Written by PETA
When President Obama came into office, we presented him with some detailed suggestions on changes we'd like to see during his presidency. One of our proposals was to make some much-needed improvements to the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program—a government program that offers meals to low-income mothers and their children in order to make sure that they get nutritional food even in times of financial hardship.
For a program that's dedicated to promoting healthy eating, however, WIC was sending a decidedly mixed message: At the time of President Obama's inauguration, the program was primarily offering milk, eggs, cheese, and formula to mothers in need.
What ever happened to "An apple a day keeps the doctor away?"
Our suggestion was to make fundamental changes to WIC in order to create access to healthy foods. Well, nine months into the Obama presidency, we're pleased to announce that the USDA (which operates the program) has decided to improve WIC's offerings. WIC's menu has expanded to include fruits, vegetables, brown rice, soy milk, tortillas, and bread with 51 percent whole grains.
So, what's next on our presidential agenda? Vegetarian options in schools!
Written by Liz Graffeo
Yesterday was a big day for the dairy industry. People across the nation were getting their first peek into what dairy farming actually looks like as media outlets covered PETA's recent, revealing undercover investigation into the putrid living conditions and the abusive treatment of cows on one Land O'Lakes supplier's factory farm. At the same time, PETA was dropping in on the first day of the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin.
A couple of passionate ladies were on hand at the Expo to let attendees and passersby know that the dairy industry is dreadful for cows and disgusting for humans. Our undercover investigation revealed that cows at milking stations were caked in feces and urine. It also showed that many of these gentle animals had untreated abscesses that sometimes burst and oozed pus as cows were being milked.
After hearing stories like these, people in Madison were quick to take home copies of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit." Why don't you do the same?
Written by Shawna Flavell
Residents of Salem, Oregon, were stunned to find out that their neighbor, 41-year-old Todd Marcum, was using a shock collar to torment his four children—who range from age 3 to age 9. At a trial this week, Marcum pleaded guilty to four counts of criminal mistreatment and was sentenced to three years of probation.
The lieutenant who worked on the case said that Marcum "got great entertainment from chasing his younger child around the house with a dog collar to the point the child was crying and afraid the shock was going to come."
Shock collars hurt, and they shouldn't be used on anyone for any reason. That's exactly why PETA is calling on the mayor of Salem to ban shock collars in the city completely. No human or animal should live in fear of being shocked. In addition to causing animals physical pain and potential injury, shock collars can terrify and lead to psychological problems, including severe anxiety and displaced aggression. The anxiety and confusion caused by repeated shocks can lead to changes in heart or respiration rate as well as gastrointestinal disorders.
I think that most parents are smart enough to know not to shock their kids—but many people get fooled by dominance trainers into thinking that shock collars are the only way to discipline their dog. Please always remember that there are more effective, humane ways to train your dog.
Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on this Win It Wednesday. The winners of the 'Tofu Never Screams' Tote and Tee are Mike Hoyt, Annie, and Kelly. Congratulations!
It's almost time for Halloween: my favorite holiday. Every year, I'm eager to gorge on vegan Swedish Fish Sea Kittens and decide on a costume.
This year, I've been thinking about going as Evil Ronald McDonald, with frizzed-out red hair, a hatchet, and a blood-splattered yellow jumpsuit—all topped off with PETA's Ronald mask.
Now PETA's quirky "Tofu Never Screams" tee and tote, which just happen to be this week's "Win It" Wednesday prize, have me thinking about a second costume idea. I may finally have a perfect use for that big, horrible block of Styrofoam in my hall closet.
How do you win one of this week's prize packages? Share your most creative, animal-friendly costume idea and the tote (perfect for carrying home that mountain of candy) and the T-shirt can be yours.
The contest ends on October 14, 2009, and we'll choose the three most creative comments as winners on October 16, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
Written by Karin Bennett
This past June, a Maryland man, David Beers, who sought revenge against a couple who had asked him to leave their property, admitted that after leaving the couple's yard in a huff, he later returned and snatched their 18-month-old dog, Zoey. Beers drove off with Zoey and then hurled the four-pound dog out of the passenger side window of his car and over the side of a bridge. Her tiny body was never found.
When we first heard about the story, we wrote to the prosecutor and pushed for vigorous prosecution of Beers. We also asked that Beers be required to undergo a psychological evaluation and receive counseling and also be prohibited from having animals.
Now Beers is headed to court and faces a felony aggravated cruelty-to-animals charge, which could mean three years in prison and a $5,000 fine.
Zoey's death is a reminder of the dangers that await dogs who are tethered outside or are allowed to roam unsupervised. Please, don't ever take chances with your pooch's well-being—and always take a moment to educate others who might not know any better.
I really hope that Michelle Obama was able to take in Pink's sold-out show at the D.C.-area Patriot Center last night.
Before launching into "Dear Mr. President," Pink showed some love for the current missus: "Let's get political for a second. Since we're near D.C., I have to give a shout-out to Michelle Obama, who has announced that she is officially fur-free. I love an animal-lovin' first lady!"
Even when she's on the road, hard at work, our pal Pink is never too busy to give props to people who are doing their part to protect animals.
Just a month after PETA wrote to the cast and producers of The Zookeeper to warn them that the company supplying animals for the movie's production has a long list of USDA citations, we have heartbreaking news to report. Tweet, a giraffe on the set who had also been forced to perform in Ace Ventura and a slew of Toys "R" Us commercials, has died.
