Written by PETA
The new Japanese Honda Freed, for example, has a floor low enough for even short-legged dogs to jump into the car. Here in the States, the Honda Element was chosen as the "Best dog car, ever" by (who else?) DogCars.com—for being easy-to-clean and resistant to nose-prints.
We may not all be able to go out and change cars, but now—at the beginning of vacation season—it's a good time to give some thought to the best ways to travel with our animal companions. PETA's Web site HelpingAnimals.com has a lot of great tips about how to enjoy a road trip with Rover—or how to take care of him while you're away.
Of course, if you do decide to take your furry friends along, be sure to plan ahead for pit stops—even without the heat of summer, cars can get way too hot for dogs and cats in no time at all!
Posted by Jeff Mackey
As you might know, I once helped open a KFC restaurant in Gungahlin, ACT. However, if I knew then what I know now about KFC, I never would have taken part. I was shocked to learn ... that KFC has refused to demand that its suppliers eliminate the worst abuses suffered by the more than 850 million chickens raised and killed for its restaurants every year.As the head of KFC in Australia, you have the power [to] improve the way that chickens are treated, and I hope you will take action to do so. Take it from me: No "chick" wants to be treated like a piece of meat.
As the head of KFC in Australia, you have the power [to] improve the way that chickens are treated, and I hope you will take action to do so. Take it from me: No "chick" wants to be treated like a piece of meat.
Imogen goes on to discuss problems that were documented during an undercover investigation into a KFC supplier in Australia. The undercover investigator found chickens who were suffering from broken limbs and failing organs because of the animals' unnatural growth rates. The investigator also documented living birds forced to live amongst dead bodies in a long, barren shed.
KFC isn't the only animal issue close to this beauty's heart: She's also done some fantastic anti-fur ads and compelling (not to mention hot) ads that shine the light on cruelty to elephants and bulls. Check 'em out here! Animals—and everyone who had to pick their jaws up off the floor after checking out this ad—thank you, Imogen!
Posted by Sean Conner
The friendship between the main character and a cockroach really makes me wonder how much thought folks have put into how incredibly complex and resilient these little guys are and how to humanely control them as opposed to just killing them, which is futile because more will arrive later—and with a score to settle. Heck, you could get so awestruck that you snag a "Crow and Roach" T-shirt to wear out to the theater.
Beyond being pro-roach, the film also has a strong pro-environment message woven in, as WALL-E's "profession" involves compacting trash on the now over-polluted planet Earth. What more could you ask for in a children's movie? They seem to be advocating two hugely important causes and icing it off with the family- and animal-friendly tradition of Pixar. Be sure to grab the nearest 8-year-old and check this one out!
It takes a lot to shock the public these days, but the fact that cruel incidents in the horseracing world are finally being taken seriously is just about doing the trick. Before Eight Belles' tragic death made the public realize that horseracing isn't all fun and games, drugging and heavy whipping just made up another day in the industry. But now, people are on red alert, and we're doing our best to continue exposing the horseracing industry for what it really is. Because of all this new attention, the industry is getting a good once-over from the public, Congress, and horseracing authorities, and skeletons just keep falling out of the closet.
On that note, let's talk about whipping, shall we? Now, don't get excited ... this isn't the fun kind. Whipping racehorses was banned in 1982 in Norway under the Cruelty to Animals Act. It's severely restricted in the U.K., and many jockeys there are asking for it to be completely banned. If you ever had any doubt that it should be banned in the U.S., check out this video:
The good news is that Jeremy Rose, the jockey in the above video, was recently suspended in Delaware for six months for "extreme misuse of the whip." You can read all about that here.
It's about damn time that these serious problems are being taken seriously! Here's to hoping that there's no future need for hideous videos and cruelty charges in "sports." Thanks for ruining my Friday, Jeremy! I hope you spend your six months in some serious deep thought.
