Written by PETA
More than 100 supporters of PETA U.K. and the Spanish group AnimaNaturalis lay naked and "bloodied" in Pamplona's main square on Sunday to protest the cruel bull runs and subsequent bullfights, in which bulls are tortured and killed during the city's annual festival of San Fermín.
They aren't the only ones exposing Spain's shame. Sexy Spanish celebrity Elen Rivas recently stripped down for a graphic PETA U.K. ad to discourage tourists from attending bullfights when they visit Spain.
EasyJet deemed Rivas' ad to be too gruesome for its in-flight magazine.
Most Spaniards – including those in my hometown of Barcelona, where bullfighting was recently banned – are opposed to the barbaric blood sport, and PETA and I are urging British tourists not to be fooled by the industry's propaganda ...
“Bulls can do nothing to demand justice. They can only defend themselves as best they can in a fight with a pre-determined ending and die never knowing why they were forced to endure such a painful and prolonged death,” wrote PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk in a recent Huffington Post blog. “It's up to us, as a civilized society, to call for an end to the Running of the Bulls and bullfighting.”
Written by Jared Misner
It's so hot in the city, you'd think I'd be making another batch of lemonade—but I've got a hankering for some Internet Soup. It's been a while since the last batch, so dig in!
Oof! I don't know about you, but I'm full after all that soup—and guac. This Special K needs a siesta. Until next time …
Written by Karin Bennett
Alarms went off at PETA when we learned that filming for Tom Cruise's upcoming movie, Knight and Day, included the use of live animals to recreate Pamplona's infamous and cruel Running of the Bulls. The Mirror reports that seven bulls used for the production in Spain escaped and injured two women.
We hope that Mr. Cruise will share our concerns when he learns how animals suffer in the annual Running of the Bulls. As human runners and spectators gouge the bulls with sticks and pull their tails, many bulls slip on the pavement and/or slam into buildings, breaking their horns and legs. In their desperate attempts to escape their tormenters, bulls sometimes gore and trample people. As if that weren't enough cruelty, bulls later dragged into the bullrings are repeatedly stabbed and bled to weaken them by bullfighters who sever the animals' spines while the animals are fully conscious.
Will Tom Cruise do as we've asked and use his influence and help bulls by encouraging producers to cut the scene from the film? I believe that PETA's effort is definitely a Mission ImPossible. What do you think?
Updates will follow.
Update: Our vegan Ultra champion did it again. Rich Roll finished seventh in the race on Sunday. Despite a bad accident on his bike on Saturday during challenging weather conditions and even with an injured knee, he did the 52-mile run in 7:51. Amazing. Congrats, Rich!
It's Fur-Free Friday, and we're all about spreading joy and good cheer on one of the most compassionate days of the year. In the spirit of the season, we'd like to wish vegan athlete Rich Roll the best of luck as he begins his Ultraman race.
Recently named one of the "25 Fittest Guys in the World" by Men's Fitness, Roll is poised to dominate the competition at the invitation-only Ultraman competition, which includes a 6.2-mile swim, 261.4-mile cross-country bike ride, and 52.4-mile run.
His cruelty-free diet guarantees abounding strength and energy, and if you don't want to take my word for it, check out our exclusive new interview with the humane superman:
Written by Logan Scherer
In Spain, the bullfight is on its way out. In Britain, it was fox hunting, which is now illegal. In the U.S., we have our own shameful traditions, including slavery, to dwell on. And in South Africa, apartheid may be a thing of the past, but another cruel custom persists.
Sadly, during the festival of Ukweshwama, a group of youths torment and slaughter a terrified bull with their bare hands. They rip out the bull's tongue, shove handfuls of dirt into his mouth, tear out his eyes, and mutilate his genitals. This horrible murder has been excused from compliance with laws against animal cruelty under the country's "cultural liberty" exemption.
Abusing animals does not bring honor to any culture. Indian humanitarian, journalist, government minister, and advocate for animals Maneka Gandhi knows that and has sent a letter on behalf of PETA Asia to South African President Jacob Zuma urging him to modernize this cruel ritual. She writes:
While I respect culture, this bull-killing ritual causes extreme suffering to an innocent creature and has no place in the modern world. Tradition is not an excuse for cruelty, and many societies have ended or are working to end 'traditional' practices—such as slavery, cannibalism, infanticide, female circumcision, foot-binding, bullfighting, and fox hunting—that cause animals or humans to suffer.
As Maneka Gandhi points out in her letter, it's impossible to deny the link between violence toward animals and violence toward people. We hope that President Zuma and other world leaders who care about making their countries less violent will put an end to horrific practices such as this.
Written by Heather Drennan
At a time when protests of the gruesome Running of the Bulls are making a bigger splash than ever, the sagging global economy is apparently taking a toll on the annual festival as well.
It turns out that bombed bull abusers are scaling back their bar tabs. This means fewer euros for merchants during this year's Running of the Bulls. In the past, these businesses have cashed in on the annual torment and killing of hapless, hopeless bulls. But this year, the global recession means that local businesses won't be making as much of a profit from the misery of the bulls.
Not only that, but according to NPR, polls show that most Spaniards have no interest in bullfighting. In Catalonia alone, nearly 200,000 people have signed a petition asking the regional parliament to ban this barbaric "ritual."
