According to a statement on its website, athletic behemoth Adidas has sworn off the skins of exotic animals—including crocodiles, snakes, sharks, and fish—joining compassionate companies such as Nike and Cole Haan, H&M, Overstock.com, and Victoria's Secret that rock the mock croc. Adidas also refuses to use fur or wool from sheep who were mulesed in any of its shoes or clothing. 
 

Like many animals used for their skin, snakes are often skinned alive, sometimes after being nailed to a tree.

 
We applaud Adidas for making great strides for so many animals, and look forward to the day when all its footwear is faux.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

  Hugs was one of the roughly 250 animals who were
surrendered by PLRS.

Even though The Hasselhoffs was canceled after just two episodes, 2010 still turned out to be a pretty great year. Thirty-three Chilean miners were rescued after being trapped underground for more than two months, and dog guardians were introduced to the amazing stuffing-free Crazy Critters™ dog toys. While impressive, I am not sure they quite measure up to 2009's Shake Weight®.

2010 was also an outstanding year for PETA. In addition to celebrating 30 years of fighting to end the suffering of animals, PETA scored a number of remarkable victories. Here are a few of them:  

1.      Professional Laboratory and Research Services (PLRS): PLRS surrendered nearly 200 dogs and more than 50 cats and shut its doors just one week after PETA released the results of its shocking undercover investigation of the laboratory and filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2.      Nike: After PETA sent Nike undercover footage detailing the gruesome suffering that the exotic-skins industry inflicts on animals, the world's leading shoe manufacturer and its upscale affiliate Cole Haan stopped selling the skins of alligators, snakes, and other animals.

3.      NASA: And who can forget the early holiday gift that PETA and our supporters received when NASA called off plans to conduct cruel radiation experiments on monkeys earlier this month? 

4.      Utah Pound Seizure: Prompted by PETA's shocking undercover investigation inside laboratories at the University of Utah, the state amended its archaic "pound seizure" law so that government-run animal shelters would no longer be forced to sell dogs and cats to laboratories for use in cruel and deadly experiments. PETA's investigation and the new law also prompted the shelter that had been selling the most animals to the university to end the shameful practice. 

5.      U.S. Global Exotics (USGE): After reviewing evidence gathered during PETA's seven-month undercover investigation of this PETCO and PetSmart supplier, Arlington (Texas) Municipal Judge Michael Smith awarded custody of the 26,000 animals rescued from the warehouse to the city of Arlington. USGE closed, the company's empty facility went up for sale, and a federal arrest warrant was issued for USGE owner Jasen Shaw, who is under investigation for smuggling, conspiracy, and aiding and abetting and is believed to be hiding in New Zealand. 

6.      ITO EN, Ltd.: After more than two years of private discussions with PETA, Japan's ITO EN, Ltd.—the world's largest green-tea manufacturer, with more than $3 billion in annual global sales—instituted a new policy against conducting animal tests. 

7.      Lufthansa: Less than a day after PETA released photos of more than 50 beagles who were transported on a Lufthansa cargo plane from the U.S. to an animal testing facility in Scotland, Lufthansa announced a new policy prohibiting the transport of dogs and cats to laboratories.

While this year was marked by some great achievements, we still need your help to make 2011 an even better year for animals. Will you support our lifesaving efforts to stop animal suffering and abuse in the new year and beyond?

Written by Frank Schippers

I don't scare easily, but these fellows gave me the shivers for a second.

Following the release of PETA Asia's undercover investigation into the exotic-skin industry, the "Grim Reapers" were out in full force in front of a Hermès store in Jakarta. The dark angels were there to draw attention to the millions of animals in Indonesia who suffer so that their skin can be stitched together to make pricey accessories for high-end retailers like Hermès.

After cringing through PETA Asia's gruesome video footage, which shows workers skinning reptiles alive and other snakes who are slowly and painfully suffocated to death, those Grim Reapers will seem more like woodland fairies.

Nike and its subsidiary, Cole Haan, have given exotic skins the boot—so have the international trendy frock shop H&M and online giant Overstock.com, thanks to PETA's efforts. Now we ask: Will you ssspeak up for snakes, lizards, and other animals by asking Hermès to follow suit?

Written by Karin Bennett

We've been saying for years that fishing kills. Remember this oldie-but-goodie tuna can sticker?

Need another reason not to eat fish sea kittens? A new survey reveals that over the past two decades, millions (yes, millions) of turtles have died after becoming ensnared in fishing gear.

Turtles are intelligent, sensitive animals who are pretty helpless to defend themselves—and we can all agree that this is a good reason not to kill them. So if you wouldn't kill a turtle, why would you kill a fish? Fish are complex, clever, and just as sensitive to pain as turtles are, yet the commercial fishing industry kills them by the billions each year—not for fun but because people buy its products.

The easiest way to save sea turtles (and dolphins and fish)? Go vegan.

Written by Logan Scherer

After reading PETA's news release announcing that footwear giant Nike has banned exotic skins, I had to pinch myself to make sure that I wasn't dreaming. I'm not, and neither are you. According to a newly revised policy, Nike and its upscale affiliate Cole Haan will stop selling skins from alligators, crocodiles, lizards, snakes, ostriches, fish, and marine mammals.

