Written by PETA
Yesterday, we asked you to guess which quip-firing, sass-making, cruelty-free-baking, real scorcher was the star of our newest "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ad. Today we're thrilled to unveil Bethenny Frankel's stunning new ad. Check out these scenes from the queen of the Big Apple's photo shoot:
Frankel used to wear fur, but then she saw a skinned animal on display at a demonstration outside a cocktail party. After being exposed to images of animals who are anally electrocuted or have their necks broken before their skin is peeled from their bodies, Bethenny ditched fur forever. As one of the classiest and kindest people on reality television, the story behind her decision to go fur-free is sure to inspire others to make the same easy and humane pledge.
Written by Logan Scherer
We're going to need another tu to describe how adorable our tutu-cute dancing raccoon and fox were as they pliéd and pirouetted their ways into the hearts of balletgoers in Philadelphia:
Joined by local PETA supporters, our furry friends urged Nutcracker attendees and the many delighted onlookers to shun fur and go faux this holiday season. And the lucky kids who passed by got awesome anti-fur stickers.
A classic ballet and a timeless message—it's the perfect match. Bust out your classy moves for a compassionate cause by bringing our Tutu Cruel Campaign to a Nutcracker performance near you.
When President Obama received this year's lucky turkey to be pardoned, he had some brow-raising reservations: "I'm told Presidents Eisenhower and Johnson actually ate their turkeys. You can't fault them for that; that's a good-looking bird," he said.
Malia and Sasha's response? No. He. Couldn't.
"Thanks to the interventions of Malia and Sasha—because I was planning to eat this sucker—'Courage' will also be spared this terrible and delicious fate," he said.
To show Malia and Sasha that we're thankful for their lifesaving involvement this Thanksgiving, we're giving the girls an honorary membership to PETA Kids!
Starting with Tricky Dick, every president in office has issued proclamations supporting America's "sportsmen and women," i.e. wildlife killers. President Obama recently followed suit by naming September 26 "National Hunting and Fishing Day."
In response, PETA president Ingrid E. Newkirk has asked President Obama to declare a "National Wildlife Amnesty Day" in honor of the 95 percent of us who prefer to shoot wildlife with cameras, not guns. That's right: Only a puny 5 percent of Americans stalk, maim, and slaughter deer, bears, and other animals—and many former fishers have cast their rods aside after learning that fish sea kittens feel pain.
Folks, "wildlife management" and "conservation" are euphemisms used to describe programs that ensure inflated numbers of animals for hunters to harass, maim, and kill. If left alone, animal populations would regulate their own numbers. Those who truly care about wildlife donate money to save habitats—without expecting a dead body as a trophy in return.
Written by Karin Bennett
By now, you probably know what President Obama thinks about Kanye's VMA stunt.
We want the president to rest assured that PETA, for one, can sympathize with his sentiments. After all, this isn't the first time that Kanye has been insensitive to the feelings of others.
Because we've heard from so many people who want to know more about PETA's position on "Flygate," we've decided to explore the question of "to bee or not to bee" in a bit more depth.
As we all know, human beings often don't think before they act. We don't condemn President Obama for acting on instinct. When the media began contacting us in droves for a statement, we obliged, simply by saying that the president isn't the Buddha and shouldn't be expected to do everything right—if not for that, we would not have brought it up. It's the media who are making a big deal about the fly swat—not PETA. However, we took the opportunity, when asked, to point out that we do offer lots of ways in which to control insects of all kinds without harming them, including the humane bug catcher we sent President Obama. There is even a chapter in PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's book The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights about how to rid your home of "uninvited guests."
We have lots of other items on our agenda, as you can imagine, and PETA's focus will remain on our core issues—promoting alternatives to eating animals, opposing fur and products made from animal skin, opposing laboratories that torment animals, and fighting the abuse of animals in circus training camps as well as other overt abuses that fall within our mission statement, which states that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.
We support compassion for all animals, even the most curious, smallest, and least sympathetic ones. We hope that everyone will take inspiration from Nobel Peace Prize–winner Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who believed that even insects were deserving of compassion and who would stop to move a worm from hot pavement to cool earth. Aware of the problems and responsibilities that go along with an expanded ethical code, Schweitzer said that we each must "live daily from judgment to judgment, deciding each case as it arises, as wisely and mercifully as we can."
We can't stop all suffering, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't stop any. Our wish is for all people to act wisely and mercifully toward animals.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Well, I guess it can't be said that President Obama wouldn't hurt a fly. The commander in chief was recently pestered by a fly during an interview. He swatted at the insect and killed the little guy instantly.
Believe it or not, we've actually been contacted by multiple media outlets wanting to know PETA's official response to the executive insect execution.
In a nutshell, our position is this: He isn't the Buddha, he's a human being, and human beings have a long way to go before they think before they act.
If all this has you wondering how you can be a bigger person (figuratively, as well as literally) in your dealings with exoskeletal beings, check out our handy-dandy bug catcher—one of which we are sending to President Obama for future insect incidents. I can tell you from personal experience that it sure came in handy the other day, when one of my cats was chasing the World's Largest Palmetto Bug around the house.
Two things we at PETA never pass up: vegan ice cream and opportunities to educate others about the benefits of a vegetarian diet. (I call it giving them a "vegucation.")
Pro-life Catholic students and faculty at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., are in a tizzy about President Obama's scheduled commencement address on Sunday. So, of course, we're erecting two pro-vegetarian billboards this weekend at Notre Dame to remind both sides of the abortion debate that a diet free of slaughtered animals makes sense for everyone.
Queen Bee fur hag Anna Wintour didn't really think we'd let her spread her fashion drivel gospel to the masses unfettered, did she?
As the Vogue editor prepared to give a talk at the New York City 92nd Street Y about the "cultural impact" of her rag magazine last night, two PETA members disrupted the event to let attendees know about the ethical impact of Wintour's relentless promotion of fur.
As one fur foe unfurled a banner from the balcony reading, "Anna Wintour: Fur Shame," a second activist addressed the crowd, saying, "I apologize for the interruption, but I need to let you know that this woman is contributing to the suffering of millions of animals every year through her continued endorsement of the fur industry, even though she knows that the animals in question are beaten, anally electrocuted, and frequently skinned alive."
The protesters rabble roused until security escorted them out. We're hoping that the audience now realizes that Ms. Wintour's days as Vogue's editor should be numbered.
Written by Shawna Flavell
This week, we approached the city of Ashland, Ohio, with a little business proposition after we learned of the city's efforts to find a more cost-effective way to run its curbside recycling program.
We sent the director of city services a letter offering to offset the program's costs by paying to place our Lettuce Ladies' "Vegetarians Do It to Save the Planet" ad on the city's recycling trucks:
With all the bottle-sorting going on in Ashland, its citizens might be interested to learn that they can cause far more damage to the Earth with the foods they eat than they can by chucking some bottles onto a garbage heap. In fact, the production of 1 pound of meat generates the same amount of greenhouse-gas emissions as does driving an SUV 40 miles. Of course, we're not suggesting that anyone stop sorting those bottles, but why not also try a meat-free diet that won't hurt animals or the environment?
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
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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