Written by PETA
I would have liked to have titled this blog "Bull: 1, Matador: 0," but unfortunately, in the world of bullfighting torturing, even when the bull wins, he loses. Even though he clearly won this "fight," the bull in the below video was reportedly killed by other matadors after running a horn through one bullfighter's throat.
Warning: Graphic video below.
You can see still photos on The Huffington Post.
The matador, Julio Aparicio, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition but is expected to recover. Wish we could say the same for the bull.
Let this serve as a reminder: Never book a trip to Spain that includes tickets to a bullfight. Better yet, don't book a trip to Spain at all until it abolishes this abomination (unless you plan to participate in an anti-bullfighting protest, of course).
Written by Alisa Mullins
Do you know somebody who's thinking about adding a Hermes crocodile-skin bag or a pair of Alexander McQueen snakeskin pumps to their Christmas wish list? If so, the graphic pictures below will probably have them sending Santa a plea for a Matt & Nat bag or a pair of MooShoes instead.
Whether your bag, shoe, or jacket was made from exotic skins or sexy synthetics means the difference between life or death for animals. Snakes and alligators who are stripped of their skin are usually caught in the wild, often illegally, and their skin is ripped from their bodies while they are still alive. Because they are cold-blooded animals, they can suffer for hours or even days before they die.
If you need more proof that reptiles suffer when they are exploited for fashion, check this out.
Written by Shawna Flavell
As an obsessed fan of The Biggest Loser, I just about jumped out off the couch last night when America's toughest trainer Jillian Michaels walked onscreen wearing PETA's ever popular "Fight Breedism" T-shirt.
For the whole first half of the show, while the contestants were filming in Washington D.C., Jillian rocked the compassionate message across her perfect abs—even during the workout! Jillian is one of the most inspirational women on television and knowing that she is fighting against obesity and animal homelessness rocks my world!
My Jillian-mania escalated to even greater higher heights when she took the winners of the challenge to Subway for lunch and told the crowd that she recommends the vegetarian sub because it's her favorite. Fellow trainer Bob Harper is already vegetarian, so I'm beginning to see a pattern here … no wonder they look so good.
Written by Christine Doré
A tree grows in Brooklyn … actually, many of them do. And from one of those trees, a pigeon dangled upside down from a piece of string that was caught around her leg and tangled on a tree branch two stories above a busy sidewalk, beside a busy street.
When a caring Brooklynite contacted PETA, the bird had already hung from that tree for days without food or water, surely full of panic and fear.
But luckily there are people—such as the Brooklynite who contacted us—who care enough to take action.
Local animal control agents lacked the equipment necessary to rescue the pigeon, but they referred our cruelty caseworker to the local fire department, which dispatched a truck minutes after PETA's call came in. Firefighters drove by to survey the situation and returned in a truck with a tall ladder, which they climbed to reach the bird.
The caller was on-site, and when firefighters handed her the pigeon—whose wounds were infested with maggots—she rushed the bird to a local veterinarian. Immediately realizing that the pigeon's back was broken, the vet was able to quickly release her from her suffering.
The anguish that pigeon endured during those days is almost incomprehensible. Hanging upside down with a broken back and suffering from extreme starvation and dehydration as maggots infested her open wounds, she must have been in severe pain. Had those caring persons—the caller, the cruelty caseworker, firefighters, and the vet—not stepped in to take action, who knows how long her suffering would have continued?
We've said it before, but it bears repeating: Please always be a person who helps an animal in need. You might be the first to take action, but if you reach out to others, you'll likely find people who care as much as you do.
Written by Karin Bennett
On Sunday, the U.K. newspaper The Sunday Times ran a great article about a recent undercover investigation conducted at a Hampshire laboratory that tests Dysport—a wrinkle-erasing drug similar to Botox—on mice. The investigation was conducted by our friends at the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, and among the most disturbing findings of the investigation was the fact that technicians repeatedly broke the backs of mice while attempting to kill them with ball-point pens. Yes, you read that right. Staffers then used the same ball-point pens to fill out their victims' death records.
