Written by PETA
Though 27 greyhound tracks have closed in the U.S., with Rhode Island's last two tracks closing on August 8—and while countries around the world have all shuttered their once-active tracks—a legislature in the Philippines has just introduced a bill that would allow a company to build and operate a brand-new greyhound racetrack.
If approved, this bill has the potential to doom thousands of greyhounds to miserable existences. But have no fear: PETA Asia-Pacific has teamed up with Senator Maria Ana "Jamby" Madrigal—and her fearless dog, Prasad—to urge senators in the Philippines to vote "no" on this cruel bill. Check out Senator Jamby and Prasad in action at Tuesday's press conference inside the Senate building:
Senator Madrigal has pledged her opposition to this so-called sport because greyhounds who are forced to compete are kept muzzled and confined to cramped cages when they're not training or racing. Once they have slowed down or suffered career-ending injuries, the dogs are often abandoned, killed, or sold to laboratories to be used in experiments.
Don't all greyhounds deserve a loving home like Prasad's?
Written by Liz Graffeo
The following is a guest post from peta2's Lara.
Greetings from our nation's capital! Pop quiz: What do Michelle Obama and PETA have in common? No, it's not our toned biceps. Yes, we are both anti-fur, but that's not what I'm getting at either. It's that we both have volunteered with a great organization called Miriam's Kitchen. Miriam's Kitchen is a D.C.-based nonprofit that provides free meals and support services to homeless people.
Since PETA is relatively new to the neighborhood, we wanted to pitch in and help out the community. And what better way to do that than with vegan pancakes?
Today, we had the great opportunity to prepare and serve the first vegan breakfast in Miriam's Kitchen history.
On the menu:
At first, the vegan breakfast was met with some skepticism, but afterwards, the empty plates spoke for themselves. Here are some reviews from some of the people I spoke with:
"It's actually good!""I wish they had soy milk every day. I am allergic to cow's milk, and it tastes better.""They're trying to makes us healthy up in here!"
Indeed we are.
Written by Lara Sanders
Mike White's dog looks like a pig—and for that, we're grateful. It was Mike's unique-looking canine companion who first inspired him to try a vegan diet—and now the creative mastermind behind such quirky comedies as Year of the Dog, School of Rock, Nacho Libre, and The Good Girl has stepped in front of the camera to star in a brand-new veggie testimonial for PETA.
"You know I have a dog who looks like a pig," Mike explains in the PSA, "and I would look at him and I'd think, 'You know, I cannot eat pig anymore.'"
It's true—there are so many reasons not to eat pigs. One of them is that they are even smarter than dogs.
Mike also sat down for an exclusive behind-the-scenes interview, in which he told us of yet another great reason to go vegan—for your health!
Let's see: Saving animals' lives and drastically improving your health. If you're wondering where you can sign up for such amazing rewards, look no further.
Written by Amanda Schinke
And that would be Australian Wool Innovation (AWI), which is (surprise, surprise) reneging on its promise to end mulesing by 2010.
AWI will have had six years to stop a horrific practice that no other country engages in. New Zealand stopped the mulesing mutilation years ago. If AWI does not meet the 2010 deadline, retailers around the world will take action by sourcing wool elsewhere.
AWI has only itself to blame for losing the world market by trying to delay the inevitable. Of course we were spot-on: AWI has chosen not to live up to its word and is still stuck in the 1930s. Australian wool is no longer the standard—it is now a symbol of the way greedy people have behaved by treating thinking, feeling animals as if they were inanimate commodities.
Despite the fact that leading retailers across Europe and North America are refusing to purchase wool from mulesed lambs, the Australian wool industry's most recent ludicrous scheme is to adopt an equally cruel and painful procedure called "clip mulesing," in which clips are attached to the folded skin on lambs' backsides, causing the skin to rot and fall off. Clips are not an alternative to the mulesing mutilation; they are simply a less bloody form of it. We are pleased, however, to see that the wool industry has finally responded to the complaints of dozens of retailers around the world who want to buy only wool from sheep who were not mulesed (not even with clips) and who have asked that wool from clip-mulesed sheep be identified on a mulesing declaration form.
As the Australian Weekly Times wrote, "For an organisation that purports to be a research and marketing body, the decision by Australian Wool Innovation to abandon the mulesing deadline is reckless, unwanted and unhelpful." This shows that your voices—and those of retailers who are demanding that Australia join the 21st century and stop mutilating lambs—are being heard in Australia.
Please help PETA continue to pressure the Australian government to do the right thing by taking a few short moments to write to Australia's prime minister, Kevin Rudd, to demand that mulesing be outlawed now. And, if you still wear animals even when so many wonderful alternatives exist, ask yourself why.
Written by Tracy Reiman
My most beloved game show host—no, not that one—Bob Barker has once again stepped up to the mic to speak up for animals.
Yesterday, Bob met with Principal Chief Michell Hicks and members of the Tribal Council for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians to plead for compassion for captive bears in Cherokee, North Carolina, who languish in desolate concrete pits and cages in roadside zoos. After Bob saw firsthand the deplorable conditions at one of these tourist traps (he was denied entry to the other two), he urged Principal Chief Hicks to release the miserable bears to a sanctuary in California.
