Written by PETA
Oh, Lea, how "my life would suck without you." Luckily for me and the other self-declared Gleeks out there, Glee is returning to Fox on April 13, which means that Lea Michele and her co-stars are in demand everywhere—from Oprah to the Oval Office. Now the vegetarian singer, actor, and friend to animals has teamed up with PETA to speak out against fur. Check out our exclusive interview with the animal-saving star to see how Lea "C's" it. (Spoiler: Sorry, "Sue's Corner" fans, but this "C" stands for compassion.)
Written by Logan Scherer
Sharon McDonough has been accused of running what her son calls "a concentration camp for animals" after officials found the bodies of 20 dogs buried in her backyard in Selden, New York, and discovered six living animals (who were reportedly confined to soiled cages) inside her house. McDonough allegedly forced her children to commit nightmarish acts of cruelty, including restraining a dog and duct-taping his mouth shut while she beat the animal. McDonough was arrested, and her six children have been taken into protective custody. Dozens of neighbors remain worried that their missing companion animals will soon be found inside the shallow graves of McDonough's backyard.
In the wake of this ghastly discovery, we're sending our PSA featuring Eli Roth to TV stations in the New York City area to warn viewers about the vicious cycle of violence that often begins with animal abuse and, as research has proved, often ends with violence against humans:
Former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin's new book is hitting bookstores this week, and the advance word is that the lady who never saw a wolf, polar bear, or moose she wouldn't like to see ground up into burgers doesn't have many nice things to say about vegetarians. As was pointed out by PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk in her open letter to Palin, the only surprise is that Palin's jibes are as yawn-inducing as a rerun of The Man Show.
One has to wonder if there is an original line in Sarah Palin's book, given her remarks in it about vegetarians. (She seems to believe that we only eat salad, but if she's keeping an eye on the New York Times bestseller list, she will spot two vegan cookbooks in the top five with barely a salad recipe in either of them.) The long-brandished rebuttal to Ms. Palin's filched quote "If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?" is "I guess God also intended for humans to be cannibals then because we are also made out of 'meat.'" And as for the amazingly glib "I love animals—right next to the mashed potatoes," the first time I saw that slogan was a few decades before America was graced with Ms. Palin's public presence, when it was used interchangeably with "I love spotted owls: baked or fried." Ms. Palin reportedly finds evolution a bit hard to swallow. Judging from her book, that applies to the evolution of ideas and attitudes as well. Very truly yours, Ingrid E. Newkirk
One has to wonder if there is an original line in Sarah Palin's book, given her remarks in it about vegetarians. (She seems to believe that we only eat salad, but if she's keeping an eye on the New York Times bestseller list, she will spot two vegan cookbooks in the top five with barely a salad recipe in either of them.) The long-brandished rebuttal to Ms. Palin's filched quote "If God had not intended for us to eat animals, how come He made them out of meat?" is "I guess God also intended for humans to be cannibals then because we are also made out of 'meat.'" And as for the amazingly glib "I love animals—right next to the mashed potatoes," the first time I saw that slogan was a few decades before America was graced with Ms. Palin's public presence, when it was used interchangeably with "I love spotted owls: baked or fried."
Ms. Palin reportedly finds evolution a bit hard to swallow. Judging from her book, that applies to the evolution of ideas and attitudes as well.
Very truly yours,
Ingrid E. Newkirk
Written by Alisa Mullins
How could we not plug the new, adorable polar bears at the Saint Louis Zoo? After all, we are all about the zoo of the future, and this zoo exhibit is unlike anything we've ever seen before. Instead of flesh-and-blood bears, the zoo is currently displaying electric proxies, and we couldn't be more thrilled.
A study out of the University of Oxford determined that polar bears fare especially poorly in captive situations. These large, roving predators develop neurotic behaviors because of stress when kept in captivity because they are unable to satisfy their instinct to roam. The report noted that "a polar bear's typical enclosure size, for example, is about one-millionth of its minimum home-range size," and the authors concluded that "the keeping of naturally wide-ranging carnivores should be either fundamentally improved or phased out."
