textually / CC

As if we didn't already have enough reasons to protest the horseracing industry, the Associated Press reports that nearly 20 racehorses crammed inside a double-decker trailer meant for moving cattle sustained numerous injuries following the four-day transport from the U.S. to Puerto Rico. Apparently, it didn't occur to the people handling these animals that horses are taller than cows. The horses' bodies were forced into unnatural and painful crouched positions—even causing one horse to remain crouched over for five days following arrival.

The injuries sustained en route have prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture to launch a federal investigation.

I guess the handlers missed the memo sent out by the legion of misguided race fanatics that racehorses are better cared for than any other animal used for "entertainment." Sarcasm aside, the aforementioned statement is the number one excuse we keep hearing from race fans who continue to support a dying industry.

This wasn't one case of poorly arranged transport, folks—it's an ever-growing trend in the racing industry to cut costs and increase earnings. Thoroughbreds are transported to Puerto Rico by the hundreds each year, and racehorses on all tracks are made to suffer by this money-hungry industry. Steroids, painkillers, and injuries because of underdeveloped bones—if this is the good life, then I really don't want to see the bad. Take action to help horses here.

*The other reasons are the more than 5,000 horses that have died on racetracks since 2003.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

Wintour will receive further recognition from PETA for her tireless work promoting an industry in which foxes, minks, and chinchillas are confined for months to crowded, filthy cages before being suffocated, gassed, or genitally electrocuted. We are sending Wintour a certificate entitling her to a brain scan to identify the arrested development of her mirror neuron, the part of the cerebral cortex that allows a person to experience empathy—or not.

Posted by Ingrid E. Newkirk

scienceblogs / CC

The solution is as simple as a CD recording of birdsong and a small boombox. The babies learn to mimic the songs that they hear in the center, which are real recordings from the wild—exactly what they're supposed to be learning. Upon completed treatment and release (read: graduation from Songbird U.), they're ready to go chat it up with friends and family outside the center, saying such cute things as "Food? Now?" and "Mate? Now?"

I always find it heartwarming to come across very elaborate efforts to care for some wild species, which, for some reason or another, ends up at rehabilitation centers. As contradictory as it may seem given the huge animal industries that exist today, rescue and rehabilitation efforts demonstrate just how much humans are capable of caring for animals—both as individuals and as species.

Posted by Sean Conner

It's a great day when the American Public Media radio show Marketplace diverts its gaze from the stock market to notice things like the food crisis—and an even better day when it invites Princeton University bioethicist Peter Singer to talk about something other than whether the Machiavellians among us should invest in corn futures.

Earlier this week, the man who is considered by many to be the father of the modern-day animal liberation movement (and author of Animal Liberation) argued that the solution to the food crisis is as close as our dinner plates. Giving props to PETA's in vitro meat contest, Singer pointed out that environmental realities would force a change in the wasteful and inefficient meat-centered diet, whether we like it or not.

Listen to or read Singer's commentary here.

Posted by Grace Freidan

On behalf of thoroughbreds everywhere, a congressional hearing was held today to discuss horseracing—just weeks after PETA and tens of thousands of our members and supporters called for it. You can get a pretty cool play-by-play of the meeting here, but basically, the primary message was that the drugs are the problem—not just steroids but all drugs. Person after person said in testimony that if you get rid of the drugs, you get rid of a lot of problems in racing because horses who don't have the strength to run won't run and then won't be bred. What we need is a zero-tolerance policy!

The hearing was full of moving testimony, including comments from a woman who runs CANTER, a thoroughbred rescue. She gets the horses who have been on all kinds of drugs their whole lives and said that when they go off drugs, they go through withdrawal periods that include hair loss, weight loss, and depression. One of my favorite quotes from the afternoon came from Rep. Jan Schakowsky, who said, "Greed has trumped the health of horses." One person who was not so surprisingly absent was Big Brown's trainer, Richard Dutrow. Given his rap sheet of drug infractions, I can't say I was terribly surprised.

There will be at least one more hearing, possibly looking to consider legislation to appoint a federal racing commissioner so that all laws pertaining to racing will be uniform. The congressional committee also voted to admit PETA's written testimony—which you can read here—into record.

You can respond to our latest horseracing action alert to let Congress know that you care about Eight Belles and all the less famous horses who face death on the track and get your voice heard! These hearings are a wonderful step in the right direction, and we need to continue pushing for progress.

Posted by Christine Dore

Photo Credit: Patricia Schlein

Says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk of the documentary, "From the stench inside the horses' minuscule stalls, where horses sleep standing up in piles of their own waste, to the hostile streets of Manhattan, where horses live a nose-to-tailpipe existence, Moss doesn't blink in documenting how horses live long after tourists' 30-minute rides are over."