Posted by Christine Dore
"They buy them as babies," said the officer on the scene. "They don't realize it's going to get to be hundreds of pounds, eat an awful lot of food and become dangerous." I can picture Joe Schmo at home with his 6-month-old tiger now ... wow! Who knew a hyper-carnivorous alpha predator with 1,000 lbs. bite strength could eat so much? And wow, she's already way too big for a doghouse!
Sadly, it's actually become quite a trend to have a tiger, as 15,000 are kept as "pets" in the States. Since most of the shortsighted people looking to acquire an exotic animal on the black market don't happen to live in a 400-square-mile forest, when adopted into civilian homes, tigers face futures filled with malnutrition, loneliness, and captivity-induced mental illness. Now, while pondering to make the wonderfully progressive decision to write a letter or support a tiger sanctuary, if you want, you can still go ahead and spit.
Posted by Missy Lane
It's like a plot out of a cheesy Lifetime movie or, better yet, a sleazy episode of Maury Povich's talk show: Teen Girls Forge Pregnancy Pact. Man, now that would make a great headline. Oh, wait, it is a headline!
Yep, if you haven't heard yet, 17 Gloucester, Massachusetts, high school students may have formed a pact to get pregnant. And parents say teenagers can't follow through on anything....
Well, while everyone else is trying to figure out who did what or how or why—or whom, for that matter—we thought it'd be a good time to toss in our own two cents. Obviously, this town could use a little more sex education and a little less scandal ala the likes of Jamie Lynn.
So we thought maybe this sleepy fishing town could use a little "Sex Talk"—PETA style! Our PSA, which highlights the importance of spaying and neutering to prevent unwanted births—will air nationally during CNN's Anderson Cooper 360° show. Take that, unprotected sex!
As ill-conceived as the decision may have been for these girls to get pregnant, they at least had a choice, unlike the countless number of female cats and dogs left unspayed and forced to fend off every male animal for miles around when they go into heat. It's anything but a good time.
Hopefully, a little national attention will show that it's about as insane to allow cats and dogs to have litter after litter of babies as it is for teens. And, well, if it reduces the number of teenage girls getting paternity tests on The Maury Show, well, I guess that's good too.
Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky
Think this out, y'all: Insects plus confinement to a bag plus scorching summer heat equals a ton of bugs dying slowly from the heat. And hey, even if that logic is over your head, surely you agree that buying a heaping sack of bugs is a pretty messed-up idea, right?
Please go check out our action alert and shoot the folks at The Home Depot a brief message explaining the obvious.
In a historic first, the Spanish Parliament is expected to pass legislation that will extend rights to great apes. Yes, you read that right. The resolutions bringing Spanish law in line with the recommendations of the Great Ape Project will not only outlaw experimentation on apes but will also make it illegal to exploit them for films and TV. Boo-ya! The new legislation has been approved by Parliament's environmental committee and has strong enough support that it is expected to become law within a year.
Woo-hoo! Way to go, Spain! Come on, America, what's the dealio?
By the way, if you want to do something for apes and other primates in the U.S. of A. (since we're not going to be able to get them all Spanish visas), be sure to tell your senators to support the Captive Primate Safety Act. Really. Go.
Remember all those times your mother wouldn't let you leave the dinner table before finishing your vegetables? Well, she was on to something. We're not talking about the latest scientific discovery here—just the facts that have been around for a long time.
A vegetarian diet can have a profound impact on the health of the human body. Filling your stomach with plant-based foods instead of animal products eliminates the unhealthy saturated fat and cholesterol that come from consuming animals and animal byproducts, not to mention all the steroids pumped into the animals for unnatural rapid growth results.
We've received so many questions about heart health since Russert's tragic death that we sent off a letter to the editor highlighting just how beneficial a vegetarian diet can be—even reducing the risk of developing heart disease by 50 percent.
Go on over to the VegCooking Blog to find some truly delicious recipes that will make both your tummy and your heart happy. Homemade vegan shepherd's pie, anyone?
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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