Written by Michelle Sherrow
Want to wake up Easter morning to a basket filled with goodies? Here are five ways to be sweet to rabbits this spring—and make sure the Easter Bunny's trail runs right up to your house.
wwarby|cc by 2.0
Hoppy Easter!
It isn't quite Easter yet, but one Los Angeles woman still got a surprise from a bunny. Taken aback to see a big, fluffy black-and-white rabbit calmly nibbling grass near her home, she called PETA and asked how she could tell if the animal were a wild rabbit or a domesticated bunny someone had simply turned loose outdoors after growing tired of caring for the animal.
This lucky (and adorable!) bunny got a second chance at finding a good home
Based on the rabbit's physical description and friendly demeanor, it was clear that the little one had been someone's companion. And as the PETA employee explained, domesticated rabbits lack the survival skills and training of their wild counterparts and will fall victim to predators, cruel people, or foreign parasites and diseases against which they lack a natural immunity.
The caller did everything right: She safely secured the bunny in a large box, carried the animal into her home, and called someone at the local animal shelter, who drove out and picked the bunny up. The friendly rabbit likely hadn't been outside for long since the animal was still very healthy, and the fluffy one now has a second chance at finding a forever home.
If you are considering adopting a rabbit, don't buy; go to a shelter or a rescue group.
Written by PETA
Bearing Fashion Forward leaflets and clubs (and baring quite of bit of leg), PETA's "cave women" made sure that shoppers and tourists at San Francisco's bustling Union Square knew that Donna Karan (aka the "Bunny Butcher") has prehistoric attitudes about killing animals and wearing their fur.
With so many innovative, animal-free fabrics to keep wearers warm and dry, it's never been easier for fashionistas to Express their style without making bunnies scream. Encourage your Facebook friends to speak up for bunnies too.
Written by Karin Bennett
What's up, Doc(tor Pepper)? This wascally wabbit bottle-opener, that's what!
If any of you out there share your home with bunnies, you know how much mischief their incisors can get them into. But here's one bunny whose chomping powers will impress all your friends. The Bottle Bunny bottle-opener makes quick work of everything from Wild Hare Pale Ale to Jones Chocolate Bunny Soda—and it looks nose-wrigglingly cute doing it.
Obviously, you must possess one, but how do you get it? Post a comment below telling us your favorite imaginary soda flavor. The person who dreams up the most creative flavor hops away with a Bottle Bunny of his or her very own.
The contest ends on May 19, 2010, and we'll select a winner on May 21, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.
What are you waiting for? Hop to it!
Written by Alisa Mullins
Last Thursday, four rabbits in a Warwick Mall photo studio reportedly drowned in the floods that have been ravaging Rhode Island. Although the mall had been evacuated two days earlier, the bunnies—whom Portrait Simple studios was using as props for in-store Easter photos—were left behind in their cage on a "high shelf" in the studio. When employees returned to the studio two days later, they discovered that the cage had apparently fallen from its perch and that all the rabbits had drowned.
When PETA first heard about Portrait Simple's use of live rabbits for photos a few weeks ago, we contacted the studio and the store's director of operations told us that the rabbits were "well cared for, played with, coddled, and loved by our team members." Now, in the aftermath of these preventable deaths, we're asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate and if appropriate revoke Portrait Simple's exhibitor license in order to ensure that a tragedy like this never happens at the studio again. You can help by contacting Portrait Simple and asking it to implement a "no animals" policy at its stores.
I think it goes without saying that a vote for Pamela Anderson on Dancing With the Stars (DWTS) is a vote for beauty, talent, and animals—which is why I'll be casting all twelve of my votes for her by:
Pamela's run on DWTS has been riveting. And tonight, she's bringing the season's fieriest, most fascinating dance yet: She and her partner Damian Whitewood will be performing the paso doble (the traditional Spanish dance based on the interaction between a matador and bull)—and Pamela will be using the performance as an opportunity to speak out against bullfighting.
In preparation for her performance, which she and Damian are calling "Dance, Don't Bullfight," PETA sent DWTS a sneak peek of our soon-to-be-released anti-bullfighting video starring actor, singer, and guitarist Charo. Charo also joined Pamela in rehearsal to show her some Flamenco moves to spice up her compassionate choreography. With 20,000 people taking action last week to eliminate Madrid's proposal to declare the bloody "sport" to be an activity of cultural value, Pamela's kindly orchestrated move for bulls couldn't come at a more empowering moment.