Laboratory workers were also videotaped botching injections and swearing at rabbits. One staffer calls a struggling rabbit "a little s**t" and "a disgrace."
As with Botox, both in the U.S. and the U.K., each batch of Dysport is tested on animals. More than 41,000 mice were killed in Dysport tests in a six-month period at just this one laboratory.
Horrors like these don't just take place across the pond either. In the U.S. alone, it is estimated that more than 100 million mice and rats are killed in experiments every year. And here in the U.S. these sensitive, intelligent animals are not protected by any federal laws, even though they are the animals who suffer most frequently at the hands of animal experimenters. Investigation after investigation shows that these highly social animals are handled like they are disposable laboratory equipment instead of living animals who deserve respect and kindness.
Here's one more reason why I heart Oprah.
Yesterday, during her fall fashion style makeover show, a stylist mentioned that a furry vest worn in one woman's "after" look was faux. Oprah replied, "I was a PETA Woman of the Year so I hope that's faux!"
From celebrating vegan cuisine with Chef Tal Ronnen to airing an in-depth investigation of the cruelty of puppy mills, Oprah never hesitates to remind millions of television viewers to consider animals in their everyday lives.
Want to get active for animals, but not exactly the bikini in an ice storm type? You could take a cue from two fabulous Florida citizens and organize a "holiday compassion" display.
The display includes an awww-inspiring photo of a mother turkey and her chicks along with interesting facts about these intelligent, affectionate animals. It features eye-catching boards about why meat is bad for animals, bad for your health, and bad for the environment. And what holiday display would be complete without tasty tips for cruelty-free holiday meals?
The best part? It's easy for you to replicate. For materials to set up your own cruelty-free information center, contact PETA's activist liaisons.
Written by Heather Drennan
On Saturday, a bat found his or her way into the San Antonio Spurs game. (Some speculate that the animal didn't just fly in by accident.) The bat, of course, did what anybody would do in such a terrifying, unfamiliar situation—try to get the heck out of there—which, naturally, delayed the game. Until, that is, Spurs guard Manu Ginobili smacked the bat out of the air and slammed the animal into the hardwood court. Sports blogs across the 'net have been replaying the video of Manu in action as they celebrate his quick reflexes.
Here's our take on it:
To bludgeon a 4-ounce animal to death, it takes either a small man or a totally unthinking one—with no respect or consideration for lives humbler than his own. This is a time when athletes in particular need to be on their best behavior around any animal and show that they have brains and a heart, not just reactionary brawn.
Bats always try to avoid contact with humans, and there are plenty of easy ways to keep bats out of a basketball arena (or your home). We hope that the next time someone's life is on the line, Manu Ginobili will take just a few seconds to think before he acts.
Written by Amanda Schinke
Yesterday, the enormously talented (and playfully goofy, but more on that in a minute) singer/songwriter Joel Gibb of the indie band The Hidden Cameras was in Ottawa to unveil a billboard reminding everyone that "Canada's Club Scene Sucks."
While other compassionate celebrities have opted to wear our seal T-shirt to point out that the annual massacre of baby seals is a big, bloody blot on Canada's reputation, Joel got into the spirit of things by donning our seal costume for the unveiling (well, part of it, anyway).
To read more about what Joel thinks of the seal slaughter, check out his interview with Exclaim!
Or you could check him out in concert—The Hidden Cameras are currently on tour. (No word yet on whether Joel will be performing in a seal costume.)
This is pretty rad. It's a website that gives experts in various fields a forum to explain their point of view on a wide array of topics related to their specific area of knowledge. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk has a page of video responses to questions that run the gamut from what the biggest misconceptions are about the animal rights movement to where human rights and animal rights diverge. I've posted a video below on the topic of why PETA uses graphic imagery to get the message across, and you can see the rest of Ingrid's video interviews (there are, like, 30 of them) here. Good stuff.
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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