Great news on the circus front from our colleagues at Animal Defenders International: Peru's president, Alan García, has signed a law banning wild animals in circuses. The decision comes right on the heels of the British Parliament's unanimous vote to direct the government to introduce a similar ban. Legislation is also pending in Scotland, Brazil, Ecuador, and Colombia.

The use of animals in circuses has previously been abolished in Austria, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Singapore, Sweden, and many municipalities in Canada.

© Sam Haddock

 
Most animals used in circuses are meant to roam over vast territories, but instead live chained or caged in cramped transport trailers and boxcars, allowed out only when forced to do demeaning tricks. Circuses go to great lengths to hide the dark side of the big top—that animals are torn from their families, are beaten into submission, and suffer from arthritis, foot problems, and other conditions.

Progress is being made around the world, yet the Ringling Bros. circus is still hauling sick elephants around the U.S. and forcing them to perform. Please ask federal authorities to intervene to get these ailing elephants off the road.
 

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

The ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu is in danger of being eroded by constant tourist traffic, which has prompted PETA to make it the second destination for our plus-size virtual "tourist." Hopefully, his message will help restore this awe-inspiring attraction, which is one of the "New Seven Wonders of the World.":

Click here to see the Spanish version of the banner.

Vegans are, on average, 10 to 20 pounds lighter than their meat- and dairy-consuming counterparts. By shrinking their waists, tourists would also reduce their monumental carbon footprints.

Machu Picchu visitors may soon be taking lighter steps—or will overweight tourists run the Incan landmark into the ground?

Written by Shawna Flavell

We've spoken out against BP, and suggested ways in which each one of us can help save the waterways and the environment. Now, by special request, we've created a new, fun, and in-your-face line of BP-related merchandise that will help fund PETA's work to save wildlife. Now we're giving away our BP T-shirt and coffee mug to two lucky winners (you can also buy the shirt for yourself and all your friends):

Ready to sport this compassionate gear? Tell us what you are doing to reduce your dependency on oil as well as what you would like to say to BP's big wigs if you could sit down and have coffee* with them. The two readers with the most inspiring comments will each score a T-shirt and a coffee mug. The contest ends on June 30, 2010, and we'll pick the winners on July 2, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms of conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

*Here's a little something to get you in the mood to tell us all about your imaginary coffee date with BP.

As NASA public affairs specialist Stephanie Schierholz took to the stage at Monday's TWTRCON to weigh in on "customer service," animal defenders elsewhere took to their Twitter accounts and took over the #TWTRCON hashtag—specifically weighing in on NASA's plan to fund a misguided, cruel, and wasteful experiment in which dozens of squirrel monkeys would be blasted with harmful space radiation.

Tweets about NASA's radiation experiments started appearing on large projectors flanking the sides of the stage that the conference was using to display tweets about the event. One attendee reported that after the NASA representative responded to the surprise Twitter protest by shrugging her shoulders and rolling her eyes, curious audience members could be heard tapping on their keyboards for more information about NASA's plans to bankroll the torment of monkeys at the Brookhaven National Laboratory and Harvard's McLean Hospital.

Schierholz reportedly muttered, "[M]aybe we're experimenting on monkeys." No, NASA—if caring people have anything to say about it, you won't be. We'll keep tweeting and taking to the streets, the phone lines, and online petitions until your plans for these cruel, senseless experiments are canceled.

Written by Karin Bennett

On Sunday in Mexico City, bullfighter Cristian Hernández left the ring in the middle of a fight. After he was arrested and charged a fine for breach of contract, he announced his retirement from bullfighting, saying, "I didn't have the ability, I didn't have the balls, this is not my thing." Well, we don't think that's exactly right. I mean, any coward can bully an animal. But it takes courage to walk away despite the jeers of spectators. To send a message to those who deride him, PETA is reimbursing the cost of Hernández's fine and sending him a "Real Men Are Kind to Animals" certificate that he can wave in his detractors' faces.

