A new study that will probably leave you grimacing in frustration finds that mice make facial expressions when they're in pain.

We certainly didn't need any more evidence that these small animals are more than test tubes with whiskers and are capable of feeling pain and suffering. And it makes me wince to think about the horrible things they did to mice to elicit expressions like squeezed eyes and bulging cheeks that indicate "key signs of pain."

For the study, mice were videotaped as they suffered after experimenters injected different noxious chemicals into their abdomens, ankles and paws, placed them on hotplates, placed their tails in hot water, put metal binder clips on the tips of their tails, and performed various surgeries on them without administering pain relief after the operations.

While, if anything, the results should bolster the argument that these sensitive, intelligent animals suffer like we do and should not be used in experiments, it appears that the self-interested authors of the study instead want to use the results to create a "pain scale" that can be used as a measuring tool for, you guessed it, more pain experiments on mice.

World Science reports that the study's authors declined its request to republish photos from the study, for fear of "the inflammatory effect such pictures might have on animal rights activists." Gee, ya think? Luckily, WIRED published the heartbreaking photos here.

I hope this story inflames you enough to write to your Congressperson and urge him or her to support an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act to extend legal protections to the 100 million mice and rats who are languishing in U.S. laboratories and who currently receive absolutely no protection under the law.

Written by Alisa Mullins

guardian.co.uk / CC

Benson, a giant carp and a celebrity of sorts in Britain, has died. Angling fanatics are blaming her death on nuts, and so are we. But we aren't talking about peanuts, cashews, or pistachios—we are blaming the hordes of unhinged humans who hurt her for "fun."

It is estimated that during Benson's lifetime, she was painfully hooked and dragged from her aquatic home more than 60 times—that's right, six-zero—so that anglers could pose for a photo and then fling her back into the water.

Isn't it logical to believe that the pain and stress that she suffered over and over …

(and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over)

… again for anglers' so-called "sport" were contributing factors in her death? Why yes, it is.

As our friends over at PETA Europe told BBC News, "If common sense isn't enough, the science is clear: Being repeatedly impaled with a hook and yanked into an environment in which fish cannot breathe, like Benson [was], undeniably causes distress [and] pain and can lead to infections. Even simply handling or netting fish can abrade their protective coating and lead to death."

I'd say that pretty much sums it up, wouldn't you?

Written by Karin Bennett

ci.arcadia.ca / CC

Oil's not the only thing they're changing at L.A. Jiffy Lubes. After learning that Ringling beats and whips animals behind the scenes (among other things), the prez of the chain's SoCal operations has promised us that the Jiffy Lubes in the greater Los Angeles area will no longer give away free Ringling tickets with the purchase of an oil change.

That's one way to stick it to those dip sticks at Ringling!

Written by Amy Elizabeth

Thanks for all of your wonderful comments on this Win It Wednesday. The winners of the dog windows are Michael Essi and Nicole Linklider. Congratulations!

How much is that doggie in the window …

… loving his view of the neighborhood?!

Regular walks are essential to a dog's physical, mental, and social well-being, but chillaxing with you in your shady yard is nice too. Now those breaks in the backyard can be a lot more entertaining for Fido, thanks to the Dog Window, which offers curious dogs a window to the world beyond the privacy fence.

Sure, you could order one today from PETA's Catalog, but wouldn't it be more fun to win one? We've got two to give away, and you can score yours by describing the perfect day, from start to finish, from your dog's perspective.

The contest ends on August 19, 2009, and we'll choose the two comments that really get tails wagging as the winners on August 21, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Written by Karin Bennett

Why not list five or ten? In honor of World Breastfeeding Week, we're doing everything in pairs. So, come take a walk down Mammary Lane as we revisit some of our most titillating pro–breast milk moments from the past couple of years:

4. "If It Was Good Enough for Jesus" billboard. Mother's milk is the best thing for every baby. 'Nuff said.


3. While we're on the subject of being Religulous, WWBMD (What would Bill Maher do) if we asked him to do a funny ad for our "Dump Dairy" campaign? Here's the answer.