Although no promises were made at yesterday's meeting, PETA won't rest until the black bears are retired to sanctuaries. After all, according to Cherokee legend, black bears are the keepers of dreams. No doubt all of these imprisoned bears are dreaming of their own freedom.
Written by Karin Bennett
Y'all know how we feel about killing animals for "trauma training" by now, right? (Hint: It sucks—to put it mildly.)
Well, after learning that live pigs are reportedly being shot and stabbed in a California avocado grove owned by police officer David Bishop—all as part of trauma training exercises conducted by Washington-based Deployment Medicine International (DMI)—we were outraged. Not only is it unnecessary to mutilate and kill pigs—or any other animals—for trauma training, but to do so in an avocado grove may be illegal.
That's because Bishop's land isn't zoned for trauma or medical training exercises under the County of San Diego's zoning ordinances. Since San Diego County allows the director of its Department of Planning and Land Use to penalize zoning violators, we've fired off a letter to the current director, Eric Gibson, asking him to investigate Bishop and DMI for illegal activity.
Stabbing and shooting pigs to train medical personnel how to treat human injuries is positively medieval. With all the non-animal methods that are readily available, there are better models of human anatomy and physiology than pigs. Don't animals—and trauma victims—deserve better?
Written by Jeff Mackey
Last summer, my friends and I screamed bloody murder on the hair-raising Cyclone at Coney Island. But it was later that my stomach really turned when I learned about the electrocution of Topsy the abused circus elephant at Coney Island back in 1903. Her public execution was punishment for killing three men (including a sadistic trainer who tried to feed her a lit cigarette).
Elephant abuse has returned to Coney Island, thanks to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. But unlike the very public atrocity of Topsy's death, Ringling tries to keep its trainers' actions under wraps.
Luckily, we have an easy way for you to expose Ringling's abuse of animals. It's our "The Cruelest Show on Earth" tee! Super-soft and stylish, it's sure to get all your friends talking. Not only that, but we are giving three of them away for this week's "Win It" Wednesday.
How do you win? Over the years, many exploited elephants have fought back against their abusers. As I read through the list of incidents involving elephants, John Lennon's "Instant Karma" kicks in my imaginary soundtrack.
So, which song title do you think best represents the suffering (or revenge!) of elephants who are beaten and humiliated in circuses? Tell us in the comments section below—the three most descriptive entries will win PETA's carnie-inspired anti-circus T-shirt.
The contest ends on August 12, 2009, and we'll choose three comments as the winners on August 14, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!
Does the Michelin tire company promote obesity? I'm starting to think so. Consider the Michelin Man: He's a friendly fellow, but, oh, those unsightly rolls! The tire giant also owns Detroit's iconic roadside landmark, the Giant Tire—a possible shout-out to the dreaded spare tire?
We'll soon find out if there's any truth to my theory. PETA has written to Michelin North America's president and chair Dick Wilkerson and offered to put an anti-obesity ad on the Giant Tire. Our "Lose the Spare Tire: Go Veg!" ad would encourage Detroit residents to adopt a healthy, slenderizing, animal-free diet and just might help offset some of life's maintenance costs (i.e., medical bills).
Stay tuned to find out if we receive a fabulous "thumbs up" for our proposal—or a "flabulous" refusal suggesting that the company doesn't care.
During the World Swimming Championships in Rome on Sunday, Olympic gold medalist Ricky Berens turned up the heat when he dove off the starting block, ripped the back of his swimsuit, and gave the audience quite a show. Despite this em-bare-assing wardrobe malfunction, Berens kept right on swimming.
Now that we've gotten a sneak peak, it's pretty obvious to us where that butt belongs: starring in one of our iconic "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" ads. So, while Ricky (and his bum) have the spotlight, we've asked him to consider joining others like Steve-O and fellow Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard, who have gotten naked to help the animals who are skinned alive for fashion.
I have a feeling that Ricky is going to like the idea of adding "champion for animals" to his growing list of accomplishments, but feel free to leave a comment and let him know you want to see that booty in full glory. If he agrees, we'll be sure to post pictures for all you ladies.
Two things we like about Disney's new movie, G-Force: The guinea pigs aren't real (they're computer-generated), and they totally kick butt.
But here's something we don't like: Kids who see the movie are no doubt going to beg Mom and Dad to buy them a guinea pig, pleading their case with the usual promises ("I'll take out the trash and clean up my room." "I'll stop telling my brother he is adopted." Etc.)
Since we all know these promises are as empty as a box of Teddy Grahams 30 seconds into a PETA volunteer work party: Parents, don't fall for it. Guinea pigs are not, I repeat not suitable "starter pets" for kids. They are noisy, are messy, have sensitive digestive systems, and are extremely fragile—a fall from a couch can break a guinea pig's back and paralyze him or her. They may be small, but guinea pigs require huge amounts of time, money, and care—including daily cage cleanings, regular nail trimming and grooming, annual veterinary exams, high-quality food, fresh fruits and vegetables, vitamin C to prevent scurvy, as well as daily exercise and attention.
So, Mom and Dad, repeat after me: "What happens in a Disney movie stays in a Disney movie." You wouldn't bring Hannah Montana home, so please don't bring Suarez, Darwin, and Blaster home either.
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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