Written by PETA
He may play a "wimpy kid" on the big screen, but Robert Capron is a superhero as far as his dog, Sam, is concerned. Robert plays Rowley Jefferson in the new movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid. He and his family adopted Sam after spotting the forlorn pup shivering in a cage at a local animal shelter.
After struggling to survive on the streets, Sam was a sorry sight—his ribs were visible and he had lost most of his fur because of unbearably itchy mange. "I felt so bad for him," Robert told M magazine. "He's been through so much." Today, Robert reports that Sam has overcome his fear of people and has morphed into a snuggle muffin. "He's so innocent." says Robert. "I just love him."
I'm sure the feeling is mutual, Rob. And I think I speak for all PETA Files readers when I say that we love you for giving a castaway dog a second chance at happiness. Why anyone would buy a dog from a breeder or pet store when there are so many lovable dogs at animal shelters is a total mystery to me!
How about you—do you have any tales to tell about tails that started wagging again once they landed in a safe and happy home?
Written by Alisa Mullins
Just about everyone has an opinion on who President Obama should nominate to the Supreme Court. Should the nominee be a mother? Should religion be a factor?
I say appoint a vegan for the post. A vegan Supreme Court justice would be another historic first and a clear indication that our nation is continuing to progress.
Cass Sunstein, the president's pick for "regulatory czar" of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, supports strong animal protection laws and has encouraged people to reduce animal suffering by refusing to eat meat.
By putting a vegan on the bench, President Obama could help discourage animal abuse and bring about a more equitable society. We'd likely see more factory-farm and slaughterhouse workers held accountable for stomping on turkeys, hitting pigs with metal rods, or dismembering cows while they're still conscious.
All decent people, including conservatives such as Matthew Scully, a former speechwriter for President Bush and author of Dominion: The Power of Man, the Suffering of Animals, and the Call to Mercy, believe that animals should be treated justly. A vegan Supreme Court justice could help ensure that there truly is justice for all.
Written by Heather Moore
My sister has always written letters and signed petitions about animal issues, but all it took for her to become a full-out anti-circus campaigner was for me to bring home a bullhook from the PETA office for her to see and touch. The sheer ugly menace of this standard elephant training tool really hit her (not literally!). As she put it, "The thought of elephants getting beaten and hooked with this sadistic weapon makes me sick."
Seasoned activists are already familiar with these heavy, metal-tipped, fireplace poker–like devices, which circuses like Ringling use to break elephants and keep them afraid to move an inch without permission. And now you have a chance to get your hooks on one. Leave a comment telling us how having a real bullhook would help you educate people about the abuse of elephants in circuses, and you'll be in the running to win one to use in your local campaigns and anti-circus demonstrations!
The person who leaves the most motivated comment will win this ghastly weapon for his or her own show-and-tell educational efforts. The contest ends on May 14, 2010, and we'll announce the winner on May 18, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by submitting. And please remember, let our Action Team know when the circus is coming to your area so that we can work together to plan a demonstration and get the word out.
Good luck!
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
We are happy to report that Zynga, the creator of the phenomenally popular Facebook crime game Mafia Wars, has nixed the pit bull as a fighting tool. Countless social gamers stopped plowing their FarmVille fields long enough to voice their objections to Zynga about the game's negative depiction of this most used-and-abused breed, and the company quickly responded in just the right way.
We'll be sending Zynga a thank-you note and a box of vegan chocolates as a token of our appreciation, and Mafia Wars "maniacs" can voice their approval to Zynga's customer service center.
Victoria's Secret is cleaning out the skeletons in its closet catalogue. Thanks to a new policy by parent company Limited Brands, Victoria's Secret and lingerie line La Senza will no longer sell exotic animal skins.
PETA's undercover video footage has detailed the cold-blooded suffering that's caused by the international exotic-skins trade, so it's no longer any secret that snakes, crocodiles, lizards, kangaroos, and other animals are cruelly killed for their skins.
All that pain for a python purse or a croc clutch? Get real! I'll stick with fashion accessories that have a killer look but don't kill. And you can too: Pledge to shed any exotic skins in your own closet today!
