Written by PETA
Why is it that men get no love? A shirtless man appeared in Lycra "fishtails" and body paint beside a female "fish" sea kitten at a popular fishing spot in Naples for one of our Fish Amnesty Week demos. Cameras flashed and lively debates ensued among a huge crowd of tourists while media swarmed PETA's sea kittens. But guess who got all the media glory? The lady sea kitten.
So we'd like to do something that the media didn't do, and draw your attention to the fantastic fella on the left.
During Fish Amnesty Week, we're alerting people to the fact that sea kittens suffer tremendous stress and pain when their sensitive lips are impaled on sharp hooks and the animals are dragged to shore to slowly suffocate or have their heads bashed in. "Catch-and-release" maiming isn't any kinder, as countless victims die from stress and injuries.
We suggest that retirees, fathers hoping to bond with their sons, and others drop their fishing rods and try "shooting" fish—with a camera—instead.
Written by Karin Bennett
Thanks to a sharp-eyed shopper and the quick work of PETA's Cruelty Investigations Department, baby turtles have been rescued from a store in NYC's Chinatown.
These little guys were small—so small that it's actually illegal to sell them—yet they were being hawked as "pets" to unwitting tourists who often don't have a clue about how to take care of such delicate animals.
And that's where the concern of one compassionate citizen really made a difference. She wasn't an expert on turtle care, but after visiting the store, this young woman knew that these turtles were being inhumanely treated. Not only were they tiny, they were being kept in little plastic containers with very little water and nothing else. They were also living outside the shop in direct sunlight for most of the day.
After hitting a brick wall with local officials, the young lady called PETA. Faster than you can say "salmonella souvenirs" (according to the FDA, there are more than 74,000 "pet" turtle–related cases of human salmonella poisoning every year), a PETA cruelty caseworker got the DOH to respond ASAP. That same day, the agency seized eight of the turtles and issued citations to the seedy store for violating New York State Department of Health codes that make it illegal to sell turtles smaller than 4 inches long.
Now living large at a turtle sanctuary, these eight tiny turtles have been given the opportunity to live out their lives in luxury. But there are still aquatic animals who need our help. Won't you tell Brookstone head honchos to get their heads out of their, er, shells and end the sale of Frog-O-Spheres today?
Written by Amy Elizabeth
Earlier today on the streets of New York City, a taxi lost control and crashed into a horse-drawn carriage. The carriage driver was tossed out of the carriage, landed in the street, and was eventually taken to the hospital with the taxi driver. The horse bolted from the scene.
Donny Moss, the director of Blinders, was able to get footage of the accident's aftermath.
This is not the first time that a car and a carriage have collided on the streets of New York City, and unless officials in New York ban horse-drawn carriages for good, you can bet that it won’t be the last.
Please, take a moment and send a polite message to New York City’s Mayor Bloomberg letting him know that he should follow the lead of cities such as London, Paris, and Beijing and ban carriages from his city’s streets. Please do it before someone else gets hurt.
Written by Shawna Flavell
I'm predicting that Fox's new musical comedy, Glee, will be this fall's breakout hit (sorry, Ashlee).
Certainly the show's beautiful and brainy star Lea Michele, who has drawn rave reviews for her various Broadway performances, has hit a high note with us.
Lea joined Chrissie Hynde, Pink, Pamela Anderson, Alec Baldwin, Rue McClanahan, and other notables who "don't stop believin'" that the cruel and dangerous buggy biz needs to be done away with.
I'll be parked on my La-Z-Boy on Wednesday nights to catch Glee. Do you plan to tune in?
And it's all because friends don't protest friends.
No, we haven't suddenly made amends with Anna Wintour. It's longtime PETA friend Charlize Theron who has us putting the kibosh on our protest plans.
Charlize will be on hand at Vogue's Fashion Week party on Thursday to sign copies of the magazine's September issue. But while Charlize may be gracing the cover of this notoriously furry magazine, the Oscar-winning actress wouldn't be caught dead in fur.
The PETA pal even wore our "Fight Breedism" T-shirt to her Vogue interview.
Don't worry—we'll still be making sure that ol' Anna hears from us. She and fellow fur fiend Michael Kors will be putting in an appearance at Wintour's "Fashion's Night Out" event at Macy's … and so will we.
Written by Amanda Schinke
Firefighters from New York City's Engine 245 are heroes in our eyes, and not just because they put their lives on the line for people in need.
When asked to participate in a publicity stunt for Ringling Bros. by washing one of the circus's elephants, the firefighters resisted.
Unfortunately, while this engine company might have realized that Ringling was resorting to a cheap stunt in the hope of finding something—anything—that would distract people from the circus's abuse of animals, city officials weren't on the same page.
Despite the fact that it's the firefighters' job to protect the public, not to hawk circus tickets, the higher-ups in the city government pressured the NYFD to go along with Ringling's scheme.
So, for trying to do the right thing and for staying focused on their (vitally important) jobs, PETA is recognizing Engine 245 with our Compassionate Fire Department Award.
As for those folks at City Hall who decided that the best use of firefighters' time is to shill for Ringling, what the heck were you thinking?
Written by Jeff Mackey
When it came time to plan their NYC wedding, Kelly Respess and Paul Kercheval knew that there was one thing that wasn't going to be a part of their special day—a horse-drawn carriage ride. In fact, they decided to take the opportunity to educate other lovebirds about how unromantic it is to be hauled around Central Park by a tired, abused horse.
Everything from the cake to the decoration said "neigh" to horse abuse, and leaflets describing horse-drawn carriage horrors were distributed to wedding guests as well as to tourists and reporters.
When the ceremony was over, the happy couple rode off in a classic, classy convertible.
We told you that Bethenny Frankel was going to prove that she'd rather go naked than wear fur … and yesterday, we made it a reality.
The Real Housewives of New York City star stripped down on a rooftop in (surprise!) New York City.
The ad isn't ready yet, of course, but we couldn't resist giving you a small preview:
We worked with a top-notch team on this campaign, including celebrity photographer Joseph Cultice at Weiss Artists, stylist Cannon at Judy Casey, makeup artist extraordinaire Ingeborg at Workgroup, and fantastic hairstylist Stacey Weinstein at Loft 26.
The ad will be released this fall, so stay tuned!
This New Yorker usually steers clear of Midtown, thanks to the crowds, the horse-drawn carriages, and Macy's.
But I'm willing to ride the jam-packed Q to Times Square because I'm excited to see PETA's eye-popping McCruelty posters, which features an illustrated eye of a chicken who's been scalded to death and have been plastered all over Midtown. These posters are a follow-up to last week's Chi-town light show and are meant to pressure McDonald's to implement new slaughterhouse technology that would eliminate the worst abuses of chickens killed for McNuggets.
If you're like me, you're wondering where our eye-catching ad will show up next. Maybe on a huge banner draped over the St. Louis Arch? Share your suggestions in the comments section below.
No, it wasn't a resurgence of hookers, but PETA's "bloody," "dying" babes were out to solicit New York City tourists—for compassion for the bulls who will be taunted and tormented by drunk morons during the upcoming Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. After the bulls are sent stampeding in terror through the streets of Pamplona, they will be dragged into the bullring to be mutilated and killed for the "entertainment" of cheering crowds.
Similar demonstrations have been held in Paris, London, and other cities around the world. You can check out some NSFW action shots from similar demos here.
Pamplona's "festivities" kick off July 7, which is just around the corner.
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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