Written by PETA
Kudos to Kevin Costner. Haunted by images of the animals who were covered in oil after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill, Kevin has been funding a team of scientists for the past 15 years to develop a device that can help clean up oil spills by separating oil from ocean water. BP tested six of these machines last month in the Gulf of Mexico. Apparently the company was impressed by the machines' nearly 100 percent success rate at separating oil from water, because it has just ordered 32 more. Our hats are off to Kevin for his compassion and generosity. We hope that his machines will save many animals by preventing more oil from reaching the shore.
Written by Lindsay Pollard-Post
The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster for both human and nonhuman residents, but there may prove to be a silver lining. With the government's recent announcement that fishing is banned in 19 percent of the Gulf, there's no time like the present for Johnson Sea Products to convert its crab and oyster-processing facility to a faux-seafood packaging facility.
Johnson Sea Products could protect itself from shutdowns because of oil spills, red tides, and overfishing, and the switch would help the company tap into the rapidly growing market for vegan food. To sweeten salt up the deal, we're even offering to cater a delicious faux-seafood meal for the employees so that they can see how great it is (and it'll give the out-of-work employees a free meal too).
No need to wait Johnson Sea Products' response. You can protect millions of turtles, dolphins, and other aquatic animals from being killed as "bycatch" by commercial fishers by going vegan.
Written by Jeff Mackey
OK, so the weekend's almost here, but if you need a little something to get you through the workday, jump on over to Facebook to check out our new game, Shivering Kittens.
Don't let the sad-sounding name throw you. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to rescue the chilly kitties from a frigid fate—and invite your friends to join in. As a bonus, they'll learn a bit about how to help protect cats here in the real world. Gameplay is simplicity itself (think Tetris with a twist), and the grateful felines will even give you a thankful "meow" when you help them out of their predicament. Who knows? Trying to beat my high score of 134 saved kittens could even inspire you to spend the rest of your weekend—or your life—being a champion for animals!
Victoria's Secret is cleaning out the skeletons in its closet catalogue. Thanks to a new policy by parent company Limited Brands, Victoria's Secret and lingerie line La Senza will no longer sell exotic animal skins.
PETA's undercover video footage has detailed the cold-blooded suffering that's caused by the international exotic-skins trade, so it's no longer any secret that snakes, crocodiles, lizards, kangaroos, and other animals are cruelly killed for their skins.
All that pain for a python purse or a croc clutch? Get real! I'll stick with fashion accessories that have a killer look but don't kill. And you can too: Pledge to shed any exotic skins in your own closet today!
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
By now, we all know what a sea kitten is—or do we?
If you're baffled by the term, you must be a new PETA Files reader (welcome!). PETA's been campaigning for sea kittens for years, but there are still some people who look at us glassy-eyed when we mention these adorable animals, which is why we are asking Merriam-Webster to add an entry for "sea kitten" to its popular dictionaries. That way, anyone who hears the term "sea kittens" will know that they are smart, social, and sensitive animals who deserve our respect and compassion—instead of being hooked, netted, and suffocated.
While we're waiting to see if "sea kitten" makes the cut for the latest editions of the dictionary, you can help make people aware of sea kittens and how to help them with one of our fab "Eat No Sea Kitten" T-shirts!
Speaking of interruptions, check out this footage from last night, when a PETA member took the podium during a speech by McDonald's bigwig Mary Dillon at a Marquette University alumni event to give attendees an earful about the company's cruelty to chickens:
The audience was packed with CEOs and top executives from lots of big corporations. PETA's newest campaign strategy includes attending McDonald's executives' speaking engagements and holding them accountable in front of their colleagues and competitors for remaining in the Dark Ages when it comes to animal welfare. Even though a less cruel method of chicken slaughter is already in use in Europe and has been approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, McDonald's still allows its suppliers to break chickens' wings and legs, cut their throats while they are conscious, and scald them to death in defeathering tanks using the outdated method.
All McDonald's needs to do to stop animal defenders from being a pain in its neck is to get its suppliers to quit cutting chickens' throats open and insist that they adopt controlled-atmosphere killing.
Oh, Canada … today we sing the praises of Marystown, Newfoundland, which recently put out a stop sign for cruel animal acts by joining dozens of other cities and banning acts that use exotic animals.
Marystown reportedly banned the use of animals for human entertainment because its residents fear that animals in circuses are being mistreated. It sounds like someone on the City Council got ahold of PETA's recent undercover investigation, which documented that Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus handlers whipped tigers and hit elephants over and over with bullhooks.
Forward-thinking Marystown Mayor Sam Synard even acknowledged that forcing animals into artificial environments causes them "irreparable harm." To thank Mayor Synard, we sent him a letter today (and I'm sure the elephants and tigers would have signed it, too, if they had opposable thumbs).
If you haven't seen the spectacular Cirque du Soleil or any of the other amazing animal-free circuses, what in the world are you waiting for?
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
It's Cinco de Mayo, and these spicy señoritas—dressed in sizzling chili-pepper bikinis—have certainly grabbed my attention:
Our campaigners have been on the road handing out chili-shaped vegan chocolates across the country, along with plenty of information about why eating meat, eggs, and dairy products just isn't, well, hot.
In particular, the lovely ladies are making the point that adopting a vegan diet can lead to a phenomenal physique and generate plenty of heat in the bedroom. You see, guys, cholesterol and animal fat slow the flow of blood to all the body's vital organs—not just to the heart. So hold the mayo (and meat and cheese) this Cinco de Mayo, and put a little zing in your love life tonight.
Canada has a lot to answer for. Twenty years of Celine Dion albums, for one thing. Howie Mandel. Poutine.
OK, those things are just a matter of taste, but then there's the annual seal slaughter. During the commercial slaughter—the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth—tens of thousands of seals have their heads bashed in or are shot for their fur. Vile!
So PETA is launching the latest volley in the seal wars: a graphic video showing tourists exactly why they should "explore elsewhere":
We will debut the spot in Winnipeg outside Rendez-vous Canada, an annual event that hosts international buyers and travel trade media, and will be airing it around the world in cities in which Canada markets itself most heavily to tourists. Our commercial is in stark contrast to the cuddly seal who is shown playfully jumping on top of a tourist's kayak in an ad run by the Canadian Tourism Commission, and it should encourage the public to choose other vacation destinations until the seal slaughter stops.
You can help us get the word out by showing the video to all your friends. Then leave a comment telling us where you'll be vacationing this year—besides Canada.
Written by Paula Moore
What's up, Doc(tor Pepper)? This wascally wabbit bottle-opener, that's what!
If any of you out there share your home with bunnies, you know how much mischief their incisors can get them into. But here's one bunny whose chomping powers will impress all your friends. The Bottle Bunny bottle-opener makes quick work of everything from Wild Hare Pale Ale to Jones Chocolate Bunny Soda—and it looks nose-wrigglingly cute doing it.
Obviously, you must possess one, but how do you get it? Post a comment below telling us your favorite imaginary soda flavor. The person who dreams up the most creative flavor hops away with a Bottle Bunny of his or her very own.
The contest ends on May 19, 2010, and we'll select a winner on May 21, 2010. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.
What are you waiting for? Hop to it!
Written by Alisa Mullins
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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