The Saint Louis Zoo has a miserable record of polar bear "care." Four years ago, a polar bear named Churchill ate a toxic meal of cloth and plastic and died during his subsequent stomach surgery. Just one month later, the polar bear Penny died from infection. She had two dead fetuses inside her uterus, though zoo officials didn't know she was pregnant. Hope, the zoo's last surviving polar bear, was euthanized earlier this year after veterinarians discovered she had cancer.
We're hoping that the zoo maintains its merry instillation year-round, making every day a cause for polar bears to celebrate. And if they decide that the still-lives don't quite cut it, we'd love to see the zoo invest in animatronic bears that look and act like the real things.
Classrooms are for students, not animals. This is the conclusion that Margaret Barthel, the head of the science department at Tampa, Florida's Freedom High School, has finally come to after an appearance in court this week resulted in Barthel's being punished for cruelty to the animals she kept in her classroom.
In Barthel's classroom at Freedom High, several class "pets" were abused and neglected: Nine gerbils died after they were deprived of food and water for more than two weeks, finches died of exposure, and a ball python froze to death. As a result of the cruelty citations, Barthel has relinquished her (still-living) ball python to Hillsborough County Animal Services, paid a $1,000 fine, donated $500 to animal services, and committed to keeping animals out of her classroom permanently.
We're hoping that in light of this incident, Freedom High School Principal Chris Farkas will heed our calls and prohibit the use of animals in all the school's classrooms. Please use this form to let him know that students can and do learn about responsibility, animal behavior, and hands-on science without keeping animals on display in classrooms.
Written by Liz Graffeo
Actor/director Eli Roth wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty bashing "Natzees" with a baseball bat as Sgt. Donnie Donowitz, aka "The Bear Jew," in Inglourious Basterds, nor has he shied away from gore in his "oh-my-god-this-is-so-disgusting-but-I-cannot-look-away" films Hostel and Cabin Fever. But now, Eli Roth—who, behind all the (fake) blood and guts, has a heart of gold—has teamed up with PETA to direct and star in our very first MySpace exclusive PSA. In the ad, he reminds everyone that the violence in his movies is fake—but violence against animals is real and is an important issue.
View the ad on MySpace and then check out behind-the-scenes footage from the shoot:
A guy who enjoys an "all in good fun" beheading and long walks on the beach? What more could you ask for?
How about some exclusive pictures?
Posted by Liz Graffeo
You may know (and love) O.A.R.'s hit single, "Shattered (Turn the Car Around)," but did you know that their name stands for "Outrageously Against Real fur"? OK, I made that part up. It's really "Of a Revolution," but after hearing frontman Marc Roberge's awesome anti-fur radio PSA, I seriously think that they should consider changing it.
Now on a three-month tour supporting the band's hit release All Sides, Marc took time out of his busy schedule to give us his thoughts about the fur industry and so much more in this exclusive interview:
PETA: What made you want to participate in PETA's anti-fur campaign?
Marc: I just think that any person with a head on their shoulders who learns the truth about the fur industry through this campaign should have a hard time justifying spending their money on fur.
PETA: What are your thoughts about the fur industry, particularly regarding the fact that animals—including dogs and cats—are often skinned alive just to make things like trinkets and fur-trimmed clothing?
Marc: I just find it so hard to believe that people find this practice acceptable at all, and they flaunt it. Makes me sick, to be honest. Do people crave attention that much? It is laughable that someone can't see how barbaric wearing fur truly is.
PETA: Do you have any animal companions? If so, what are their names and how did they become a part of your family?
Marc: I have three dogs at home, and they run the show. Two terrier mixes and an 11-year-old pit bull have me wrapped around their little paws. They keep us walking all the time, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Our pit was facing the end of the road in an animal shelter in Maryland, so we had to get her out of there and bring her with us when we moved north. I will never forget how happy she was to get in the car with us. To this day, she loves riding in the car.
PETA: What other animal issues are important to you, and why?
Marc: I'm sure everyone reading this would agree that all animal issues are important to all of us. Cosmetic animal testing will always be something that kills me, though. It is just plain wrong.
PETA: Do you have any advice for your fans who want to help animals but aren't sure where to start?
