Written by PETA
While some chefs have a change of heart after they witness the cruelty of meat production, the "Naked Chef," Jamie Oliver isn’t one of them.
According to his spokesperson, Oliver is supposedly "well-known for his championing of better welfare for animals and has had awards from many animal welfare groups."
No wonder animal protectionists everywhere are seeing red after learning that he pinned down and helped castrate a bull for a segment for his upcoming series, Jamie's American Road Trip. Castrating a bull without anesthetics is illegal in the U.K., but apparently Oliver signed on to the old "when in Rome …" theory.
If Jamie Oliver truly cares about animals, he should take a cue from PETA's Ingrid E. Newkirk, who talks the talk and walks the walk. Whether she's convincing officials in Taiwan to stop drowning stray dogs or being carted off to jail for protesting pigeon shoots in Pennsylvania, this true champion of animals never lowers her standards on how animals should be treated, no matter where she is.
Written by Karin Bennett
At least one corporation that stood to profit from Michael Vick's NFL reinstatement has decided to put morals before money.
While the NFL rushed to reinstate Michael Vick the second his ankle bracelet hit the floor, sporting goods giant Dick's has made it clear that it cares more about animals then it does its bottom line by refusing to sell replicas of Vick's Philadelphia Eagles jersey in any of its stores nationwide.
We hope you'll join us in letting Dick's know that it made the right decision by calling 1-877-846-9997 (dial 3 to speak to the operator). And if your dialing digits still feel like dancing, you can also call and complain to the NFL.
Everyone seemed to have something to say about our recent billboards in Jacksonville, Florida. Some people loved one or both, while others loathed the first and were bored by the second. But regardless of where you stood, please help us decide what billboard should go up next.
We've narrowed the options down to four billboards that make the point that a vegetarian diet is brain food. First, read this and then please vote for your favorite billboard, invent your own, or heck, even tell us not to run any of them. It's in your hands.
A recent article in New Scientist reveals that researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles have discovered that as people age, the bigger their body mass, on average, the smaller their brain, "with the frontal and temporal lobes - important for planning and memory, respectively - particularly affected."
No wonder Grandpa can't remember where he put that "Double Down."
Since a vegan diet (no fatty, cheesy crap) is almost guaranteed to make you slimmer, it can likely also increase your odds of staying sharp as you age. Our four billboards drive home the point that a pure vegetarian diet is a smart diet. Cast your votes here.
Tourists are flocking to Kiryat Yam, Israel, in hopes of spotting a mermaid who has reportedly been seen frolicking during sunset swims, and the Town Council is offering a $1 million reward for anyone who can provide a photograph that proves Ariel's kin are kicking back on local beaches.
If it's a photo of a mermaid they want, we'd be happy to oblige. We're offering to run our stunning "Make a Splash—Go Vegetarian" ad, which makes the case that, like mermaids, fish sea kittens, lobsters, crabs, and other animals of the sea deserve to be treated with compassion and respect.
If you would shun a plate of poached mermaid, why not let Nemo and his buddies off the hook too?
Written by Alisa Mullins
Our controversial "Save the Whales" billboard caused quite a stir after it was erected in Jacksonville, Florida. Now it's being replaced with the following billboard:
Ever since placing our original ad, which showed a woman whose "blubber" was spilling out of her swimsuit, we've been inundated with calls and e-mails of support from people who want to take our 30-day Pledge to Be Veg. Oregon mom-of-six Ali Bond-Smith is one of the many motivated people, and here's what she has to say:
Many feel the billboards were cruel to the obese and uncalled for on PETA's part. I think what happens in the lives of 'meat animals' is cruel. … I'm ready to take your 30-day no-meat challenge. ... I'd be willing to weigh in before and after a month of no meat and indeed see if losing the meat has helped me begin to lose the blubber.
Since it has been proved that vegetarians weigh about 10 to 20 pounds less than meat eaters do and that a vegetarian diet can lower your risk of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and a slew of other ailments, Ali's going to make an enormous impact on her health, as well as on the lives of animals.
We can't wait to be there with her each step of the way.
Stay tuned for updates on Ali's progress. In the meantime, those of you who would like to follow Ali's lead can take our 30-day Pledge to Be Veg now. Please also try out these low-fat vegetarian recipes and contact us for support and guidance.
Beach bums everywhere agree that Puerto Rico's beaches are heavenly, but the island will become hell on earth for thousands of monkeys if a massive primate-breeding facility is approved.
PETA is taking no time off in our efforts to shoot down the proposal by Bioculture, a company that breeds and sells monkeys to foreign laboratories, where they will suffer abusive handling, months of confinement in metal cages, and forced dosings of toxic chemicals (remember Covance, anyone?). The latest efforts include working to get our new billboard erected in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
There's more to come, so stay tuned.
When we heard that the Vancouver Organizing Committee (VANOC) is selling cheap outdoor ad space to nonsponsors, you can be sure that only a few seconds passed before we signed up to place a billboard during the 2010 Olympic Games.
VANOC claims that the soft economy has created sluggish ad sales, so it's scrambling to make back some of the millions of dollars it spent stockpiling billboard space. Could it be that corporations are reluctant to spend their advertising dollars to support the Vancouver Olympic Winter Games when the word "Canada" is now synonymous worldwide with "baby seal slaughter?"
One thing is for certain—if VANOC accepts our offer, our billboard will be slated to educate visitors from all over the world about Canada's Olympic Games shame.
Two things we at PETA never pass up: vegan ice cream and opportunities to educate others about the benefits of a vegetarian diet. (I call it giving them a "vegucation.")
Pro-life Catholic students and faculty at Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., are in a tizzy about President Obama's scheduled commencement address on Sunday. So, of course, we're erecting two pro-vegetarian billboards this weekend at Notre Dame to remind both sides of the abortion debate that a diet free of slaughtered animals makes sense for everyone.
Forbes magazine recently unveiled its annual list of the country's top 10 most miserable cities, and the winners losers include Chicago, Illinois; Stockton, California; Memphis, Tennessee; and Modesto, California.
The cities were graded on mood-killing triggers such as traffic, employment loss, crime rate, and, of course, weather. But what about the foods that the residents of these cities eat?
We're urging folks to turn their frowns upside down by adopting a vegetarian diet, and in Modesto we are pitching our new billboard, which features the message "Put a smile on your face. Go vegetarian."
We hope to make life a little easier on animals on factory farms as well as those humans who haven't realized that meat is a big fat downer.
Written by Jennifer Cierlitsky
Relationships on MTV's The Hills are unpredictable, to say the least. So, after having been on the show for five seasons, Audrina Patridge threw on a pair of angel wings and took her dog, Speedy Gonzalez, to pose in PETA's latest Angels for Animals ad. After all, a dog's love is absolute. They're never so fickle that they'd turn their back on you anytime some new guy walks into the room.
The ad was unveiled on a billboard in West Hollywood today, and Audrina was there to let people know that they should always adopt and never buy—because for every dog or cat bought from a breeder or pet shop, a shelter animal full of unconditional love will die.
Check out the event below and then enter to win autographed copies of seasons three and four of The Hills on DVD.
Written by Shawna Flavell
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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