Written by PETA
How many crocodiles does it take to make a leather bag?
It sounds like the start of a really bad joke, but in a recent article, the chief executive for the French "luxury" goods group Hermes said, "It can take three to four crocodiles to make one of our bags so we are now breeding our own crocodiles on our own farms, mainly in Australia." (emphasis added)
He then quipped, "The world is not full of crocodiles, except the stock exchange!"
Oh, ho ho, funny guy. If you weren't ripping their skins off—sometimes while they are still alive and able to call out in distress—and turning them into overpriced purses, there would probably be plenty of crocodiles running around.
They did outlive the dinosaurs, after all, so my guess is that their survival instincts are pretty acute.
Here's what PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews had to say:
The thought of purposely breeding and killing crocodiles for an outdated, overpriced handbag should make any fashionista's skin crawl. If Hermes really wants to be a leader in the fashion industry, it should stop killing animals for cold-blooded vanity and use cruelty-free mock croc and fake snake instead. As Pink—who recently provided the voice of a computer-generated crocodile in PETA's "Stolen for Fashion" commercial—says, "Killing animals for their skins is so disgusting that it doesn't make me want to befriend designers who use them.
So how about this: Instead of breeding reptiles for fashion faux pas, watch "Stolen for Fashion," then pull a switcharoo and start using stylish synthetics instead.
Written by Shawna Flavell
When PETA pal Chrissie Hynde learned that the organizers of her band's summer tour included a date at the Weesner Amphitheater—which is located at the Minnesota Zoo—the staunch zoo opponent wasn't pleased.
Then she learned that animals from the Minnesota Zoo's petting zoo are routinely sent to livestock auctions.
Chrissie has never shied away from an opportunity to speak up for animals who are being exploited, so she fired off an e-mail to the zoo director, Lee Ehmke, in which she wrote:
I am disappointed to learn that the zoo sells its petting zoo animals to slaughter at the end of the season. How can a zoo invite children to touch and play with and express joy over animals for their uniqueness, only to turn around and sell those very animals to slaughter?
Well, the zoo didn't agree to stop shipping off once-petted goats and sheep to slaughter. Instead, it canceled Chrissie's show!
You better bet she'll have some choice words about it to share with Pretenders fans.
Written by Karin Bennett
A female manatee and her nine suitors made quite a splash on Sunday night for some beachgoers in Miami. The sea cows' amorous affair turned into a sort of seaside peep show.
Ah, horny manatees. Conan O'Brien loves 'em, and after a late night tryst of that, ahem, magnitude, is it any wonder why? They are vigorous vegetarian lovers, after all.
In fact, I'd like to think the manatees came ashore to demonstrate their vegetarian vitality to onlookers and inspire them to rev up their love lives by swapping steak for seitan and cows' milk for soy milk. After all, a vegetarian diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains helps keeps the blood flowing through all the arteries.
Say, "So long, Viagra!" and "Viva, veggie Viagra!"
Conan O'Brien, if you're out there—we'll keep our eye out for more manatee love sessions, and you just let us know if you need info to include on your Web site.
Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on this Win It Wednesday. The winners of the 'Fight Breedism' shirt are Emily, Kelli, and S. Phillips. Congratulations!
We all have our favorite celebrities, and Charlize Theron has topped my list since she narrated PETA's puppy mill investigation. When she was spotted wearing our new "Fight Breedism" shirt on the beach with her rescue pups, I was pretty much over the moon. She's beautiful, talented, and funny, and she jumps at every chance she can to speak up for animals. What more could you ask for?
Her awesome T-shirt, for starters.
For this week's "Win It" Wednesday, we're giving away three "Fight Breedism" shirts so that you can rock Charlize's style. They're super-stylish, soft, and a great way to spread the word about adoption.
How do you win? Help Charlize give a voice to the millions of animals abandoned at animal shelters every year and tell us about the shelter animal(s) you have rescued. Leave us a comment below, then take our quiz to find out how well you know your ABCs (as in "animal birth control").
The contest ends on June 24, 2009, and we'll choose the three people who submit the most touching comments as the winners on June 26, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Check back every Wednesday for new prizes. Good luck!
Written by Lianne Turner
Tomorrow, PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk will celebrate her big 6-0, and we've received some queries from people wondering what to get her. Well, wonder no more, friends. We've got just the thing!
One cause that's very close to Ingrid's heart is Animal Rahat, and no wonder: Animal Rahat helps hard-working bullocks, donkeys, ponies, and horses in India, where Ingrid spent much of her childhood. Animal Rahat gives them relief (that's what "rahat" means) from the heat, water to quench their raging thirst, a place to rest when they fall lame, veterinary care for their yoke and harness injuries, and sometimes even fodder during periods of draught when the subsistence farmers who own them can't afford to feed them.
Rahat also offers a program that allows bullocks to retire and live out their lives with their human families instead of being sent to slaughter. You may recall the story we shared with you recently about Shilya's retirement—and he's just one of Rahat's success stories.
Animal Rahat is doing great things for some of the least fortunate animals on Earth. To help them out—and to sign Ingrid's birthday card—just zip over here.
Written by Jeff Mackey
The bigwigs in Washington didn't approve our permit to set up a hog farm on the steps of the Capitol, but you'll still be seeing PETA in D.C. this summer. Starting yesterday, our Animal Liberation Project display is going to be a fixture on the National Mall all season long.
With the recent leak of alleged torture photos to media outlets, our Animal Liberation Project display—which makes the connection between the injustices that people have suffered throughout history and the abuse and exploitation that animals suffer every day—couldn't be more relevant. These newest images of abuse include those of a man covered in feces and another man hung upside-down.
Sound familiar?
The parallels definitely don't stop there. Check out these images from yesterday's unveiling of the display:
We're set up right across from the Natural History Museum, so if you'll be in D.C. this summer, be sure to stop by.
Interested in volunteering for the Animal Liberation Project in D.C.? Just leave a comment below and we'll be sure to get back to you.
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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