This fabulous decision was made after the footwear giants were sent PETA Asia's undercover video footage, which details the gruesome, intense suffering that the exotic-skins industry inflicts on animals. We asked Nike to "just do it." And it did!

Nike is the world's leading shoe manufacturer. Its 2009 sales topped $19 billion, and it operates in more than 160 countries, with approximately 675 Nike-owned retail stores operating worldwide. Cole Haan stores operate in Canada, Japan, and 25 U.S. states. Nike and Cole Haan are world leaders in trendy footwear, and now they've joined H&M and Overstock.com as trendsetters for animals.

After you kick up your cruelty-free heels, please take a moment to thank the companies for their compassionate decision.

Written by Karin Bennett

ussa / CC

While Nike the shoe company is named after Nike the Greek goddess of victory, unfortunately, in dogfighting, there are only losers: Even the victors end up in the grinder at the end of the day. Nike seems to have forgotten that little fact, as the company is reportedly now supplying Michael Vick with "product," although it says it has not signed a promotional contract with the disgraced former dogfighter and current NFL QB.

This begs the question posed in a letter sent by PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk to Nike President and CEO Mark Parker: Why is Nike giving free swag to a guy who admitted laughing when he tossed "family pets" into the ring and watched them get ripped to shreds by trained fighting dogs? Is this a guy you want parading around Philly displaying the Nike swoosh? Unless Nike aspires to corner the bottom-feeding dogfighting market, this plan seems designed to have the company's competitors cheering.

We hope you'll contact Nike, too, and let the company know that if it aspires to alienate anybody and everybody who's ever loved a dog—and to encourage them to change their brand away from Nike—it is sure to be, er, Vick-torious.

Written by Alisa Mullins

boston / CC

Ever since notorious dog abuser Michael Vick got out of jail and was signed by the apparently desperate Philadelphia Eagles, there has been a lot of discussion in the press and at your local humane society and sports bar about the ethics of his return to the NFL—and all the other issues that go along with it.

Now, the Washington Post (along with media outlets everywhere) is reporting that Nike might again be teaming up with Vick for product endorsements.

Today in the Post's special online NFL feature, "The League," PETA's own Dan Shannon cuts through the noise with a guest post on the subject. Dan puts it bluntly when he writes, "If Nike and other companies know what's best for the bottom line, they won't touch Michael Vick with a 10-foot pole."

Read the whole post here.

Written by Jeff Mackey

Deflocked, baby. Deflocked.

Click for a larger version

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

Following PETA protests outside Niketown stores and countless calls and emails to the company asking that they cut ties with Michael Vick in light of horrific allegations of his involvement with dogfighting rings, Nike has released the following statement:

As a result, we have called off our planned protests outside Nike stores around the country. Thanks to everyone who wrote to the company about this issue or attended the demonstrations, and thanks to Nike for doing the right thing by ending its association with someone accused of torture.

Reebok has also made the decision to stop sales of Michael Vick apparel, stating:

This is great news for anyone who is concerned about cruelty to animals, and we hope that it sends a strong message to the NFL that they need to do the same thing and suspend Michael Vick immediately, pending the outcome of this case. To send a message to the NFL asking them to get on with that, please click here.

The outcry over Michael Vick's indictment has been enormous, bringing national attention to the horrors inherent in the vicious blood sport he's accused of participating in, and inspiring countless people to speak out against cruelty to animals. Following demonstrations outside the NFL's offices in New York and Falcons HQ in Atlanta, an impassioned letter from Senator John Kerry, and a powerful speech by Senator Robert Byrd in D.C., Commissioner Goodell has finally responded and told Vick not to come to training camp while the NFL reviews his case. This is a step in the direction, but we do need to keep the pressure on the NFL right now to suspend Michael Vick from the team. Given the evidence—rape racks, treadmills, piles of dead animals—no reasonable person would doubt that illegal dogfighting and horrific cruelty to animals have taken place on Michael Vick's property, and that alone—even for those who still believe that Vick was completely oblivious to the major operation that was going on under his nose—is reason enough for Goodell to take strong disciplinary action. You can write to the NFL here.

Now we need to persuade the companies that have yet to address the glaring fact that they are still touting Michael Vick as a poster boy. PETA's letter to Nike, Vick's most prominent sponsor, is available here, and you can contact the company through the form here to ask that they immediately sever ties with Vick in light of these horrific allegations.

PETA will be keeping pressure on the NFL and Nike this week, and we'll keep working to ensure that this issue is treated with the seriousness that it deserves by anyone who continues to try and make money from an association with an alleged torturer.

We are also making certain that everyone has information about exactly what the blood sport of dogfighting means for the animals involved. This PETA PSA, starring heavyweight boxing champion Lamon Brewster has been going out to TV stations around the country all week. If there is a silver lining in this case, it is that the public is now very aware that dogfighting is an issue that needs to be addressed urgently and that strong measures need to be taken to stamp it out forever.