Townspeople may paint Hernández as a coward or imply that he is somehow less of a man for refusing to torment and kill bulls who are physically harmed, driven into an arena with a roaring crowd, run around in dizzying circles, jabbed with knives, and finally stabbed to death at the point of complete exhaustion—but, as we know, bullies are the cowards.

So let's hope Hernández sees that he can have fans when he doesn't hurt animals for a living—and to all the "real men" out there who save animals rather than stab them, please join me in giving a big "Olé!"

Written by Jeff Mackey

Phew! PETA's "BOYCOTT PETCO" brick* survived the 5.7-magnitude earthquake that shook San Diego's PETCO Park on Monday—and here's a photo snapped by an activist last night to prove it:

Don't get me wrong—PETA loves the stadium's tasty, animal-friendly eats but hates the massive suffering that PETCO causes by buying animals from shady dealers and selling them to anyone who walks in, intentions be damned. Animals like the poor fellow below who are bred for and shipped to PETCO and other pet stores get their world shaken to pieces every single day by being mishandled, abused, or even thrown into the trash to die. They are crammed en masse into crowded, filthy containers at animal distributors such as U.S. Global Exotics and Sun Pet, and they're often denied basic necessities, including food, water, adequate air, and veterinary care.

Let's shake things up for PETCO (the store—not the stadium!) by telling it to stop selling animals immediately or we'll shop elsewhere for our dog beds, cat trees, toys, and treats.

Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post

*Line up the first letter of each word to find the brick's hidden message!

supercoolpets / CC

You're out for a walk with your dog when two men suddenly appear and grab him before you have a chance to react. In an instant, your canine companion is gone. Then—as if that weren't horrifying enough—you later learn that your beloved friend is caged in a medical school laboratory, slated to be cut open and killed in a training exercise.

It's every animal guardian's worst nightmare, and it allegedly happened recently to Carmen Valverde of Lima, Peru, and her dog, Tomas.

After Tomas was stolen, a neighbor of Carmen's who works at the teaching hospital in the University of San Marcos recognized him while looking in the surgery room in which the school routinely dissects dogs.

The neighbor alerted Carmen and, wearing a lab coat, Carmen was able to sneak into the facility at the university and rescue Tomas, who was already sedated and strapped down for dissection.

While the school claims that it only dissects "dogs [who] don't have owners," after Tomas' story was made public, at least one other guardian found her missing dog in the same laboratory.

We're following this case and will keep you posted on any developments.

This problem isn't limited to Peru. Animals suffer in laboratories no matter where they come from, but laboratories that are willing to pay for animals provide an incentive for unscrupulous people to get animals wherever they can—often from our streets and yards. "Bunchers" may drug animals, pose as animal control officers, or answer "free to a good home" ads to get puppies and kittens to sell.

You can help end this nightmare by doing the following:

• Never give animals away "free to a good home."
• Never allow animals outside without supervision.
• Persuade schools to replace training on animals with superior non-animal methods.

Written by Jeff Mackey

When some people go on vacation, they send postcards of landmark buildings or landscapes with the message "Having a great time! Wish you were here!" Longtime PETA booster Maru Vigo, however, sends postcards of animals—like silly-looking llamas—with a different message: "Having a great time—saving the animals!"

When Maru goes to Peru, she doesn't just get off the plane, see the sights, and hop back on. Instead, she takes the time to organize volunteers, who go out onto the streets to promote spaying and neutering in Lima and throughout the country. Check out Maru's great team of volunteers in their PETA T-shirts:

Maru is a great example of a committed activist who makes a difference for animals no matter where she goes. We all look out for stray dogs and cats in our hometowns, so why not in another city or country—or continent? The next time you're on vacation, pay attention to the skinny mama dog outside the hotel or the sad cat foraging at the ruins—you could help save their lives. Wouldn't that make for a much better vacation story than the time you got sunburned at the theme park?

To see how PETA has helped dogs and cats around the world and to learn how you can help, too, check out HelpingAnimals.com.

Written by Amanda Schinke