Did you know that in Ukraine, a dog or cat found wandering the streets can be shot on sight or poisoned and left to suffer? Their bodies are tossed into a cremation truck and burned, and some are reportedly burned while alive. It is estimated that in the city of Kiev alone, 20,000 dogs have already been killed in these cruel ways.

Ukrainian authorities are trying to "cleanse" the country of homeless animals before it hosts the European Football Championship in 2012. At a preliminary match between Germany and Ukraine in Kiev last weekend, members of PETA Germany and the Kiev Society for the Protection of Animals protested, calling on Ukrainian authorities to stop the cruel killings and asking the Union of European Football Associations to get involved.

Many German soccer (known as "football" in other parts of the world) players have now joined PETA Germany in publicly criticizing Ukrainian authorities for the torture of these dogs and demanding that the city use humane methods to manage the homeless animal crisis. The only solution to animal overpopulation is a spay-and-neuter initiative, but in the meantime, the city's unwanted animals at least deserve a peaceful, painless end to their lives.

Please contact the Ukrainian Embassy and politely urge officials to stop these cruel killings immediately. Click here for the e-mail address for your state, or if your state is not listed, you can call 202-333-0606.

Written by Michelle Sherrow

Update: Yvonne has come out of the woods and "turned herself in". She "apparently got tired of the loneliness" and hopped a fence to a farm where she grazed for awhile, and she is settling in at the Gut Aiderbichl animal sanctuary. Yvonne's son, who had been thought dead, was located by the sanctuary, and mother and son have been reunited in their new home.  

It may sound like the storyline of a Disney movie, but a cow in Germany has been successfully hiding out in the woods for nearly four months after running away from a Bavarian farm, where she was being fattened for slaughter.

As Yvonne the cow eludes search teams, including the police, rescuers from an animal sanctuary, and even a helicopter equipped with a thermal camera, her escape and the subsequent search for her have generated an international media frenzy. There is even a hit song about Yvonne playing on German radio, telling her, "Don't let them take your freedom."

Authorities had previously ordered that Yvonne be shot on sight after she jumped in front of a police car, but the order was rescinded after animal rights advocates rallied to her defense, setting up Facebook pages devoted to saving her, and Germany's largest newspaper put up a reward for anyone who helped find her. If Yvonne is ever caught, she will spend the rest of her days at the Gut Aiderbichl Animal Sanctuary with her sister Waltraud and a calf named Waldi, who came from the same farm that Yvonne ran away from.

PETA Germany has talked to numerous reporters about Yvonne and has been quick to point out that she is no different from any other brainy bovine. Like Yvonne, all cows value their lives and do not want to suffer and die.

The average vegan saves 100 lives every year. To start saving cows like Yvonne yourself, order one of PETA's free vegetarian/vegan starter kits.

 
Written by Michelle Sherrow

PETA Germany, whose pleas to zoo officials to move Knut to a less stressful environment were ignored, has asked for a tribute to the tormented bear.  

PETA Germany wants to place this memorial plaque near the Brandenburg Gate. It reads, "Zoo: Not a single day in freedom, a life without dignity. Forgive us, Knut." 

Don't let the appeal of a specific animal blind you to the bleak lives they lead. If you care about animals, don't buy a ticket to any zoo.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Dozens of animals were rescued from a ramshackle farm in Arnsberg-Hüsten, Germany, after a whistleblower alerted PETA Germany that the animals were being kept in filthy, dilapidated sheds or were enclosed in broken wire fences—exposed to the elements, predators, and the beer-bottle-littered ground.

Upon investigation, staffers found 59 chickens, 34 rabbits, 25 ducks, and six geese, as well as the skins and heads of two dead rabbits and the carcasses of three dead and decaying animals, which were being eaten by rats. The whistleblower stated that the owner of the farm slaughtered animals and sold them to his neighbors.

PETA Germany staffers shot video footage, which they used to file a complaint with authorities, who ordered the farmer to surrender most of the animals. The church that owned the property also ordered the man out, and the city bulldozed the shacks. The man subsequently surrendered the rest of the animals, who were taken by PETA Germany and two other rescue groups and placed in sanctuaries. Not a bad weekend's work, PETA Germany!

Written by Michelle Sherrow

cyanocorax/cc by 2.0

German company Lohmann Tierzucht (LTZ)—the parent company of Aviagen Turkeys, Inc.—is facing cruelty-to-animals charges as a result of evidence gathered by PETA Germany. Authorities have issued warrants for alleged violations of Germany's Animal Welfare Act (including amputating the toes and crests of millions of chickens in order to distinguish their breeds and sexes). Convictions could bring sentences of up to three years of imprisonment plus fines.

