Written by PETA
Alarms went off at PETA when we learned that filming for Tom Cruise's upcoming movie, Knight and Day, included the use of live animals to recreate Pamplona's infamous and cruel Running of the Bulls. The Mirror reports that seven bulls used for the production in Spain escaped and injured two women.
We hope that Mr. Cruise will share our concerns when he learns how animals suffer in the annual Running of the Bulls. As human runners and spectators gouge the bulls with sticks and pull their tails, many bulls slip on the pavement and/or slam into buildings, breaking their horns and legs. In their desperate attempts to escape their tormenters, bulls sometimes gore and trample people. As if that weren't enough cruelty, bulls later dragged into the bullrings are repeatedly stabbed and bled to weaken them by bullfighters who sever the animals' spines while the animals are fully conscious.
Will Tom Cruise do as we've asked and use his influence and help bulls by encouraging producers to cut the scene from the film? I believe that PETA's effort is definitely a Mission ImPossible. What do you think?
Updates will follow.
Written by Karin Bennett
Update: Our vegan Ultra champion did it again. Rich Roll finished seventh in the race on Sunday. Despite a bad accident on his bike on Saturday during challenging weather conditions and even with an injured knee, he did the 52-mile run in 7:51. Amazing. Congrats, Rich!
It's Fur-Free Friday, and we're all about spreading joy and good cheer on one of the most compassionate days of the year. In the spirit of the season, we'd like to wish vegan athlete Rich Roll the best of luck as he begins his Ultraman race.
Recently named one of the "25 Fittest Guys in the World" by Men's Fitness, Roll is poised to dominate the competition at the invitation-only Ultraman competition, which includes a 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile cross-country bike ride, and 52.4-mile run.
His cruelty-free diet guarantees abounding strength and energy, and if you don't want to take my word for it, check out our exclusive new interview with the humane superman:
Written by Logan Scherer
Donny Osmond may have taken home the disco-ball trophy last night on the Dancing With the Stars finale, but Joanna Krupa, the stunning Polish model and cha cha champ, just became this fan's favorite, thanks to this ad:
In a sneak peak of our ads with Joanna and Rugby, the two of them reveal how people can their earn wings on earth—by deciding to adopt, rather than buy, companion animals. Every time a dog or cat is purchased from a pet store or breeder, an animal in a shelter loses his or her chance for a forever home.
And to think, this is only the beginning—a racier version will be released after Thanksgiving. Check back with PETA.org for all the naughty details.
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!
Thanksgiving is all about the leftovers, but what about the things that come before the meal? This holiday is nothing without pre-shindig anticipation, so here are some tasty tidbits to hold you over before tomorrow's cruelty-free feast:
Happy Thanksgiving!
Our sexy pilgrims put the free in cruelty-free in Atlanta yesterday, giving out complimentary Tofurkys to lucky passersby. The sizzling settlers charmed the lunchtime crowd and even convinced a restaurant owner to give a Tofurky to his chef.
The visit to Atlanta marked the end of our six-city Sexy-Pilgrim Tofurky-Giveaway Tour, but the tasty generosity never has to end. Save lives and the environment by making your Thanksgiving a vegan one—check out our scrumptious Thanksgiving guide.
Unless you've had your head in the sand for quite some time, you know that "swine flu blues" are sweeping the nation. Just in time for sniffle season, PETA's swine flu prevention masks have arrived.
We are giving you, dear PETA Files reader, a chance to win the perfect accessory for your next pro-vegan demonstration or leafleting junket (or cross-country flight). All you need to do is simply create your own "swine flu haiku," a short, three-line poem, about this pandemic that has worried people all over the world. Here's mine:
Swine flu fears? Not hereBecause I am vegan andWash my hands a lot
(Remember, the first line in haiku must have five syllables, the second must have seven, and the third one must have five.)
What's that? You can do better? Well, then, prove it. Submit your clever haiku in the comments section below by December 9, 2009. We'll pick 5 winners on December 11, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
The naked gold guy who reigns over Rockefeller Center's skating rink made way today for a naked gold medal champ, Tai Babilonia, who bared all this afternoon for PETA's "Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign.
Click here to see images of the event.
Tai is urging shoppers to cross fur off their wish lists. "Just because it's cold outside doesn't mean we should be cold inside," she says. "There are many more warm things to wear nowadays than fur." Indeed, whether your style is sporty or super-glam, you can find fauxfillment here.
She joins a long list of huge-hearted big names—including actor Eva Mendes, Dancing With the Stars' Karina Smirnoff, and Tony Gonzalez and his wife, October—who have taken off all their clothes for PETA campaigns and drawn attention to the cruel killing of millions of animals for their fur.
Tai's action will surely motivate many people, including cold medalist Oksana Baiul, to forgo fur forever.
Ricky Williams is hulking proof that vegan athletes last longer and play harder, and we're sure that his new restaurant, PROOF, will have the same stamina that he has.
PROOF opened today in the Z Ocean Hotel on Miami Beach's Ocean Drive, and the most delectable part of its menu is the Ricky's Picks section. Handpicked by the NFL star so that he "can order entrées," the section's hearty and humane options range from a black-bean burger to rice noodles and tofu.
Kudos to Ricky for creating a menu that makes my mouth water just by reading it. You'll definitely find me seated at PROOF on my next trip to Miami.
Last year's McDonald's Thanksgiving Parade in Chicago was chock-full of behemoth balloon characters and live entertainment (was that the cast of Jersey Boys I saw serenading their way down State Street?), but something was missing …
Wait, I know! Where was the killer clown? Considering that McDonald's refuses to adopt controlled-atmosphere killing (CAK)—the less cruel slaughter method that would spare birds from having their throats cut while they're still conscious and from being scalded alive—no parade sponsored by the fast-food fiend would be complete without a bloodstained float full of terrified birds being butchered by "Raging Ronnie," the grand marshal of gore. That's why we recently submitted a request to sponsor the following float in this year's parade:
This float idea? I'm totally lovin' it. No word yet on what the parade organizers think. While we're waiting for an answer, tell us about an animal rights–themed float that you would like to see in a major parade …
Written by Amy Elizabeth
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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