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
By now, we all know what a sea kitten is—or do we?
If you're baffled by the term, you must be a new PETA Files reader (welcome!). PETA's been campaigning for sea kittens for years, but there are still some people who look at us glassy-eyed when we mention these adorable animals, which is why we are asking Merriam-Webster to add an entry for "sea kitten" to its popular dictionaries. That way, anyone who hears the term "sea kittens" will know that they are smart, social, and sensitive animals who deserve our respect and compassion—instead of being hooked, netted, and suffocated.
While we're waiting to see if "sea kitten" makes the cut for the latest editions of the dictionary, you can help make people aware of sea kittens and how to help them with one of our fab "Eat No Sea Kitten" T-shirts!
Written by Jeff Mackey
Speaking of interruptions, check out this footage from last night, when a PETA member took the podium during a speech by McDonald's bigwig Mary Dillon at a Marquette University alumni event to give attendees an earful about the company's cruelty to chickens:
The audience was packed with CEOs and top executives from lots of big corporations. PETA's newest campaign strategy includes attending McDonald's executives' speaking engagements and holding them accountable in front of their colleagues and competitors for remaining in the Dark Ages when it comes to animal welfare. Even though a less cruel method of chicken slaughter is already in use in Europe and has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, McDonald's still allows its suppliers to break chickens' wings and legs, cut their throats while they are conscious, and scald them to death in defeathering tanks using the outdated method.
All McDonald's needs to do to stop animal defenders from being a pain in its neck is to get its suppliers to quit cutting chickens' throats open and insist that they adopt controlled-atmosphere killing.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
Oh, Canada … today we sing the praises of Marystown, Newfoundland, which recently put out a stop sign for cruel animal acts by joining dozens of other cities and banning acts that use exotic animals.
Marystown reportedly banned the use of animals for human entertainment because its residents fear that animals in circuses are being mistreated. It sounds like someone on the City Council got ahold of PETA's recent undercover investigation, which documented that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus handlers whipped tigers and hit elephants over and over with bullhooks.
Forward-thinking Marystown Mayor Sam Synard even acknowledged that forcing animals into artificial environments causes them "irreparable harm." To thank Mayor Synard, we sent him a letter today (and I'm sure the elephants and tigers would have signed it, too, if they had opposable thumbs).
If you haven't seen the spectacular Cirque du Soleil or any of the other amazing animal-free circuses, what in the world are you waiting for?
It's Cinco de Mayo, and these spicy señoritas—dressed in sizzling chili-pepper bikinis—have certainly grabbed my attention:
Our campaigners have been on the road handing out chili-shaped vegan chocolates across the country, along with plenty of information about why eating meat, eggs, and dairy products just isn't, well, hot.
In particular, the lovely ladies are making the point that adopting a vegan diet can lead to a phenomenal physique and generate plenty of heat in the bedroom. You see, guys, cholesterol and animal fat slow the flow of blood to all the body's vital organs—not just to the heart. So hold the mayo (and meat and cheese) this Cinco de Mayo, and put a little zing in your love life tonight.
Canada has a lot to answer for. Twenty years of Celine Dion albums, for one thing. Howie Mandel. Poutine.
OK, those things are just a matter of taste, but then there's the annual seal slaughter. During the commercial slaughter—the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth—tens of thousands of seals have their heads bashed in or are shot for their fur. Vile!
So PETA is launching the latest volley in the seal wars: a graphic video showing tourists exactly why they should "explore elsewhere":
We will debut the spot in Winnipeg outside Rendez-vous Canada, an annual event that hosts international buyers and travel trade media, and will be airing it around the world in cities in which Canada markets itself most heavily to tourists. Our commercial is in stark contrast to the cuddly seal who is shown playfully jumping on top of a tourist's kayak in an ad run by the Canadian Tourism Commission, and it should encourage the public to choose other vacation destinations until the seal slaughter stops.
You can help us get the word out by showing the video to all your friends. Then leave a comment telling us where you'll be vacationing this year—besides Canada.
Written by Paula Moore
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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