Marc: I guess anyone can start getting involved by volunteering at [an animal] shelter. My wife did that growing up and it definitely shaped a caring side of her that grows deeper every year.
Around about now, I'm thinking that you're probably eager to snatch up a new O.A.R. T-shirt and autographed poster. All you have to do to enter to win this and other great gear is post a comment by February 7 telling us what you've done to fight fur. We'll contact the winner by February 8. Note that by commenting you are agreeing to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.
Written by Amy Elizabeth
In honor of the Year of the Ox, PETA Asia-Pacific's "Go Veg!" cow hit the streets to encourage shoppers to "make it a good year for cows." Welcomed with open arms (and kids jumping on his back), the cow traveled from Taipei to Hong Kong to Manila. He also made a quick pit stop at the U.S. consulate in Hong Kong to welcome Barack Obama into office. Check out photos from some of their recent demos below:
Ringing in the New Year in front of Taipei City Hall, the cow handed out free soy milk to let people know that cows on dairy farms are forcibly impregnated and have their babies torn away from them within days of birth.
In Manila and Hong Kong, he encouraged shoppers to give healthy, humane vegetarian meals a try. On today's factory farms, cows are routinely branded, dehorned and castrated without anesthesia. No cow deserves that kind of abuse, especially in a year dedicated to them. Don't ya think?
Of course, the always-scandalous PETA Asia-Pacific couldn't protest the meat industry without a throwing in a little sex appeal. No blow-up dolls were involved this time, but Sydney's lunchtime crowds got some serious eye candy. Wearing little more than painted-on words mimicking a butcher's diagram, a pair of activists held signs reminding passersby that "all animals have the same parts."
The Year of the Ox sounds a little bit like a year-long birthday party for cows to me, and I can't think of a better gift than to refuse to eat them.
When we found out that Safari Club International, the largest big-game hunting organization in the world, would be in Reno, Nevada, on the same day as our anti-fur demonstrators, we figured that we'd be facing a tough crowd. Our fearless crusaders nevertheless showed up bright and early to let people know that animals caught in steel-jaw traps can languish in pain for days. What happened next was just downright ridiculous.
First, a couple of Reno Police Department cops showed up (unfortunately not in hot pants) to scope out the scene. Things settled down pretty quickly—that is, until a fire truck and ambulance came charging down the street, sirens blaring, and stopped directly in front of our demo. Apparently, a "concerned citizen" called 911 to report bleeding girls in distress. Cherry on the cake? Amidst the chaos, a detective from Homeland Security showed up to take the ladies' names.
Secretly, we were kind of hoping the cops would show up (we have a thing for police in short shorts), but we definitely weren't expecting such an eventful welcome. Well, the whole thing was eventually sorted out and laughed off as a misunderstanding, but let's just say this was one demo that "The Biggest Little City in the World" will never forget.
Check out photos of the "bleeding girls" below.
Country superstar Emmylou Harris' life has really gone to the dogs—and she wouldn't have it any other way. Devoted to lending a hand to down-and-out dogs, the down-to-earth music legend once rolled up her sleeves to help PETA build doghouses for cold and lonely dogs who were trapped at the end of a chain.Now she's taking her canine cause to the airwaves. In a new series of radio PSAs, Emmylou encourages people to spay and neuter their animal companions and take them inside rather than keep them chained outside, longing for warmth, safety, and companionship.
Why is Emmylou fixated on getting animals fixed and out of the cold? Homelessness is not just a human problem. U.S. animal shelters must put nearly 4 million dogs and cats to death every year because of simple math: There are too many animals and not enough worthy adoptive homes. Millions more animals are condemned to a sad life of loneliness, isolated outside with no exercise or attention. Wintry weather means extra hardship for "backyard" dogs. Chained dogs often have nowhere to go to escape the cold and snow. They suffer from frostbite, exposure, and dehydration when water sources freeze. Listen to her PSAs here:
Dogs don't deserve to be given the cold shoulder. This winter, exercise some Emmylou-style empathy: Practice your ABC's and declare a "winter watch" for animals who live outdoors. Click here to download Emmylou's chained dog PSA and click here to download her adoption PSA.
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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