While this is hopefully the beginning of the end for an industry that should have died off with the Spanish Empire, you can save money and animals by doing more than simply tightening your belt. Sign up to take that belt—and the rest of your clothes—off altogether as a member of PETA's Action Team. It won't cost a dime, but the potential to raise awareness is priceless.
Written by Shawna Flavell
The American Veterinary Medical Association's (AVMA) annual conference starts July 10 in Seattle. On the agenda is a pitch for the AVMA to change its current opposition to ear-cropping and tail-docking and give a thumbs-up to the painful procedures.
Say what?!
Our friends at NYCVet.org alerted us to a recent issue of the Journal of the AVMA, which revealed that the Utah Veterinary Medical Association (UVMA) wants the AVMA to reword its official position on ear-cropping and tail-docking. Instead of opposing these practices across the board, UVMA wants the AVMA to change its stance as follows:
Ear Cropping and Tail Docking of DogsThe AVMA opposes ear cropping and tail docking of dogs when done solely for cosmetic purposes. Although cosmetic ear cropping and tail docking of dogs has little or no therapeutic basis, it is a procedure that is condoned by the American Kennel Club and by many members of society. It is imperative that the procedures be performed by trained, licensed, and caring veterinarians using current standard of care. The AVMA encourages the elimination of ear cropping and tail docking from in breed standards. Members of the AVMA will conform to all state mandates concerning the procedures.
Um, here's a newsflash—cruel ear-cropping and tail-docking have been banned in countries around the world because they are purely cosmetic, hurt like hell, and have no benefit whatsoever to the animal. We hope that the AVMA holds strong and doesn't decide to become even less caring about animals than it already is.
For two days, the exhausted dairy cow had lain in the pasture, dying. Her eyes were missing, probably eaten by birds. A commuter passing by saw her and had been trying desperately to get help, with no luck. Eventually, this kind person, frantic to find help for the tormented animal, contacted PETA's after hours emergency hotline, and we were able to work with law enforcement officials, urging them to take immediate action.
Our caseworkers stayed on the phone late into the night as deputies knocked on every door in the area, waking up residents in hopes of finding out who owned the property and the cow. After hours of searching, the man was finally located, and the deputies were mercifully able to put an end to the cow's suffering.
Unfortunately, this story is not unusual in the meat and dairy industry, where living beings are looked at as property and products. In fact, cows too sick to walk or stand are so common on factory farms and in slaughterhouses that there's a word for them: downers.
It's easy to look at cows in a field and think that they live idyllic lives, but they're commonly subjected to abuses that could warrant felony cruelty-to-animals charges if they were dogs or cats. Fortunately, though, it's so easy to opt out of contributing to their misery.
And I know that we just talked about this, but it bears repeating: If you see an animal who is suffering, report it to the authorities—and don't give up until they do something about it!
Written by Jeff Mackey
While it's widely accepted that most people don't want an eight-second ride, we now have an excellent, bull-free alternative for those of you who, for whatever reason, do: Urban Rodeo!
The concept is like that of a regular rodeo. Mount an unwilling participant and hold on for dear life, marking your success by how long you can stay latched on to the bucking, bewildered beast. The only difference between this and other rodeos is the ropes, spurs, and other cruelty involved, such as internal injuries and extensive bruising. Oh, and I seriously doubt participants in the "Urban Rodeo" are shipped off to slaughter once they've outlived their usefulness. However, similar to a regular rodeo, participants are encouraged to "leg it" immediately after being tossed from the animal in order to avoid injury.
Got any other clever ideas that could serve as an alternative to a performing animal act or rodeo? Let me know—who knows, I might give your idea a shot and see how it works out!
Written by Sean Conner
Quick—who was the first NBA player to win championships with three different teams? If you said John Salley, then ... you read the title of this post. Bravo. But you know what else John Salley is? ... right. A vegetarian. That was in the title too. You know, you really could help me sell this bit a little. Anyway ...
John Salley—who earned his nickname, "The Spider," from his long-limbed defensive prowess—is the latest celebrity to star in PETA's vegetarian testimonial series. Today, the PSA will be launched at the John Muir Middle School in Los Angeles, California, where John is giving a talk to hundreds of students about his vegetarian lifestyle and PETA is providing free veggie burgers for one and all. Turtle Mountain also provided the school with 500 soy ice cream sandwiches for the event! Check out the PSA below:
When we filmed the ad a while back, I got the chance to sit down with John and pick his brain a bit. We got the important stuff out of the way when he told me that he grew up a Celtics fan—I always knew I liked the guy. He first went veg in 1991, after his fifth year in the league (he was a Detroit Piston at the time, but please don't hold that against him). John says that after making the switch, he lost 10 pounds and was still stronger than anyone else on the team (Laimbeer, I'm looking at you). From there, he went on to win powered-by-tofu NBA championships with the Bulls in '96 and with the Lakers in '00, adding those rings to the two he already won with the effing Pistons. Check out the full Q&A below:
Seventeen years later, John's still going strong, hosting The Best Damn Sports Show Period on FOX, pursuing an acting career, and oh yeah, helping to save animals with PETA. So the next time someone asks you, "Aren't vegetarians worried about not having enough vitamin Q?" or whatever, just say, "Actually, we're more worried about not having enough fingers for all our RINGS, yo!"
Here are some photos from the launch event:
Posted by Dan Shannon
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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