Update: The suspects were arrested on August 2 and charged with violations of child abuse and animal welfare laws. The Ridons may face more charges, but they are currently out on bail. PETA Asia-Pacific has hired an attorney and is working to make sure that the suspects appear in court and are vigorously prosecuted. Please support these vital efforts by making a donation today.
 

After a year-long investigation by PETA Asia-Pacific and the National Bureau of Investigations, police have now charged a Philippine couple with cruelty to animals and other crimes related to producing a series of pornographic videos in which young girls torture and kill animals. Faced with the charges, suspects Dorma and Vic Ridon have fled. Warrants have been issued for them.

WARNING: Graphic descriptions follow.

The "crush" videos that the Ridons are believed to have produced show scantily clad 12-year-old girls as they stomp on live animals, a rabbit as he or she is skinned alive, other rabbits as they scream while their ears are cut off and they are set on fire, a dog as he or she is burned with a clothes iron, and a monkey who was repeatedly hit in the eye with the sharp end of a stiletto heel. There is more, including puppies crushed until they vomited their own internal organs. A bill currently in the Philippine Senate would criminalize the sale of such "crush videos," already illegal in the U.S. and other countries. You can e-mail Ambassador Jose L. Cuisia Jr. and ask him to vocally support the bill and help prevent the videos from being produced in his country.

PETA Asia-Pacific is offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the Ridons. You can also make a donation to PETA Asia-Pacific to help the group fight cruelty to animals in this case as well as in many others.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

The situation was grim at Janet Jackson's concert in Manila, Philippines. Nearly a dozen "Grim Reapers" reminded the singer that wearing fur is nasty to animals.

Doesn't Ms. Jackson know that animals who are killed for their fur are bludgeoned, electrocuted, stomped to death, and sometimes even skinned alive? And since an undercover investigation showed that dogs and cats are killed for their fur, too, Janet might well be wearing a black cat.

Please tweet to Janet Jackson and ask her to refuse to wear fur any time, any place. Instead, she can send her old furs on an escapade to PETA, and we can use them in protests against, err, someone else.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

A PETA Asia public service announcement (PSA) that's currently airing on prime time TV in the Philippines is generating quite a bit of buzz (you'll get the pun when you watch the PSA) because it features the late Philippine president Corazon Aquino—along with other world leaders, including Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas Gandhi—"speaking" about peace and justice. But there's a twist. Check it out:

The ad was released in observance of International Justice Day and will be airing in the Philippines through the end of July. PETA Asia hopes that it will inspire viewers to give a voice to the voiceless.

What do you think? Does this PSA leave you howling or hooting or ...? Please show it to everyone you know. You can show it in a classroom, in an office, or online (by putting a link to it on your e-mail).

Written by Alisa Mullins

Tropical Storm Ondoy caused severe flooding in many areas of metropolitan Manila last weekend. While PETA Asia-Pacfic's Manila office survived Ondoy intact and local staffers and their animal companions are safe, the storm caused massive damage.

As many of us remember from Hurricane Katrina, animals are often left in desperate situations after disasters, and PETA Asia-Pacific staffers, along with members of the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), have been busy rescuing animals in distress.

Photo Credit: PAWS
The groups set out in a pickup truck to search local neighborhoods for animals stranded by the floods (some animals were trapped on rooftops after swimming there) and deliver food to guardians of hungry animals.

PAWS—with which PETA Asia-Pacific works closely year-round on issues such as spaying and neutering and stopping the introduction of greyhound racing to the Philippines—has also opened its shelter as an evacuation center for companion animals affected by the storm.

Tropical Storm Ondoy provides a sobering reminder that we all need to plan ahead to ensure the safety of our animal companions during natural disasters. You can learn more about preparing your companions for storms and other disasters here.

Written by Jeff Mackey