Apparently, furriers who push their pelts as "green" think that we were all born yesterday.

Members of PETA and Concordia Animal Rights Association (CARA) along with our favorite hockey star, Georges Laraque, teamed up outside the North American Fur and Fashion Exposition of Montréal (NAFFEM) yesterday to set the record straight:

© Massacre Animal
CARA-ful! That fur is toxic!

Claims that mink coats and fox-fur hats are eco-friendly couldn't be further from the truth. It's estimated that it takes 15 times as much energy to produce a fur coat from ranch-raised animals as it does to produce a faux-fur coat. And not only are fur garments treated with toxic chemicals to keep them from rotting, fur production also pollutes waterways. And while we're on the subject of pollution, I get chills when I consider the noise pollution generated by screaming animals on fur farms and trap lines. Their cries are both harrowing and deafening.

Now won't you raise your own voice and help them?

Written by Karin Bennett

Bravo to the good folks at CBS 5 in San Francisco for running with a chilling Swedish investigative report on the down industry.

In case you think that the down filling in coats and pillows is gathered by a kindly farmer who just follows molting birds around all day and fills a sack with their lost feathers, here's an eye-opener: An investigative team from the Swedish TV show Cold Facts went undercover on goose farms in Poland, Hungary, and China and videotaped workers yanking fistfuls of feathers out of live birds, a process that a veterinarian contacted by CBS 5 described as "torture." At one farm, a worker is shown using a needle and thread to sew a goose's skin back together after the skin had been ripped apart during plucking.

Makes that down comforter seem less comforting, doesn't it? Luckily for geese and the people who don't wish to hurt them, down-alternative comforters are just as cozy and cuddly as those made from down. I speak from personal experience—I happen to have one on my bed … along with three toasty kitties and a dog.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Forget the Alamo; There's something else for Texans to remember—the imprisonment of Tilly the orca:

Today, PETA's billboard went up near SeaWorld San Antonio to remind Texans not to mess with marine mammals. Our plea to free Tilly and other captive wild animals comes on the heels of last week's congressional hearing about marine abusement parks, to which PETA submitted testimony urging a ban on the confinement of orcas and other wild animals at SeaWorld and other profiteering prison-parks.

So what can you do? Remind everyone to steer clear of marine animal exhibits. And if you're looking for an animal-friendly place to visit this summer, I hear the Alamo is an interesting place to go.

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

Barely stopping to catch her breath after a sizzling Argentine tango on Dancing With The Stars (DWTS), Pamela Anderson—accompanied by her dance partner, Damian Whitewood—headed to the Canadian Consulate in Los Angeles today to hand-deliver her letter to Gary Doer, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., detailing her concern that the Canadian government is subsidizing the seal slaughter.

Pamela has taken her fight for seals from one end of Canada to the other, but her personal appearance at the consulate is her first action in the U.S. regarding this issue. Just like when she dances, Pamela takes one step for animals and then takes 10 more. Do you really need any other reason to tune in to DWTS on Monday and cast your votes for her? Polls open at 8 p.m. EDT, and the phone and text lines stay open for 30 minutes after the end of the show. Online voting remains open until 11 a.m. EDT Tuesday. It only takes a few minutes to help vote this compassionate activist for animals to the top! Call 1-800-868-3411; text the word "vote" to 3411 if you're an AT&T mobile customer; or go online and vote for Pam six times.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

virginmedia / CC

"I am deeply touched and thrilled to be awarded the PETA U.K. person of the year. When I first saw their video footage on foie gras production three years ago, I felt compelled to do something to help put a stop to this cruel delicacy. I have since become a passionate campaigner against foie gras, and am most humbled that my passion has helped make a positive difference in the lives of these animals."
—Sir Roger Moore

On the heels of its recent Selfridges victory, PETA U.K. has named Sir Roger Moore 2009's Person of the Year.

The celebrated actor's tireless and successful efforts against foie gras began three years ago when Moore narrated a video about its production that has attracted more than 300,000 viewers. Since then, Moore has written to every member of the House of Commons asking them to help end foie gras sales in the U.K. and penned many pieces for national publications in his unending attempt to spread the word against the deadly force-feeding of ducks and geese.

For his inspiring accomplishments, Moore will be honored with a plaque and a copy of PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk's One Can Make a Difference.

Written by Logan Scherer

farm3.static.flickr / CC

Two years ago, PETA UK began urging Selfridges to drop foie gras from its shelves so that it would stop contributing to the fatal force-feeding of ducks and geese. PETA UK and its supporters dauntlessly demonstrated, sent more than 5,000 e-mails to Selfridges, and placed thousands of phone calls to the retailer. We are thrilled to announce that all this hard work has paid off: Selfridges has pledged to stop selling foie gras forever.

The splendid news comes from Sir Roger Moore, PETA UK's committed celebrity spokesperson, who received the call directly from Selfridges. Moore's unwavering dedication, along with the inspiring passion of PETA UK's campaigners, attracted endless attention on television, in newspapers, and around the Internet—wherever you turned, PETA UK was there, spreading the message to give up foie gras.

This towering triumph is proof that every e-mail, phone call, and letter matters. Please help spread the success by writing to managers of local restaurants that still sell the vile food. Alert them to the gross cruelty behind foie gras, and ask them to remove it from their menus.

Written by Logan Scherer

Have you been sitting around the house, wondering why your old chum, Sir Roger Moore, hasn't given you a ring lately?

solarnavigator / CC

Truthfully, me neither, but if you are ever given the chance to get on his good side, you should know that opting for foie gras over truffles will get you pulled from his next party's guest list.

In a recent article for the Daily Mail, Sir Roger writes about the horrors of the foie gras industry, in which birds are force-fed, often until their livers burst. "I refuse to speak to old friends who, even when they know how it is produced, are prepared to overlook the suffering for self-gratification," states Sir Roger. "My wife, Christina, feels just the same. No creature deserves to be treated as these birds are for our delectation."

Talk about commitment to a cause.

Want to know what else Sir Roger Moore is doing in support of PETA's campaign to get foie gras eliminated from menus across the globe? Check out the rest of the article here.

Written by Shawna Flavell

As Agent 007, Sir Roger Moore battled the bad guys—but as a real-life Knight of the British Empire, Moore has spent the past several years battling the cruel foie gras industry.

When Moore heard about PETA Europe's campaign to urge Selfridges to stop selling foie gras—he sent a private letter to Selfridges' owner, Galen Weston, offering to buy up the company's entire remaining stock of the cruelly produced food if Weston agreed never to restock it again.

Sir Roger Moore still reigns as our favorite James Bond.

Always the classy gentleman, Moore gave Weston the chance to make this deal behind the scenes—but Selfridges has not responded to Moore's generous offer, so he has taken it to the airwaves. Check out his recent interview on the topic.

Written by Liz Graffeo