Written by PETA
Two members of PETA Asia Pacific hijacked a fur seminar at Hong Kong Fashion Week today to ensure that attendees got the animals’ side of the story as well. Here’s what PETA Asia Pacific’s Rebecca Chui had to say about it:
“We want the Fashion Week attendees to know that fur means cruelty to animals. They suffer terrible pain from the time they are caught. Some of them are skinned alive. Some are killed by poisoning, gassing or anal or vaginal electrocution. We are in the 21st century and there is fur substitute now. There's no excuse to kill any more animals.”
Asked for comment on this statement, the Hong Kong Fur Federation called it “extremely regrettable”—by which I can only assume they meant “bad for business.” Which, well, fair enough. I can’t imagine that they would have chosen these images themselves to represent their nasty little promotional event in the international media:
Australian supermodel Imogen Bailey has helped us with numerous campaigns over the years, speaking out on issues as diverse as the fur industry, rodeos, and elephants in captivity. And she’s just launched a whole new website devoted to educating people about animal rights and giving animal-lovers a forum to discuss the issues. So I wanted to give it a quick shout out: You can check out Imogen Bailey’s ImForAnimals here. But before you go, have a look at this stunning ad she made to let people know about the cruelty behind rodeos. You’re a star, Imogen.
Apparently, after receiving a letter this week from PETA Asia Pacific’s Jason Baker, which explained (in gory detail) exactly how fur coats are made, Miss Universe, aka Riyo Mori, has agreed to stop wearing the stuff. We’re still waiting for confirmation from her that she’s gotten the message loud and clear, but this news sounds really promising.
Now, if the woman officially recognized as the hottest chick in the entire universe can do her stuff without draping herself in dead animals, you’d think a cheap fur-hag like Beyonce could figure out that you can have a killer look without actually killing anything. You’d think.
Anyway, just thought I’d share that piece of good news from The Philippines. I’ll let you know once we get confirmation from Miss U that she really has given up fur for good.
I know. I know. Steve-O would rather go naked than do just about anything. But it’s still cool that wearing fur makes that very long list. In fact, Steve-O feels so strongly that killing animals for their fur is just plain wrong that he jumped—literally—at the chance to star in these new ads.
While Steve-O is famous for putting himself in all sorts of painful situations, he’s totally clear about what he thinks of hurting animals. "Abuse yourself all you want," he says, "just leave animals out of it. Don't wear fur." Check out what else Steve-O had to say in this video from the photo shoot.
So, after years of hard work by animal protection advocates exposing the extreme cruelty involved in these operations, some of the last horse slaughterhouses in the U.S. were shut down. But the folks in the horse-racing and horse-carriage industries still need to do something with the thousands of horses who are rendered useless to them every year due to old age or outright abuse. So they’ve been sending these animals across the border to Mexico, which has even more lax regulations for its slaughterhouses than the abysmal standards in the U.S.—and the results are positively gruesome.
The good news is that there’s a bill on the table that would ban the export of horses to foreign slaughterhouses called the American Horse Slaughter Prevention Act, and we’re pushing hard right now to help get it passed. You can click here to learn more about the act and write to your Representatives through our online form to ask that they support the new bill to protect horses.
Pink got the party started in a big way for the launch of PETA President Ingrid Newkirk’s new book, Let’s Have a Dog Party, with a bash at her Los Angeles home on Saturday afternoon.
The book will ensure that every Fido has his fiesta, every Lassie has her luau, and every Bingo has his bark mitzvah. Step-by-step instructions include ideas for Halloween Howl-a-thons, rolling out the barrel for a Dogtober Fest and Mexican fiestas complete with treat-filled piñatas. Ingrid says "Face it, we say they are spoiled, but most dogs are bored stiff. They don’t want to eat off fancy china and don’t care if we buy them more sweaters than J. Lo. What they need is our undivided attention, love, long romps off the leash, and steamed veggies and peanut butter to replace that dull daily dollop of ‘dog food. Oh, and every dog deserves a party perfectly designed to fit their particular personality and temperament!"
The launch party included more than a dozen dogs (including Pink’s pups) tearing apart piñatas, jumping in the pool, and slurping (nonalcoholic) pink champagne, and in addition to Pink, attendees included Kevin Nealon, Bill Maher, Jorja Fox, Carey Hart, Corey Feldman, John Feldmann, and of course Ingrid Newkirk.
Here are some pics from the evening.
Here’s a news story, and here are some pics of Sapphire enjoying her new home.
*For those that may not be aware, the dog racing industry is horribly cruel. Thousands of dogs are killed every year simply because they're not fast enough, and the ones who stay alive are warehoused in kennels barely large enough for them to stand up or turn around. Here’s our factsheet on greyhound racing, and for more information, including info on greyhound adoption here in the states, check out Grey2k USA.
Dan’s appeal is particularly timely because he is on his way to Australia for the Australian launch of his irreverent memoir, Committed, which will include book signings in Melbourne and Brisbane and a debate at The University of Sydney.
Let's hope Kylie is as receptive to Dan as others have been in the past. Similar appeals have resulted in designers such as Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren dropping fur from their collections, and stars such as Martha Stewart and Mariah Carey clearing their closets of it.
Here’s Dan’s letter to Kylie.
Dear Kylie,Greetings from PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization, with more than 1.8 million members and supporters. I am PETA's senior vice president-and also one of your loyal gay American fans (going back to "Step Back in Time").As an entertainer who has overcome major personal obstacles, you have shown that you are unafraid to address serious issues. I'm writing to you today about cruelty to animals. You were recently photographed clutching a bag made of python skin, and as a result there has been a flurry of interest in the bag from both followers of fashion and those who are painfully aware of the excruciating ways in which these exotic animals are skinned.Every year, millions of snakes—an integral part of jungle and forest ecosystems—are snatched by the greedy international skin trade. The animals are often impaled on hooks or nailed to trees by their heads and skinned alive. Large snakes like pythons may have a hose inserted into their mouths and be pumped full of water to loosen their skin, so it will cut away more easily. The animals' peeled, writhing bodies are then discarded, and it can take days before the animals die from the effects of shock and dehydration.And it's not just in places like Asia and Africa where reptiles are tormented—PETA has conducted undercover investigations at American farms where alligators are bludgeoned in the head before hammers and chisels are used to sever their spinal chords. These methods only paralyze the animals—they, too, are often conscious during skinning. But exotic animal farms are rare—90 percent of these fascinating beings are wild-caught. Those who are "farmed" are usually confined to areas of wilderness that have been fenced off, but because mortality rates are so high, many wild—caught animals are tossed in with them for breeding. The endangered species of tomorrow can be seen in the fashion magazines of today.Kylie, you are such a compassionate person—I can't imagine you'd wish to contribute to this hidden suffering, especially for something as frivolous as a fashion accessory that can be replicated with no bloodshed. These days, it's easy to have a look that kills without killing, with fake snake, mock croc, python pleather, and other designer items that pay tribute to the beauty of these animals without massacring them. Won't you assure us—and those who follow your fashion lead—that you'll no longer sport exotic skins?Kindest regards,Dan MathewsSenior Vice President
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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