Written by PETA
Just call him Captain Jack Gecko. Johnny Depp, who lends his vocal talents to the upcoming animated film Rango, expresses his affection for his scaly friends in the current issue of Us Weekly:
"I've always had an affinity for lizards, and have always felt close to them and inspired by them," he said. "So when I was asked to play a lizard, I thought, 'I'm halfway there.'"
Unfortunately, even though no lizards were harmed in the making of Rango, PetSmart is shamelessly attempting to cash in on the film's reptile-friendly message by offering a $10 discount for "any reptile" to customers with Rango ticket stubs. In case you need a refresher, here's why that's a really bad idea:
Please take a moment to drop a line to PetSmart urging them to cancel this irresponsible promotion, which encourages impulse buying of these special needs animals and is sure to put them in harm's way.
Written by Alisa Mullins
You'd think that after a Connecticut woman's face was ripped off by her friend's "pet" chimpanzee—or after a toddler was strangled to death by her family's python and a 9-year-old girl was mauled to death by her stepfather's pet tiger—that lawmakers would step in and put an end to the carnage.
Well, they're about to, at least in Oregon: Starting in January, the state will no longer issue new permits for exotic animals—including big cats, nonhuman primates, crocodiles, and most bears—and existing permits will expire if the animal dies or is sold.
This is a good first step, but more needs to be done. Keeping tigers, reptiles, and bears in cages is like lighting a fuse and pretending that it won't go off. It's time for federal lawmakers to put a stop to it once and for all. Please contact our Action Team to request materials that can help you start a campaign to ban the keeping of exotic animals as "pets" in your area.
Written by Paula Moore
Here's what Jeff says about this week's masterpiece: "The strip is based on the sad measures that officials have to take in order to protect rhinos from poachers. And a little depravity thrown in for good measure."
He also let me know that, in honor of Earth Week, he sprayed this strip with 50 percent less pesticides. Which was very noble of him, I thought. Anyway, this one's a zinger—enjoy!
To check out the archives of past strips, click here.
Here’s a sneak preview of a pair of ads targeting the cruel exotic-skins trade that will be featured in the latest issue of PETA’s Animal Times magazine.
We have a ways to go before people stop abusing these amazing animals for the sake of fashion accessories, but I did get one piece of good news today on the issue—Yves St. Laurent, who are among the worst offenders when it comes to using exotic skins in their designs, now have a vegan men’s Oxford shoe. It’s just a tad out of my price range, but a great sign of things to come.
Topshop is one of Britain’s largest clothing retailers, and for a long time now, they’ve been busy doing for animal-free fashion what the Body Shop has done for cruelty-free cosmetics. Not only do they refuse to sell fur or exotic skins, but they advertise their ethical choices with pride. In 2006, they filled the window of their flagship store in London with this beautiful anti-fur display, and this week, they’ve outdone themselves. Check out their latest display, which draws attention to the cruelty inherent in the exotic-skins trade. It’s a piece of art.
A couple of weeks ago, The Daily Mail reported on the bloody reality behind the sick new trend in the fashion industry of wearing reptiles on the runway, with the headline "Pythons Skinned and Left to Die." The article describes the procedure that monsters like Naomi Campbell are trying to make popular as follows:
"Blood-stained hands untie a wriggling sack and pull out a ten-foot long python. The snake is stunned with a blow to the head from the back of a machete and a hose pipe expertly forced between its jaws. Next, the water is turned on and the reptile fills up — swelling like a balloon. … Then its head is impaled on a meat hook, a couple of quick incisions follow, and the now-loosened skin peeled off with a series of brutal tugs."
To help draw attention to this industry, the beautiful Lisa B unveiled her new ad for PETA UK today. Check it out — it really is something special.
Check out the letter PETA Asia-Pacific sent the new Miss Universe, Riyo Mori, this morning urging her to stop with the fur already.