Chrissie Hynde, Pink, and Lea Michele have all thrown their support behind a carriage-horse-free NYC; now it's your turn. Throw your blinders in the trash and jump on the bandwagon ... so to speak, of course.

An open letter to the citizens of Iowa:

It's too late to save the poor pigs who were killed after they escaped a flooded southeastern Iowa farm after being left to drown, swam several miles through raging floodwaters, and scrambled atop a sandbag levee, where sheriff's officials shot them for fear that they would weaken it, but as citizens of Iowa, you can all do something in solidarity to save other clever, charismatic pigs: Go vegetarian.

Millions of pigs are hung upside-down, scalded, and bled to death, often while they're still conscious, in slaughterhouses every year. Pigs feel pain every bit as much as we do, are horrified at the sight and smells of the slaughterhouse, and are afraid to die. Like us, they fight for their lives and struggle to avoid suffering.

There is no reason for any pigs to die such tragic, violent deaths—ever. Tasty, healthy, and humane mock meats—including Tofurky sweet Italian sausages, Morningstar Farms veggie dogs, Yves Veggie Cuisine's Canadian veggie bacon and deli slices, and other faux-pork products—are available in many supermarkets and health-food stores.

By choosing vegetarian foods instead of animal flesh, each one of us can save more than 100 animals every year. See GoVeg.com for more information, and click here to get a free "Vegetarian Starter Kit."

You know, very few things will bother vegetarians like assuming that we eat fish. Um, so, like, what plant is it exactly that you think fish grow on?

By saying "you," I don't mean you, of course. After all, you already understand that fishing hurts, and you're totally down with lobster liberation, right? And you've made it clear to your friends and family where you stand. But they still guilt you into going along to that seafood place they like, saying, "OK, you don't eat fish or lobster, but why can't you have the calamari?"

First of all, "calamari" is one of those nice-sounding words that restaurants use to sell something not so nice—in this case, chopped-up and baby squid. But it can be hard for people to feel a lot of affection for a squid. They live way down underwater, and even baby squid—unlike, say, chicks or piglets—aren't all that cute, to put it mildly. But what they lack in looks is more than compensated for in fascinating ways. If you don't believe me, check out this video:

Anyone who has ever tried to chat up someone in a bar has to stand in awe of the squid's smooth seduction technique, which simultaneously warns rivals to stay away. Not to mention the deep-sea light shows and color-changing camo effects of the jellyfish, octopuses, and cuttlefish that put Industrial Light & Magic to shame. In fact, this stuff is so amazing that you can easily get your friends and family to watch it just for its entertainment value—and then remind them of it the next time you join them for dinner as you explain why you'll all be going to your favorite restaurant instead.

So did y'all see the game last night? The one where my Boston Celtics took apart the Los Angeles Lakers like they were made out of Legos and won their first NBA title since 1986? If you did, you might have caught an interview where my man Kevin Garnett talked about how he transferred (he actually said "transcended," which was awesome) his tradition of eating a whole mess of PB&Js before every game over to his Celtic teammates when he was traded there in the offseason.

Professional athletes? Eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches?

[Wait for it …]

WHERE DO THEY GET THEIR PROTEIN!?!?!?!?!?!?!?1/1/1

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getwiththeprogram / CC

I found this fascinating. The reaction to the interview was pretty much: "Look at KG and his wholesome, nutritious pre-game snack. It's so wholesome! And nutritious!" But PB&J is as much of a vegetarian staple as the Boca burger—I think I ate it for lunch every day for my first eight years as a vegan. So why do I feel that if KG had said, "I eat a vegan meal before every big game," the reaction would have been … different? It's like everyone is cool with eating healthy, but for some reason, eating vegan has this whole different connotation for some people—even though it's exactly the same thing.

I read an article on ESPN.com yesterday (while I was, uh, totally working hard and not on the interwebs), where Prince Fielder, Tony Gonzalez, Mac Danzig, and a bunch of other vegetarian athletes were talking about how being vegetarian has affected their game. No surprises: Gonzalez talks about having more energy in the fourth quarter of games and being able to blow by tired, meat-eating defenders, and Danzig talks about recovering faster from workouts. You can't argue with results. I figure that if a vegetarian diet is good enough for some of the top athletes on the planet, it's good enough for everyone.

So, note to the Lakers: Maybe some PB&J will help next time. Although grabbing a few offensive boards wouldn't hurt either. Just sayin'.

Last week marked the one-year anniversary of baby elephant Hansa's death from herpes at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. Activists braved the wind and rain to commemorate Hansa's brief life and demand an end to breeding at the zoo. The zoo, on the other hand, is preparing to artificially impregnate Chai, Hansa's mother, for about the 50th time.

Bruce Bohmke, the deputy director of the zoo, said, "She's fine. After a couple of days, from what I've read, they move on." Oh, really? Because from what I've read, an elephant never forgets.