Dear Kylie,Greetings from PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization, with more than 1.8 million members and supporters. I am PETA's senior vice president-and also one of your loyal gay American fans (going back to "Step Back in Time").As an entertainer who has overcome major personal obstacles, you have shown that you are unafraid to address serious issues. I'm writing to you today about cruelty to animals. You were recently photographed clutching a bag made of python skin, and as a result there has been a flurry of interest in the bag from both followers of fashion and those who are painfully aware of the excruciating ways in which these exotic animals are skinned.Every year, millions of snakes—an integral part of jungle and forest ecosystems—are snatched by the greedy international skin trade. The animals are often impaled on hooks or nailed to trees by their heads and skinned alive. Large snakes like pythons may have a hose inserted into their mouths and be pumped full of water to loosen their skin, so it will cut away more easily. The animals' peeled, writhing bodies are then discarded, and it can take days before the animals die from the effects of shock and dehydration.And it's not just in places like Asia and Africa where reptiles are tormented—PETA has conducted undercover investigations at American farms where alligators are bludgeoned in the head before hammers and chisels are used to sever their spinal chords. These methods only paralyze the animals—they, too, are often conscious during skinning. But exotic animal farms are rare—90 percent of these fascinating beings are wild-caught. Those who are "farmed" are usually confined to areas of wilderness that have been fenced off, but because mortality rates are so high, many wild—caught animals are tossed in with them for breeding. The endangered species of tomorrow can be seen in the fashion magazines of today.Kylie, you are such a compassionate person—I can't imagine you'd wish to contribute to this hidden suffering, especially for something as frivolous as a fashion accessory that can be replicated with no bloodshed. These days, it's easy to have a look that kills without killing, with fake snake, mock croc, python pleather, and other designer items that pay tribute to the beauty of these animals without massacring them. Won't you assure us—and those who follow your fashion lead—that you'll no longer sport exotic skins?Kindest regards,Dan MathewsSenior Vice President

"Blood-stained hands untie a wriggling sack and pull out a ten-foot long python. The snake is stunned with a blow to the head from the back of a machete and a hose pipe expertly forced between its jaws. Next, the water is turned on and the reptile fills up — swelling like a balloon. … Then its head is impaled on a meat hook, a couple of quick incisions follow, and the now-loosened skin peeled off with a series of brutal tugs."

Riyo Mori
c/o Miss Universe Japan Office
5F Kitae Bldg.
5-9-13 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-ku
Tokyo 150-0001

Dear Ms. Mori:

Many of our members have contacted us to express their shock and disappointment over your use of fur. Perhaps you are confused about what is expected of you now that you have been crowned Miss Universe. Let us help you: As an ambassador of goodwill, your job is to promote peace, not pieces of tortured animals.

Animals trapped in the wild may suffer for days before dying from blood loss, infection, or attacks by predators. Some, especially mothers with babies to feed, chew off their own limbs in an attempt to escape. On fur farms, animals spend their lives pacing in tiny wire cages until they are killed by being anally electrocuted, gassed, or having their necks broken. Sometimes these methods only stun the animals, who often “wake up” while they’re being skinned. As you will see if you watch these videos, there is nothing upscale or elegant about how the original owners of the furs you flaunt met their gruesome deaths:

• Investigation of China’s dog and cat fur farms: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=fur_farm
• Exposé of the fur trade, narrated by Pamela Anderson: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=pam_anti_fur

A recent investigation of fur farms in China, which is now the world’s largest fur producer, revealed that animals, including dogs and cats, are being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Cat and dog fur is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species, so it’s impossible to tell which type of animal a pelt is from. The ugly truth is, no matter whose back it was ripped off, the fur that you’re profiting from came from animals who suffered miserable lives and unimaginably cruel deaths.

As Miss Universe, you are expected to be a positive role model who sets a good example. All eyes are on you. By choosing to wear fur, not only are you directly responsible for the deaths of dozens of animals, you’re also sending a clear message to everyone who sees you that animals’ lives are less important than fashion—you validate the fur industry, and you validate cruelty. Prove that your beauty is more than skin deep. Please do the decent and compassionate thing and stop wearing fur.

PETA is famous for pulling out all the stops to protest celebrities who wear fur; just ask Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. Having animal rights activists protest outside events you attend will do nothing to help your image. That said, there is nothing that we would like more than to sing your praises for being a compassionate trendsetter who chooses to go faux. Many entertainers and designers, including Sir Paul and Stella McCartney, Maggie Q, Charlize Theron, and Mariah Carey, have already shunned fur.

Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your response so that we can inform our members of your decision.

Sincerely,

Jason Baker
PETA Asia-Pacific