Riyo Moric/o Miss Universe Japan Office5F Kitae Bldg.5-9-13 Jingu-mae, Shibuya-kuTokyo 150-0001Dear Ms. Mori:Many of our members have contacted us to express their shock and disappointment over your use of fur. Perhaps you are confused about what is expected of you now that you have been crowned Miss Universe. Let us help you: As an ambassador of goodwill, your job is to promote peace, not pieces of tortured animals. Animals trapped in the wild may suffer for days before dying from blood loss, infection, or attacks by predators. Some, especially mothers with babies to feed, chew off their own limbs in an attempt to escape. On fur farms, animals spend their lives pacing in tiny wire cages until they are killed by being anally electrocuted, gassed, or having their necks broken. Sometimes these methods only stun the animals, who often “wake up” while they’re being skinned. As you will see if you watch these videos, there is nothing upscale or elegant about how the original owners of the furs you flaunt met their gruesome deaths:Investigation of China’s dog and cat fur farms: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=fur_farm Exposé of the fur trade, narrated by Pamela Anderson: http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=pam_anti_furA recent investigation of fur farms in China, which is now the world’s largest fur producer, revealed that animals, including dogs and cats, are being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Cat and dog fur is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species, so it’s impossible to tell which type of animal a pelt is from. The ugly truth is, no matter whose back it was ripped off, the fur that you’re profiting from came from animals who suffered miserable lives and unimaginably cruel deaths. As Miss Universe, you are expected to be a positive role model who sets a good example. All eyes are on you. By choosing to wear fur, not only are you directly responsible for the deaths of dozens of animals, you’re also sending a clear message to everyone who sees you that animals’ lives are less important than fashion—you validate the fur industry, and you validate cruelty. Prove that your beauty is more than skin deep. Please do the decent and compassionate thing and stop wearing fur. PETA is famous for pulling out all the stops to protest celebrities who wear fur; just ask Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. Having animal rights activists protest outside events you attend will do nothing to help your image. That said, there is nothing that we would like more than to sing your praises for being a compassionate trendsetter who chooses to go faux. Many entertainers and designers, including Sir Paul and Stella McCartney, Maggie Q, Charlize Theron, and Mariah Carey, have already shunned fur. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your response so that we can inform our members of your decision.Sincerely,Jason BakerPETA Asia-Pacific
Dear Ms. Mori:
Many of our members have contacted us to express their shock and disappointment over your use of fur. Perhaps you are confused about what is expected of you now that you have been crowned Miss Universe. Let us help you: As an ambassador of goodwill, your job is to promote peace, not pieces of tortured animals.
Animals trapped in the wild may suffer for days before dying from blood loss, infection, or attacks by predators. Some, especially mothers with babies to feed, chew off their own limbs in an attempt to escape. On fur farms, animals spend their lives pacing in tiny wire cages until they are killed by being anally electrocuted, gassed, or having their necks broken. Sometimes these methods only stun the animals, who often “wake up” while they’re being skinned. As you will see if you watch these videos, there is nothing upscale or elegant about how the original owners of the furs you flaunt met their gruesome deaths:
A recent investigation of fur farms in China, which is now the world’s largest fur producer, revealed that animals, including dogs and cats, are being bludgeoned, hanged, bled to death, strangled with wire nooses, and skinned alive. Cat and dog fur is often deliberately mislabeled as fur from other species, so it’s impossible to tell which type of animal a pelt is from. The ugly truth is, no matter whose back it was ripped off, the fur that you’re profiting from came from animals who suffered miserable lives and unimaginably cruel deaths.
As Miss Universe, you are expected to be a positive role model who sets a good example. All eyes are on you. By choosing to wear fur, not only are you directly responsible for the deaths of dozens of animals, you’re also sending a clear message to everyone who sees you that animals’ lives are less important than fashion—you validate the fur industry, and you validate cruelty. Prove that your beauty is more than skin deep. Please do the decent and compassionate thing and stop wearing fur.
PETA is famous for pulling out all the stops to protest celebrities who wear fur; just ask Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé. Having animal rights activists protest outside events you attend will do nothing to help your image. That said, there is nothing that we would like more than to sing your praises for being a compassionate trendsetter who chooses to go faux. Many entertainers and designers, including Sir Paul and Stella McCartney, Maggie Q, Charlize Theron, and Mariah Carey, have already shunned fur.
Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to your response so that we can inform our members of your decision.
Sincerely,Jason BakerPETA Asia-Pacific
Last month, I talked a bit about PETA's contest asking for submissions in our first-ever "blog ad" contest, and even created my own little ad for The PETA Files, which, sadly, we will not be running on any blogs, as it was—according to my friends Joel and Allie who are in charge of these things—"egomaniacal in the extreme." But we will be running one of the submissions that we did get, and this is your chance to vote for the winner. I've posted a couple of my favorites below, and you can see the rest of the finalists here. Enjoy!
Anyone catch Bones last night? If so, you probably saw the nice plug for vegetarian eating at the end, when Temperance “Bones” Brennan (played by Emily Deschanel, a real-life vegetarian) briefly talks about the environmental effects of meat. It was a cool little surprise.
You can watch full episodes of the show here.
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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.