Photo of the day

Dog © iStockphoto.com/Steve Goodwin

With Ashly Clark, a Nebraska mother whose two young boys were found locked in a wire kennel during a police welfare check, set to go on trial on January 31, PETA is planning to erect a billboard in her area that reminds people that crating is wrong—for children and dogs. 

Since dogs are highly social pack animals, they find crating or chaining a terrible punishment and it can actually make behavioral problems like barking and hyperactivity worse.

Dogs need to be allowed outside to relieve themselves at least four times a day, whether that means coming home from work at lunchtime, hiring a reputable dog walker, or taking them to a doggie daycare. After all, would you leave a toddler in a cage all day? 

Last week, we told you about TWJ Farms, an egg factory farm in Nebraska that planned to kill 70,000 unwanted chickens by placing them in an industrial machine and grinding them up—while still alive. According to a whistleblower, TWJ has killed hundreds of thousands of hens this way in recent years, and TWJ CEO Joe Claybaugh seems to confirm it in news reports. A witness stated that many of the birds were maimed or mutilated during the process and suffered in agony for hours before they died.

After PETA sent an urgent plea asking local and state law enforcement officials to intervene—and thanks to your calls and e-mails to the company—we have received confirmation from the Nebraska State Patrol that TWJ will not grind up the 70,000 chickens as planned.

We're still waiting to hear directly from TWJ and its primary egg customer, Minnesota-based Michael Foods, Inc., that TWJ and all Michael Foods egg suppliers will use only legal, approved means to kill sick, injured, or unwanted chickens. But you don't have to wait to make a difference: You can help spare millions of birds from unimaginable suffering by cutting eggs out of your diet.  

Written by Paula Moore

On Tuesday afternoon, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of gestation based on the belief that fetuses can feel pain at that stage. He also signed another bill requiring women to be screened for mental health problems before having abortions.

No matter where you stand on abortion, we hope that you appreciate the billboard that we'll be erecting in Lincoln, Nebraska, to remind everyone that electing not to take animals' lives is always a sane choice.

Written by Paula Moore

Back in September 2005, four chimpanzees made a break for freedom from a depressing roadside zoo called Zoo Nebraska after workers at the zoo failed to lock the animals' cage properly. Ultimately, three of the chimpanzees—Reuben, Jimmy Joe, and Tyler (who had been discarded by the entertainment industry once he got too big and strong to reliably perform in TV and movies)—were shot and killed by police. You can view a police video of the escape here.

USDA reports obtained by PETA reveal that in the six and a half years leading up to this incident, the zoo had been cited repeatedly for improper care of exotic animals. Citations included failure to maintain enclosures in order to prevent escape of animals, failure to have a disaster program with means to restrain or capture animals in the event of an emergency, failure to train employees in how to operate a tranquilizer gun, failure to provide shelter, failure to provide primates with environmental enhancement to promote psychological well-being, failure to provide veterinary care to tigers and primates, insufficient access to drinking water, and sanitation violations. The long list of repeated violations and the fatal escape attempt spurred the USDA to file charges against Zoo Nebraska in 2007; last month, the USDA finally revoked the zoo's license.

Most zoos, circuses, and animal trainers that handle great apes have a long list of similar violations, but, all too often, no action is taken until after tragedy strikes. Just this past week in Connecticut, a captive chimpanzee named Travis, who had appeared in advertisements for Coca-Cola and Old Navy, attacked his owner, her friend, and two police officers before he was shot to death. Some people may think that seeing chimpanzees dress up in costumes and mug for TV cameras is "cute," but these heartbreaking events speak loud and clear: Great apes are wild animals who belong in their natural habitat. You can read the letter that we sent to the governor of Connecticut calling for a ban on keeping primates as "pets" here and you can take action yourself here.

Written by Liz Graffeo

Nebraska has a unique new "safe haven" law. Most states have laws that allow panicked parents to leave their infants in safety—better to surrender a baby to a hospital or police station than to leave him or her in a dumpster (or worse)—but Nebraska's law doesn't place an age limit on surrendered children.

Since this law went into effect three months ago, a total of 18 children—many from out of state—have been abandoned at hospitals and police stations in Nebraska. The children, whose ages range from 20 months to 17 years, include a 13-year-old boy from Michigan whose mother drove more than 12 hours last week to leave him at a Nebraska hospital.

This is obviously an upsetting situation, and the law is already under fire across the nation. And although we at PETA are also upset by the lack of responsibility demonstrated by this level of abandonment, we're not surprised. After all, 25,000 unwanted animals are abandoned at animal shelters in Douglas and Sarpy counties in Nebraska each year.

And think about it: The dogs and cats who end up in animal shelters are the lucky ones. There are countless others who end up abandoned on the streets—neglected, starving, and sometimes abused, with no "safe haven" at all.

This is why PETA has created a billboard that stresses the importance of taking care of all who depend on us—animals and children alike.

Dogs and cats can live for 16 years or longer—almost the same amount of time, you might note, that responsible parents spend raising a child. Bringing an animal into your home is a lifetime commitment—and as PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch says, "Children and animals deserve better than to be dumped on a doorstep when they become inconvenient."

To learn how to provide better care for your animal companions or to find out how spaying and neutering keeps dogs and cats out of animal shelters, please visit HelpingAnimals.com.

Written by Amanda Schinke

We at PETA like to say that cruelty is the secret ingredient in KFC's buckets (what, with chickens being tormented before they're killed and abused in other horrific ways). But it turns out that at one KFC, there was another secret ingredient: urine.

Yep, you read that right: Chicken was urinated on before being sold to a customer. Feeling peckish? (That's British for "hungry"—geddit?)

A Nebraska police officer and his family have won $40,000 from a KFC outlet that served them food tainted by an employee's spit and urine. The couple sued the offending company when their two sons, 4 and 7 at the time, became ill (one violently ill) after they ate the food. The younger boy vomited for hours and was hospitalized for gastroenteritis and dehydration.

The lawsuit also stated that "[e]mployees maintained 'special servings' of food reserved for ... officers. The 'special servings' had been urinated in or spit in by KFC/Taco Bell employees. In fact, defendant's employees maintained a particular serving pan for use in creating 'special servings' of food plus employee urine."

Finger licking good? I'll pass.

Do you have a great KFC gross-out story you'd like to share? Want to share your feelings about the possibility of being served a side of urine with your KFC order? Tell us! One lucky commenter will be the first person on his or her block to have 20 of the gorgeous KFC stickers pictured here! Be sure to leave your comment by July 30, 2008, and we'll let you know whether you've won by August 1, 2008. You should also be sure to read the contest terms and conditions and PETA's privacy policy before you comment—you're acknowledging that you have read and agree to both by leaving a comment.

Posted by Grace Friedan