2. Ben and Jerry's breast milk ice cream. We wrote to this ice cream icon asking it to ditch the dairy products and use breast milk instead. While our dream of having flavors called "Breast Milk Brittle" and "Baby Mama Milk Shake" never came to fruition, we did manage to get people thinking about how bad cow's milk is for their health.


1. "Milk Gone Wild" video. It was banned from the Super Bowl, but it lives on years later in the viral world of YouTube. This sassy spoof shows how udderly gross and wrong it is to exploit underage heifers.

Written by Amy Elizabeth

Update: The Petland store has closed, and the employee has been charged with cruelty to animals. Click here for details.

Warning: disturbing image.

This photo was taken in the back room of a Petland store in Akron, Ohio, and posted on Facebook by Elizabeth Carlisle, who can be seen grinning as she holds two dead, soaking-wet rabbits by the scruff of the neck—rabbits she just drowned while on Petland's time clock. On Carlisle's Facebook page, she confirmed a friend's guess that she had drowned these two rabbits and wrote, "[T]he manager took the pic for me. [S]he reminded me that there were people outside as [I] was swearing at them to just hurry up and die but then she was so kind as to take this picture."

These horrific deaths followed what was apparently an equally horrifying life for these rabbits. Other comments Carlisle posted made it clear that the rabbits were drowned after sustaining agonizing injuries when they were allowed to "attack and eat each other." The rabbits suffered from "deep wounds all over," "an eye missing," what Petland staff "suspected was a broken jaw," and paralysis from the waist down—injuries that would not have occurred had these animals been provided with proper care and supervision.

Undercover investigations have revealed time and time again that companies that breed and sell animals are concerned about profits, not animals' well-being. We are urging Petland to think long and hard about what this incident makes clear: The company has no business selling any animals.

To prevent future incidents like this one, please, never buy from pet stores and urge Petland at the very least to stop selling rabbits.

Click here to take action against Petland.

Written by Liz Graffeo

flickr / CC

Next! The British fashion giant Next, that is. The mega-retailer has announced that because the nefarious Australian wool industry has reneged on its promise to ban the mulesing mutilation (which involves hacking hunks of flesh off lambs' backsides) by 2010, Next will now only "source wool from outside Australia or from Australian sources which guarantee that mulesing with shears or clips has ceased."

"Next believes that the continuation of mulesing beyond the 2010 deadline previously self-imposed by the Australian sheep industry is unacceptable," the company announced in a statement. Next joins other leading retailers and designers—including Abercrombie & Fitch, Timberland, H&M, American Eagle, Liz Claiborne, Hugo Boss, Perry Ellis International, Coldwater Creek, and many more—that have pledged not to use wool from mulesed lambs.

You can help stop this unnecessary mutilation by encouraging Talbots (one retailer that has failed to take action) to follow in Next's footsteps and stop purchasing Australian wool.

Written by Alisa Mullins

… now that Russell Simmons has shown her just how cruel the fur industry is. After Russell showed Brooke the video footage from our investigation of Chinese fur farms, she had some great stuff to say.

My personal fav:

popcrunch / CC

"I'd be happy to have my five minutes with one of those animal abusers in a dark alley …"

Dude, have you seen her dad? If he didn't teach this girl how to Atomic Leg Drop some punks, I'd be surprised. Furriers best be watching their backs.

You can read the rest of her blog entry over at Global Grind.

Written by Shawna Flavell

flickr / CC

As one of PETA's resident experts put it, "I wish every Jew in the world would read this article."

'Nuff said. Read it.

Written by Joel Bartlett

Remember this?

Hot, right? Well, we have one more stellar Jenna ad to add to her ever-growing body of work with PETA. The super-sexy star just shot a new TV ad in support of our McCruelty campaign, and it will be hitting the airwaves this fall!

In the 30-second spot, Jenna says, "If you ask chickens, there's no such thing as a 'Happy Meal.' Chickens killed for McNuggets are dumped onto conveyer belts. Their fragile legs are slammed into metal shackles. … Spinning blades meant to cut their throats often tear through their wings or bodies instead. Many birds survive this terrifying, painful process, only to be scalded to death in defeathering tanks. There's a less cruel method of slaughter that renders chickens unconscious, but McDonald's chooses to allow birds to be mutilated and scalded instead."

Stay tuned!

Written by Shawna Flavell