Written by PETA
Ding-dong, the wicked bill is dead—almost. A New York Senate bill—which, like similar bills in other states, aims to criminalize filming on farms—is dying on the vine because no one across the aisle on the Assembly side will cosponsor it.
The good news comes after PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews spoke at a news conference about the bill in Albany on Tuesday—just days after the bill was moved forward by the state's Ag committee. Joining him was New York Sen. Tony Avella, one of the lone members of the Ag committee to give the bill a thumbs-down. "Lawmakers and the public need to know how PETA works hand in hand with law enforcement on these cases," Avella said.
Making the case for the necessity of such investigations, Dan pointed out that a PETA investigation at a New York foie gras farm revealed horrors such as ill ducks who were unable to move being eaten alive by rats, female hatchlings being drowned in feed sacks, and one duck with a neck injury so severe that water poured out of the wound when he drank.
While an "Ag Gag" bill in Florida is already history, similar bills are unfortunately still alive in Iowa and Minnesota. You can help by e-mailing the governors of both states and expressing your disgust at any law that protects animal abusers.
Written by Michelle Sherrow
When development in Williamsville, New York, encroached on deer's habitat, the animals were forced to navigate across a historic cemetery and its spiked wrought-iron fence—often with deadly results. In an effort to prevent deer from dying after being impaled on the spikes, Animal Allies of Western New York lobbied city and cemetery officials to modify the fence, but the group became bogged down in finger-pointing.
Concerned residents contacted PETA for help, and we asked lawmakers and the cemetery to open a dialogue about possible retrofits, including fence caps, that would cover the spikes and pass muster with the historic preservation society. In the end, officials and local activists agreed on an ornamental cap that is as humane as it is decorative. Animal Allies is collecting donations to pay for the fence caps.
If you ever come across an animal who is badly injured or suffering, please stay with the animal and immediately report the situation by calling 911. Consider asking property owners in your community to retrofit wrought-iron fences to make them wildlife-friendly. If you get stymied, contact PETA for assistance.
San Francisco Animal Care and Control is so overrun with abandoned Chihuahuas that the dogs are being flown across the country by Virgin America to an animal shelter in New York. The little pups are traveling de primera clase in the main cabin, but they wouldn't have to make the journey at all if it weren't for people who acquire animals on a whim, only to discard them after they realize that they require more than occasional pats on the head and doggie treats.
Celebrities like Paris Hilton, who portray "purse pups" as accessories instead of living beings who require a lifetime of care, are largely to blame, as are movies like Beverly Hills Chihuahua, which also cause a rush on the "dog of the moment."
Compounding the problem are the people who purchase puppies from breeders and pet stores (which usually obtain their dogs from puppy mills), instead of adopting any of the millions of dogs waiting in animal shelters for a home.
Hopefully, the media buzz created by the Chihuahua airlifts will inspire more people to give shelter dogs the buenas familias that they deserve.
Want to take a wild guess which of the world's many "fashion weeks" is now the first to ban fur?
No, it's not Milan, London, or even Miami. That's way too obvious. Think farther north. Arctic Ocean north. That's right—Norway, home to polar bears, glaciers, and ice hotels, has seen fur banned from the catwalks at its upcoming Oslo Fashion Week (OFW), which will be held in February.
The move was spearheaded by fur-free designer Fam Irvoll and the Norwegian animal rights group NOAH, which organized a massive candlelight vigil against fur back in November and gathered signatures from more than 200 designers, models, photographers, and other members of the Norwegian fashion industry who refuse to work with fur.
"It has been a very natural choice for us because we do not want the OFW to appear as an arena in which to promote products based on the treatment of animals [as] prohibited by animal welfare concerns in several countries," said Paul Vasbotten, the general manager of OFW.
Paris, Milan, London, and New York, what are you waiting for?
Written by Alisa Mullins
If you think that you can judge that package of dismembered animal bits by its expiration date, here's a cautionary tale that will make you think again. A customer at a Brooklyn grocery store found a newer "sell-by" label slapped on top of an expired one on a package of chicken and told the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets about it. The inspecting body for food safety shrugged it off, saying that sell-by dates are "nothing but a tool for store managers," who are permitted to relabel or repackage food.