Tweet collapsed in his pen while being fed on Friday. While giraffes in the wild can live into their mid 20s, Tweet was only 18 years old.
The results of Tweet's necropsy haven't been released yet, but according to a whistleblower who contacted PETA, Tweet's premature death may have resulted from his eating pieces of the blue tarp that covered his enclosure. The whistleblower alleges that Tweet's owner and trainers were notified that the giraffe had been eating the tarp but that they did nothing about it.
The whistleblower also said that Tweet spent the last few months of his life confined to a 20-foot-by-20-foot stall, which was barely large enough for the 18-foot-tall giraffe to lie down in. In their natural habitat, giraffes live in vast home ranges of up to 400 square miles.
PETA is now calling on the USDA to investigate Tweet's death. We're also asking for other people associated with the production of the movie to come forward with additional information about the treatment of animals on the set.
Horses who pull heavy loads of tourists through noisy, polluted city streets are not retired to pastures where they graze their final days away. This anonymous contribution to PostSecret.com assures us of that.
To the anonymous poster, if your conscience bothers you, our investigators eagerly await more details.
Kids love animals—so if anyone told them the truth about what goes on behind the scenes, they would have to be dragged kicking and screaming to circuses like Ringling Bros.
Over at PETAKids.com, we recently asked kids what they thought about circuses, and the results were too cute not to share!
"I feel sad for those elefants. The circus people should get in bad trouble! We will never go to a circus with animals in it." Donna Rhoades, age 5, Conway, Missouri "[I] think people that put elephants n circus acts are so dumb and stupid and one day every thing is gonna come back for what they did grrrr!!!." Dalila Solorio, age 11, Baja, California "My mom talked to me about the cruelty that happens to the animals at the circus, when they were in my town. I decided I would rather not go, than know that I was watching them harm the animals!" Sydni Denman-Moyer, age 6, Villa Hills, Kentucky "Circuses that abuse animals make me SO sad. Elephants don't belong in a circus; they want to be with their families and live in the place they were born. People who abuse animals should be ashamed and sent somewhere to think about what they've done!" Bea Kubasik, age 4, South Portland, Maine "What the Ringling Bros do to the Elephants it should be done back to them. Ex. poking them with it Bullhook." Emilie Daniel, age 11, Ontario, Canada "I think circuses are very bad because animals can die there and they take babies away from their mamas. I never go to circuses." Francis Ménard, age 7, Québec, Canada "I don't think it's right that they abuse animals like that because the animals are alive and they have feelings. I just wish the circuses would be banned for life. [PETA] thank you so much for trying to help these animals." Isabel Simon, age 7, San Diego, California "I think someone should put the circus people in a circus and let the animals go!" Xavier Finch, age 10, Lincoln Park, Michigan "I think if they're mean to any animal they should go to jail. No one should go to the circus" Michael Cioffi, age 6, West Haverstraw, New York "[I] think abusers are losers!!!!" Lupita Mesa, age 12, Stockton, California
"I feel sad for those elefants. The circus people should get in bad trouble! We will never go to a circus with animals in it." Donna Rhoades, age 5, Conway, Missouri
"[I] think people that put elephants n circus acts are so dumb and stupid and one day every thing is gonna come back for what they did grrrr!!!." Dalila Solorio, age 11, Baja, California
"My mom talked to me about the cruelty that happens to the animals at the circus, when they were in my town. I decided I would rather not go, than know that I was watching them harm the animals!" Sydni Denman-Moyer, age 6, Villa Hills, Kentucky
"Circuses that abuse animals make me SO sad. Elephants don't belong in a circus; they want to be with their families and live in the place they were born. People who abuse animals should be ashamed and sent somewhere to think about what they've done!" Bea Kubasik, age 4, South Portland, Maine
"What the Ringling Bros do to the Elephants it should be done back to them. Ex. poking them with it Bullhook." Emilie Daniel, age 11, Ontario, Canada
"I think circuses are very bad because animals can die there and they take babies away from their mamas. I never go to circuses." Francis Ménard, age 7, Québec, Canada
"I don't think it's right that they abuse animals like that because the animals are alive and they have feelings. I just wish the circuses would be banned for life. [PETA] thank you so much for trying to help these animals." Isabel Simon, age 7, San Diego, California
"I think someone should put the circus people in a circus and let the animals go!" Xavier Finch, age 10, Lincoln Park, Michigan
"I think if they're mean to any animal they should go to jail. No one should go to the circus" Michael Cioffi, age 6, West Haverstraw, New York
"[I] think abusers are losers!!!!" Lupita Mesa, age 12, Stockton, California
If you want to educate your kids about why elephants, tigers, bears, and other animals shouldn't be forced to perform cruel, unnatural tricks at the circus—but don't want to show them the disturbing undercover footage—order our Circus Activity Booklet.
Last week, Elizabeth Carlisle appeared in court to face cruelty-to-animals charges for allegedly drowning two rabbits while she was working at a Petland store in Akron, Ohio. On the day of Carlisle's arraignment, local PETA members and other outraged members of the community stood outside the courthouse calling on Akron's chief city prosecutor, Douglas J. Powley, to prosecute Carlisle to the fullest extent of the law.
This incident is just one example of the abuses animals suffer in pet stores nationwide. For nearly 30 years, PETA has fielded complaints regarding sick or unwanted animals who were cruelly disposed of by pet store employees, all because the cost of caring for or treating the animal exceeded the animal's "price tag." This trial offers an opportunity to send a strong and desperately needed message to the pet-store industry: Pet stores have no business selling animals.
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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