You'll remember that PETA's 2008 undercover investigation of Aviagen documented that workers were breaking turkeys' necks, stomping on their heads, and shoving feces and feed into turkeys' mouths. Three former Aviagen workers were indicted on cruelty-to-animals charges—the first-ever felony indictments for cruelty to farmed birds by factory farm workers in the U.S. All three men were convicted and sentenced; one was sent to jail and all were barred from owning or working with any animals for five years.

The moral of this story: If you abuse farmed animals anywhere on the globe, sooner or later you're going to get caught.  

Written by Paula Moore

This is a first: An investigation by a PETA affiliate has actually brought down a government official! The Lower Saxony minister of agriculture, Astrid Grotelüschen, has resigned after a PETA Germany investigation revealed filthy, abusive conditions on poultry farms in Mecklenburg–West Pomerania —farms that are in a business relationship with Grotelüschen's husband.

PETA Germany investigators observed that thousands of chickens and turkeys were crammed into feces-filled sheds, forced to breathe the putrid stench of excrement day in and day out. They saw birds with gaping wounds and other painful injuries. One bird was lying on his back with his legs flailing around, dying slowly and in agony. Outside the shed, there were three trash cans full of young birds who had perished in the abysmal conditions at the farm.

As agriculture minister, Grotelüschen was supposed to set the animal welfare standards for the region, yet this "fox" couldn't even be relied upon to guard the "henhouse" that was virtually in her own backyard. Citing this egregious conflict of interest, PETA Germany called for Grotelüschen to resign, and, surprisingly, she had the good grace to do so.

PETA Germany is now calling on the government to stop subsidizing intensive poultry farming, citing the cruel conditions that are standard industry practice.

Written by Alisa Mullins

Last Friday, activists around the world came out in droves to speak out for animals who are killed for their skins. In our home base of Norfolk, Virginia, more than 40 PETA staffers and supporters—including three gorgeous painted ladies—took a stand outside a local mall.

Dozens of Washington, D.C., activists held four protests in six hours, and everything went off without a hitch!

Passersby in Ottawa gasped in horror upon seeing the "after" shots of skinned animals.

The walking dead took to the streets in Germany.

Our friends AnimaNaturalis dripped with fake blood in Mexico City.

And from International Anti-Fur Coalition, a record-breaking 500 activists mobilized in Israel.

Keep on speaking up for animals who live and die in misery for the fur trade. Share the pledge to be fur-free with everyone you know!

Written by Jennifer O'Connor

Tokio Hotel has no reservations about speaking out against animal abuse in circuses. Just check out PETA Germany's edgy new "Stop Circus Cruelty" ad featuring Bill and Tom Kaulitz, the talented vegetarian twins behind this überpopular German rock band:

Ah, what wunderbar boys! That's German for "wonderful." Now here's the part where you can do something wunderbar for elephants who are beaten with metal-tipped bullhooks and tigers who are forced to tremble before trainers with whips. Please watch and share our undercover Ringling investigation and then take action to help ailing elephants.  

Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth

We've always known that PETA Germany's staff members are dogged in their efforts to help animals, but who knew that they were such publicity hounds? Apparently, our recent blog post about the PETA India staff got them thinking that they should strut their stuff, and you know what? We couldn't agree more. So, ladies and gentlemen, here are the tireless, crazy-cool peeps of PETA Germany.

We can only imagine what the folks at PETA U.K. will be submitting for their PETA Files profile. Stay tuned to find out.

Written by Karin Bennett

Paul, the octopus who correctly "predicted" the outcome of seven World Cup matches and the final, has been found dead in his tank in a German aquarium. PETA Germany has appealed to aquarium officials not to subject another intelligent and fascinating octopus to a life of confinement to a tank.

In the sea where they belong, these willowy, winsome creatures form relationships with other octopuses and communicate through color change and their skin texture. They are curious and like to decorate their homes with trinkets such as bottle caps and shells ("an octopus's garden"). They are gentle and shy and try to avoid human contact.

Please learn to appreciate and respect these fascinating and sensitive animals instead of crisp-frying their tentacles and making sauce out of the ink that they use as a natural defense. To honor Paul, order a free vegetarian/vegan starter kit today for yourself or a friend. And here's a fabulous faux-fish dish to get you started.

Written by Jennifer O'Connor