Did you know that PETA did some wonderful things in 2011 that you probably didn't read about in the newspapers? I do—because I've read PETA's latest annual report, and you can too. Here's a sample of the interesting stuff that you'll find in just the "Year in Numbers" section alone:

©iStockphoto/ Andrew Helwich

• PETA's SNIP and ABC clinics spayed and neutered more than 11,000 animals.
• More than 40 million people visited PETA's websites.
• More than 650,000 free vegetarian/vegan starter kits were sent out by PETA.
• PETA's Communications Department booked upward of 4,500 media interviews.
• More than 300 free doghouses were built and delivered—and 1,200 bales of straw were bagged—to give shelter and warmth to dogs forced to live outdoors.
• PETA's International Grassroots Campaign Department helped organize nearly 1,500 demonstrations.
• The amount of free advertising space secured by PETA was worth more than 1.5 million dollars.

There's lots more to learn—but check it out for yourself. And if you want to be a part of a record-breaking 2012, there's no better time to join us than right now!

Salt Lake City turned into Sexy Leaf City when PETA's "Lettuce Ladies" rolled into town. The leafy lovelies were there to persuade folks to go lean and green in 2012 by going vegan.

The SLC "occupiers" even stopped occupying long enough to chat with the green gals (and enjoy some free soy sausage).

Want a figure so svelte that you feel confident wearing leafy vegetables? Click here.

The best show in Vegas last week wasn't in a casino—it was on the sidewalk on Las Vegas Boulevard. Luck was a lady leopard (and a cow and a snake) when PETA's "showgirls" stripped down on The Strip to reveal their animalistic bodypaint.

Crowds flocked to the ladies like they were the hottest blackjack table, posing for pictures and scooping up information about how animals raised or trapped for their skin suffer.

With the flurry of flashbulbs now over and loads of leaflets distributed, it's a safe bet that any animal skins the passersby will be flaunting from now on will be as fake as an Elvis impersonator.

You and animals both win when you choose animal prints, not animal skins.

Since, as the holiday classic explains, "the weather outside is frightful," you have to admire the dedication of PETA's "Mistletoe Misses," who have been braving Arctic breezes wearing nothing but mistletoe-covered bikinis to share "kisses"—along with the word about the many advantages of a vegan diet.

The delightful duo has been giving away vegan chocolates with tags saying, "Be Sweet to Animals," along with PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kits.

Courtesy of Mahdi Dadrass

Playboy Playmate Crystal McCahill is no stranger to wearing bunny ears. But today, she and PETA campaigner Tracy Patton put on bunny ears for a different reason: to save bunny skins. The PETA cottontails asked shoppers in busy downtown Chicago to hightail it away from fur.

The bunnies were hopping mad about how animals are beaten, electrocuted, and often skinned alive for their fur. And as these two made clear, everyone looks best in their own skin.

Be a bunny's honey—don't wear fur.

Bikinis in December? Sure.

Eye blacks with garters? Why not?

Fur? What, are you crazy?

The Lingerie Football League's Toronto Triumph took to the streets yesterday to call "foul" on fur.

Courtesy of Dave B

The ladies braved the chilly temps to show Torontonians that football players can take a beating, but that furry animals shouldn't have to. Unless someone was cruisin' for a bruisin', my bet is the shoppers steered clear of fur. 

PETA and two supporters in Salt Lake City filed a federal civil rights lawsuit today against two Utah Transit Authority police officers alleging violations of free speech rights. The complaint states that the PETA members were handing out leaflets about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus to commuter train passengers in a public area when the officers ordered them to leave or face charges for trespassing. While the activists reluctanctly left as ordered, they are now pursuing legal action to protect their free speech rights to educate potential circusgoers about the circus's long history of animal abuse.

Elephants used by Ringling—which recently received the biggest penalty for animal welfare violations in circus history—are chained inside filthy, poorly ventilated boxcars for an average of more than 26 hours straight and are routinely beaten in order to force them to perform confusing and unnatural tricks.

If the circus is coming to your town, exercise your right to free speech! Just be sure to contact city officials ahead of any leafleting or other outreach event to determine whether you need a permit. Contact PETA's Action Team to get help organizing local outreach.

Some residents of Carlie Colella's home state aren't happy with her for making Maryland look like Hairyland by wearing the fur coat she was given as a prize for winning the Miss Maryland pageant. As Colella arrived at the Maryland Theatre in Hagerstown on Sunday for a send-off reception before heading to the Miss America pageant, she was greeted by PETA supporters who were there to remind her that only mean people wear fur.

Perhaps having seen video footage of animals being beaten and skinned alive on the body television that one of the protesters wore, Miss Maryland will prove that she is a beautiful person inside as well as out by donating her fur coat to PETA.

That would, in fact, be a great way to start bringing about world peace.

Not everyone can afford to buy an electric vehicle (EV), but there is one thing that we all can do to help the environment, even in a down economy: go vegan. That's the message that PETA's lovely—and apparently frostbite-proof—Lettuce Ladies took to the streets of Seattle, where the delicious vegan jerky they handed out in front of an EV charging station went like hotcakes in the 33-degree weather.

Raising animals for food wastes land, water, and other resources, and it takes more than 11 times as much fossil fuel to make one calorie from animal protein as it does to make one calorie from plant protein. A recent United Nations report concluded that a global shift toward a vegan diet is necessary to combat the worst effects of climate change.

Even if you wouldn't wear a bikini in freezing weather to spread the word about the benefits of a vegan diet, you can pick up copies of our vegetarian/vegan starter kit to hand out to friends and family or passersby.

Don't let your dog or cat appear on 16 Weeks and Pregnant. Spay and neuter.