biologists now think that the government's original estimate of the number of birds who have been affected by the oil may have been far too low.

So what can we do? Reduce our dependence on oil by biking, walking, or carpooling and switch to an Earth- and animal-friendly vegan diet. And if this news makes you want to get rude about the crude, we've got just the thing to help you tell BP what you think about its failure to save wildlife and prepare for catastrophes such as the recent oil spill.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

Remember Queen's classic pump-up hit "We Will Rock You"? Well, PETA U.K. has its own version, which its staffers recently taught to students at Great Missenden Church of England Combined School when they stopped by as part of their Meat-Free Monday outreach, now in its second year. Here's part of it (don't forget the "We Will Rock You"–style clapping and rhythm!):

Tomato pasta bake, orange-berry cake,
Apple-mango shake, aubergine* pie,
Spicy cashew roast, tofu strips on toast,
Lentils cooked with cloves, crispy stir-fry!

Meat-Free, Meat-Free Monday!
Meat-Free, Meat-Free Monday!

Catchy, huh? The "nippers" loved it.

The kids also learned a Meat-Free Monday rhyme, played a veggie-themed game, watched part of "Let's Ask the Animals," and helped prepare an easy Meat-Free Monday snack. They had a great time, but, most importantly, they learned the benefits of eating meatless meals.

Students all across the globe are enthusiastically taking part in the Meat-Free Monday movement. Schools in Helsinki, Finland, recently began celebrating a weekly vegetarian day, and schools in Baltimore have been hosting "Meatless Mondays" since last fall. New York City schools are currently considering a similar initiative as well. Sir Paul McCartney's efforts to push the campaign have helped put Meat-Free Monday on the international map.

And when Meat-Free Monday takes hold around the world, we'll start singing the praises of Tofu-Time Tuesday too. Or maybe Soy-Day Sunday …? What do you think?

Written by Heather Moore

*That's eggplant to you and me.

You probably read how third-ranked competitive eater Takeru "The Tsunami" Kobayashi was forcibly removed from this year's Coney Island Fourth of July hot dog–eating contest after crashing the stage at the close of the event. Kobayashi didn't compete in the contest, having refused to sign a contract with Major League Eating (I'm not making this up) because "he wanted to be free to compete in contests sanctioned by other groups."

Well, then, Tsunami-san, why not take the Veggie Dog Hall of Fame Challenge at Corner Bar in Rockford, Michigan? You'd not only prove your independence, you'd also save yourself from the potential health problems associated with eating gluttonous amounts of meat. Not that we advocate overeating, but given how other contests mean that herds of cows are killed and eaten just so that they can be thrown up later, Corner Bar's contest has earned the restaurant PETA's first-ever "Animal-Friendly Eating Competition Award."

Maybe we'll see the start of a whole new veggie-eating circuit! You don't even have to stuff yourself silly—ready to sign up?

Written by Jeff Mackey

scienceblogs / CC

After Pilgrim's Pride announced that it will be closing its slaughterhouse in Farmerville, Louisiana, Gov. Bobby Jindal immediately put together an emergency task force to strategize a way to stop the plant from closing. We realize that in this unstable economy, losing 1,300 jobs can definitely be scary, so PETA has written to Gov. Jindal with an offer: We'd like to purchase the slaughterhouse and create a chicken empathy museum, which would create jobs and increase tourism in Louisiana.

Of course, the museum would also promote compassion for animals and educate people about the suffering endured by the 9 billion chickens who are killed for food every year. What better job is there for a former factory-farm worker than to educate others about how wonderful chickens really are?

Most people don't realize that chickens are sensitive animals who are as intelligent as cats, dogs, and even primates. Probably the coolest thing that you didn't know (but would if you visited our proposed museum) is that mother hens actually cluck to their unborn chicks, who chirp back to their mothers and to one another from within their shells!

Oh, and did I mention that the museum would also include a fancy restaurant with an array of delicious vegetarian options and would offer free plush chickens to all kids under 12? Post a comment to let Gov. Jindal know that you'll be booking your ticket to Farmerville as soon as the museum is up and running.

Written by Liz Graffeo