60 Minutes called the fluid in which dead chickens float before they are processed for food "fecal soup," and we have heard enough horror stories to realize that most meat is contaminated with dangerous bacteria like E. coli, campylobacter, listeria, and other bacteria that live in the intestinal tracts and feces of animals. Meat and dairy products spoil fairly quickly, so this might be a good time to start avoiding the stuff altogether. I'm hoping for a run on our vegetarian/vegan starter kit displays, but if you don't have one nearby, you can download a copy or order one from our Web site.
It just goes to show—any way you slice it, meat is still just decomposing flesh.
Written by Heather Moore
If you enjoyed rock 'n' roll in the '70s, you can only love Joan Jett. If you just saw the film about her life, The Runaways, you can only love Joan Jett. And if you were walking by our literature stand at Union Square and 14th Street in New York City this afternoon, you can only love Joan Jett!
Further proving my point that you can catch a glimpse of rock and roll glory anywhere in the Big Apple if you keep your eyes peeled, today vegan party queen Joan Jett was handing out copies of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit in Manhattan.
Want a peek inside what Joan was passing out? Order your own free copy.
On April 14, the New York City Council passed a cunning little bill (Intro. 35) that gives horse-drawn carriage drivers a rate hike. As we pointed out at the time of passage, this bill does very little to improve these long-suffering horses' living and working conditions. The City Council failed to incorporate most of the suggestions made by the ASPCA, including such basic elements as requiring that horses have year-round access to drinking water. Because of lack of enforcement, it's unlikely that the horses will ever even see the few benefits—such as the 5-week resting period—that have been promised them.
Because of the horse-drawn carriage industry's track record of unethical business practices and disregard for horses' welfare, the only solution is to get these horses off the streets and retire them to live out their remaining years in peace. Councilmember Melissa Mark-Viverito has introduced a bill (Intro. 86) that would phase out the industry and replace it with electric-powered antique cars or "green" horseless carriages.
Please, if you live in New York City or know anyone who does (such as friends of friends or anyone who cares about animals) simply make one call and let the City Council know that the only acceptable solution is to end this industry altogether by supporting and passing Intro. 86. Horses would thank you if they could.
We have to thank Joan Jett and her tweeting ways (Joan, you're in close competition with Chrissie Hynde to be my favorite sassy rocker chick) for the great turnout at yesterday's protests against two Queens, New York, restaurants that serve up octopuses and other animals while they're still alive. (No, I am not making that up—I wish I were.)
The owner of East Seafood restaurant was apparently so terrified that a kraken was going to seek vengeance on him for the torture of her smaller brethren that he locked the restaurant's doors for the duration of the protest. Good—no customers!
Please, help stop this abomination by writing to the Queens County D.A. and asking him to press cruelty-to-animals charges against live animal–serving restaurants such as East Seafood and Sik Gaek.
When we heard about the fur that was featured in the William Rast runway collection—backed by Justin Timberlake—at New York Fashion Week, we all said, "WTF?!" (Why the fur?!) The mother-loving chart-topper would support the beating, electrocuting, and drowning of animals for a fashion line that has previously used only faux? It just didn't make sense—which is why we asked J.T. himself if there would be fur in the William Rast retail collection.
Well, Colin Dyne, the CEO of Justin's fashion house, just confirmed to PETA that there will be no real fur in the collection, just some fake fur fringe on some of the shoes. His response made it pretty obvious which collection we'll be (sexy) backing in spring. Phew.
Written by Logan Scherer
"These animals are kept in stables that are too small, often they're cold, they work long hours and they don't have time off. … There was a horse about three months ago that got his foot caught on a parking meter and had to be destroyed—it's awful. You know, it looks nice when you go to the park and see a horse-drawn carriage, but unless there is some way to care for these horses properly, and it doesn't appear that there is, I think we should ban it completely." —New York Governor David Paterson
"These animals are kept in stables that are too small, often they're cold, they work long hours and they don't have time off. … There was a horse about three months ago that got his foot caught on a parking meter and had to be destroyed—it's awful. You know, it looks nice when you go to the park and see a horse-drawn carriage, but unless there is some way to care for these horses properly, and it doesn't appear that there is, I think we should ban it completely."
—New York Governor David Paterson
In the wise words of Alicia Keys, "Let's hear it for New York!" With this gubernatorial compassion and Bethenny Frankel's scorching new ad, I've never been more proud to be a New Yorker—or more inspired tell all my friends in NYC to contact their councilmembers.
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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