Written by PETA
It's official: Oprah will end her show in 2011. Feel that collective surge of sadness? We sure do. Oprah's groundbreaking program has transcended the talk-show format and has paved the way for social and political change. In honor of PETA's 2008 Person of the Year and her show's long run, we're revisiting Oprah's best animal-friendly episodes:
The media mogul may be bidding farewell to her legendary talk show, but with the upcoming launch of her new cable network, we're sure that we'll be seeing a lot more of her for a long time to come.
Written by Logan Scherer
When it comes to weekday talk-show fare, it's no surprise that I'm partial to Ellen and Oprah. Today, however, some props go out to Tyra Banks for following up on a feature that set off alarm bells here at PETA.
A few days ago, The Tyra Banks Show aired a segment about a woman who gushed about her "pet" capuchin monkey. Sure, capuchins are cute and smart, but the "Joe Blows" who buy baby monkeys soon realize that they cannot control the strong animals after they outgrow their diapers. Case in point: Oprah's recent interview with Charla Nash, who barely survived an attack by her friend's 15-year-old chimpanzee, Travis. And while capuchins are much smaller than chimpanzees, they are still very strong and very fast, and they have extremely sharp canines that can quickly do a great deal of damage to an unwitting person.
Consequently, many monkeys are discarded at pseudo-sanctuaries and shoddy roadside zoos because there simply aren't enough reputable sanctuaries to care for them all. Some species can live to be well into their 50s, and many primates who are abandoned by their "owners" face decades of misery in appalling conditions.
We wrote to Tyra Banks to express our concern that some viewers might be tempted to purchase a monkey of their own after seeing the segment on her show. We're heartened to learn that she's added a warning on her Web site stating, "Please note, PETA has contacted the show and does not recommend keeping monkeys as pets."
Folks, please let other people know that when it comes to capuchins and other exotic animals, the most humane action is always: "Monkey see, monkey do … not buy one!"
Written by Karin Bennett
Here's one more reason why I heart Oprah.
Yesterday, during her fall fashion style makeover show, a stylist mentioned that a furry vest worn in one woman's "after" look was faux. Oprah replied, "I was a PETA Woman of the Year so I hope that's faux!"
From celebrating vegan cuisine with Chef Tal Ronnen to airing an in-depth investigation of the cruelty of puppy mills, Oprah never hesitates to remind millions of television viewers to consider animals in their everyday lives.
Update: Some more Oprah-related news for you – if you didn’t get a chance to see Oprah’s puppy mill exposé last month, she’s running it again tonight. More on that here.
Author Kathy Freston's fantastic new book, Quantum Wellness, has been getting a ton of buzz lately, not least because it inspired Oprah Winfrey herself to try veganism for three weeks. Kathy also appeared on Ellen yesterday, and a lot of people have been asking about the book, so by way of an introduction, here's PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk with a quick review:
No matter where on the "wellness continuum" you may be, Kathy Freston's new book, Quantum Wellness, is an absolute must-read. The concept is simple: You just have to make one small change, and before you know it, you're on the road to getting your spiritual, mental, and physical act—or "wellness," as Kathy likes to call it—together. This may sound like a tall order, but that's the point of the book—tall orders turn into small orders when you break them down into achievable goals. What could be easier? My favorite parts of the book are the two chapters that Kathy devotes to "conscious eating." I challenge anyone to read these chapters and look at a package of ground beef or drumsticks the same way again. Chapter Five, in which she talks about the now-famous "21-day cleanse" that Oprah has embarked on, also deserves an honorable mention. Who knew that casein, an ingredient in dairy products, is also used to make industrial-strength glue? Try digesting that!Best of all, Kathy devotes 55 pages to putting conscious eating into practice with mouthwatering recipes such as seared "chicken" strips with shitake mushrooms, stir-fried veggies, and teriyaki sauce over brown rice. Yum!
No matter where on the "wellness continuum" you may be, Kathy Freston's new book, Quantum Wellness, is an absolute must-read.
The concept is simple: You just have to make one small change, and before you know it, you're on the road to getting your spiritual, mental, and physical act—or "wellness," as Kathy likes to call it—together. This may sound like a tall order, but that's the point of the book—tall orders turn into small orders when you break them down into achievable goals. What could be easier?
My favorite parts of the book are the two chapters that Kathy devotes to "conscious eating." I challenge anyone to read these chapters and look at a package of ground beef or drumsticks the same way again. Chapter Five, in which she talks about the now-famous "21-day cleanse" that Oprah has embarked on, also deserves an honorable mention. Who knew that casein, an ingredient in dairy products, is also used to make industrial-strength glue? Try digesting that!
Best of all, Kathy devotes 55 pages to putting conscious eating into practice with mouthwatering recipes such as seared "chicken" strips with shitake mushrooms, stir-fried veggies, and teriyaki sauce over brown rice. Yum!
And in other important news, here's Oprah on Week 2 of the new diet.
-Jack
Which is, quite possibly, the best news in the history of news. It’s close, anyway. Inspired by the book Quantum Wellness, by Kathy Freston, Oprah’s going to be cutting all the meat, dairy, and eggs out of her diet in an effort to live a healthy, cruelty-free lifestyle. If you didn’t catch tonight’s show, be sure to look out for the reruns, but in the meantime, if you want to follow in Oprah’s footsteps, you can take a pledge to be vegan for 7 days. Oprah’s going to be giving up alcohol, wheat, and sugar as well – which, well, more power to her – but our pledge (for obvious reasons) is focusing on the veganism part. So you don’t need to worry about giving up your stiff gin and tonic after a hard day of work. Or is that just me who does that?
Anyway, according to Oprah’s website, the first day’s gone really well! Here’s what she says about her reasons for trying it out:
“How can you say you're trying to spiritually evolve, without even a thought about what happens to the animals whose lives are sacrificed in the name of gluttony?”
Thank you, Oprah! I can’t wait to hear how it goes.
After Oprah aired a hard-hitting exposé of puppy mills last week, the folks at the American Kennel Club had the audacity to publicly praise the show, while they were presumably maneuvering frantically behind the scenes to make sure that the breeders they’ve been vigorously defending for decades don’t take a hit as a result. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk wrote to Oprah yesterday to thank her for doing the show and to point out that the AKC is no friend of dogs and never has been. You can read her letter here.
Oprah Winfrey is going to be tackling puppy mills on her show today, so be sure to check it out (or Tivo it) if you get a chance. Puppy mills, which keep large quantities of purebred dogs in overcrowded, often shockingly inhumane conditions, are a well-kept secret of the pet-trade industry, and the animal protection community is extremely grateful to Oprah for exposing this major cause of pet overpopulation to a wide audience.
It’s standard practice for puppy mills—which supply animals to pet stores and purebred enthusiasts, without any concern for the millions who will die in shelters as a result—to keep animals in constant confinement, without proper veterinary care or socialization. It’s common to hear stories of puppy mills that are shut down on cruelty to animals charges (I posted about one a couple of weeks ago), but it’s nowhere near common enough—and these sordid operations will continue to thrive for as long as people support them by purchasing animals from pet stores or seeking out purebred animals from breeders.
You can find out what time the show will be airing where you live on Oprah’s site, and there’s more information about puppy mills, and you can learn more about PETA’s campaign to help companion animals here.
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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