You can cast 12 votes for Pamela tonight, and if she makes it through to next week, I just might definitely will have a contest lined up for you—so vote for her!
Written by Logan Scherer
Post-Thanksgiving bliss is a beautiful thing. You're so full you can barely move, and you can look forward to leftovers and a month of nonstop holiday music on the radio. But the best part of the Thanksgiving aftermath? Fur-Free Friday—the most joyous, humane shopping day of the year. This year we hosted more than 50 demos in the U.S., Canada, and even Johannesburg, South Africa, to kick off the fur-free season.
In Grand Rapids, Michigan, our breathtaking bunnies hopped their way into the hearts of delighted shoppers who happily took in the anti-fur message.
Meanwhile, a few cuddly friends (and PETA staffers) were in Norfolk, Virginia, urging passersby to love animals, not wear them.
This year, gear up for a warm, compassionate winter by pledging to make every day fur-free.
Little known fact about Stockholm: Thousands of rabbits are shot and killed in the city's Kungsholmen neighborhood every year. To up the gross quotient, the city has taken to freezing the bunnies' bodies and shipping them off to a power plant, where they are burned to generate electricity. Eww … it gives a new, vomit-worthy meaning to the term "green," that's for sure.
And if that's not nauseating enough, Stockholm assassins authorities say that many of the rabbits are tame bunnies who were turned loose by people who no longer wanted them. Folks, let this serve as a reminder to never, ever set a domesticated animal loose. Don't even think about it.
I used to have trouble imagining that people could be so irresponsible until my mom discovered two domesticated bunnies, Eddie and Lewie, hopping around in a neighbor's yard. They narrowly escaped becoming a hawk's dinner after chewing their way out of their dilapidated hutches on the next street over. Their owner had no interest in retrieving them, so they rule the roost at Mom's house now. (Shameless plug: Lewie is Mr. April in PETA's 2010 calendar.)
If you're not the kind of scum who would turn a helpless animal loose to fend for him or herself, then step up and be a hero to the animals who have had the misfortune to fall out of someone's hands. Whenever you encounter strays, for heaven's sake, take them to a reputable animal shelter or bring them into your home where they will be safe until you are able to locate their guardian or find them a new home. Wouldn't you want someone to do the same if, heaven forbid, your angel were to accidentally slip out the door?
Last week, Elizabeth Carlisle appeared in court to face cruelty-to-animals charges for allegedly drowning two rabbits while she was working at a Petland store in Akron, Ohio. On the day of Carlisle's arraignment, local PETA members and other outraged members of the community stood outside the courthouse calling on Akron's chief city prosecutor, Douglas J. Powley, to prosecute Carlisle to the fullest extent of the law.
This incident is just one example of the abuses animals suffer in pet stores nationwide. For nearly 30 years, PETA has fielded complaints regarding sick or unwanted animals who were cruelly disposed of by pet store employees, all because the cost of caring for or treating the animal exceeded the animal's "price tag." This trial offers an opportunity to send a strong and desperately needed message to the pet-store industry: Pet stores have no business selling animals.
Written by Liz Graffeo
Update: The Petland store has closed, and the employee has been charged with cruelty to animals. Click here for details.
Warning: disturbing image.
This photo was taken in the back room of a Petland store in Akron, Ohio, and posted on Facebook by Elizabeth Carlisle, who can be seen grinning as she holds two dead, soaking-wet rabbits by the scruff of the neck—rabbits she just drowned while on Petland's time clock. On Carlisle's Facebook page, she confirmed a friend's guess that she had drowned these two rabbits and wrote, "[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture."
These horrific deaths followed what was apparently an equally horrifying life for these rabbits. Other comments Carlisle posted made it clear that the rabbits were drowned after sustaining agonizing injuries when they were allowed to "attack and eat each other." The rabbits suffered from "deep wounds all over," "an eye missing," what Petland staff "suspected was a broken jaw," and paralysis from the waist down—injuries that would not have occurred had these animals been provided with proper care and supervision.
Undercover investigations have revealed time and time again that companies that breed and sell animals are concerned about profits, not animals' well-being. We are urging Petland to think long and hard about what this incident makes clear: The company has no business selling any animals.
To prevent future incidents like this one, please, never buy from pet stores and urge Petland at the very least to stop selling rabbits.
Click here to take action against Petland.
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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