Written by PETA
If you can, pick up a copy of this week's New Yorker. There's a review of Jonathan Safran Foer's new book, Eating Animals, along with a photograph of a very powerful painting by artist Sue Coe—the same painting that Coe gave to PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. Ingrid is not ashamed to say that she burst into tears the first time she saw the painting, and she often talks about how powerfully it reminds people of the truth and horror of the slaughter business so casually supported by the majority of people.
The painting is very Coe-esque—dark, haunting, and surreal. It looks like a nightmare put on canvas, and in fact, it is—a real-life nightmare. When Sue Coe was growing up, she lived next door to a hog factory farm and a block away from a slaughterhouse. In an essay she wrote for Ingrid's book, One Can Make a Difference, Coe describes the events that inspired the painting:
One day, a small pig escaped the slaughterhouse, and she ran in and out of the traffic, desperate to get away. Men in white aprons, covered in blood, ran after her. Small groups of people congregated to watch, and they started to laugh and point. I asked my mother why this was so funny, and she said it was not funny, the pig was going to be caught and killed. . . . When it came time to slaughter the pigs, which happened every six months or so, there would be a terrible noise at night. They'd whip the pigs to get them into the truck, and they would go down the road to the slaughterhouse. . . . When I was about ten years old, I went with my friend to the door of the slaughterhouse and demanded to be showed around, as I wanted to know what was happening. The workers in the slaughterhouse … showed us everything that happens in the process of slaughter. The vision of the escaped pig couldn't be ignored; she became louder and louder in my mind …. This experience as a child sent me on my lifetime's mission that was to be an artist, and to reveal what was being concealed. To get into places that have closed doors, and to give art the potential of changing the world, not just reflecting it.
One day, a small pig escaped the slaughterhouse, and she ran in and out of the traffic, desperate to get away. Men in white aprons, covered in blood, ran after her. Small groups of people congregated to watch, and they started to laugh and point. I asked my mother why this was so funny, and she said it was not funny, the pig was going to be caught and killed. . . .
When it came time to slaughter the pigs, which happened every six months or so, there would be a terrible noise at night. They'd whip the pigs to get them into the truck, and they would go down the road to the slaughterhouse. . . .
When I was about ten years old, I went with my friend to the door of the slaughterhouse and demanded to be showed around, as I wanted to know what was happening. The workers in the slaughterhouse … showed us everything that happens in the process of slaughter. The vision of the escaped pig couldn't be ignored; she became louder and louder in my mind ….
This experience as a child sent me on my lifetime's mission that was to be an artist, and to reveal what was being concealed. To get into places that have closed doors, and to give art the potential of changing the world, not just reflecting it.
Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words. This one is. Even though we aren't all gifted artists like Sue Coe or talented writers like Jonathan Safran Foer, there is still plenty that we can do to give animals a voice.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Who needs a spa treatment when you can rejuvenate your soul by nuzzling 800-pound piggies at an animal sanctuary?
Well, a group of us kids from PETA and the PETA Foundation were lucky enough to do just that over the weekend. An hour north of D.C. lies a spectacular oasis called Poplar Spring Animal Sanctuary. It consists of 400 acres devoted entirely to the rehabilitation of abused and/or neglected animals. This past Sunday, Poplar Spring hosted its annual Open House and Fundraiser. I don't think anyone could turn down yummy vegan nosh and cuddle time with the cuties pictured below, do you?
This is Bobby and yours truly. Before coming to the sanctuary, he and his friend Harry had lived their entire lives in cages and were used in insulin experiments. When they arrived at Poplar Spring, both of them were white as snow because they had never seen a single ray of sunshine. The first thing they did when they arrived at Poplar? They dove into a mud pool and stared up in amazement at the trees and stars. What a lucky guy, and such a looker too!
I'm telling you, folks, I highly recommend finding your nearest animal sanctuary and visiting. Or better yet, volunteer! With Thanksgiving coming up, most farm sanctuaries have special Thanksgiving celebrations that honor their turkeys. If my picture doesn't convince you, maybe these will.
Written by Missy Lane
When I was in elementary school, I had a friend named Katie. We slept over at each other's houses, hung out during recess, and wore the same clothes, pretending to be twins. I was so ready to give her the other half of my best-friend necklace—but then I heard her talking smack about me in the lunch room. Backstabber.
The CEO of Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, is a lot like Katie. While the aquarium's mission is supposedly "to instill a sense of wonder, respect, and stewardship for the Pacific Ocean, its inhabitants, and ecosystems," CEO Dr. Jerry Schubel has just launched a new program called "Seafood for the Future"—which encourages people to eat specific kinds of fish in order to qualify for a free ticket to the aquarium.
If Dr. Schubel really knew what was best for fish, he'd know that eating them isn't an option. Fish communicate and develop relationships with one another. They experience fear, show affection by gently rubbing against other fish, and even grieve when their companions die. When they are dragged from the ocean's depths, they undergo excruciating decompression, which often causes their internal organs to rupture.
Encouraging aquarium visitors to eat fish seems a little bit like serving poodle burgers at a dog show. Wouldn't you think the best way for visitors to safeguard and respect the ocean's sea life is to adopt a vegan diet? We've fired off a letter to Dr. Schubel asking him to cancel this program immediately.
Is it obvious yet that aquariums really don't care about the animals they're supposedly protecting?
Written by Liz Graffeo
Dear Guys,
Wearing Axe's new leather-inspired "Instinct" fragrance will not get you mobbed by a horde of horny honeys swooning over the smell of cow hides.
There's nothing sexy about smelling like or sporting rotten animal skins. (And yes, we have sexpert Pamela Anderson backing us up here.)
To prove that point, PETA is creating a much more realistic, slaughterhouse-inspired leather scent:
Believe us, if you show up for a date wearing "Instinct," leather, or even our own "Eau D' Abattoir," our first instinct will be to slam the door in your face.
Our advice? Pleather yourself, pronto.
Love,
The girls from PETA
In 2002, the 1986 Kentucky Derby champ, Ferdinand, was slaughtered after his breeding days in Japan were done.
Fast-forward to 2009: Two more horses, Charismatic and War Emblem—Kentucky Derby champs from 1999 and 2002 respectively—may also face slaughter as their usefulness to breeders comes to an end.
After breaking his leg in the 1999 Belmont, Charismatic was sold to breeders in Japan. His value as a breeding stallion has dropped dramatically (to approximately US$5,000), and he has been moved to the lowest-ranking of breeding farms.
Just a few years ago, horse-racing fans cheered as Charismatic and War Emblem ran away with top prizes at the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes. Now, PETA's most recent undercover investigation shows what could be in store for these once-celebrated stallions and thousands of other horses sold into the Japanese thoroughbred industry.
Each year in Japan, more than 20,000 horses, including many horses once used for racing, are slaughtered for dog and human food. This video shows the slaughter of a young thoroughbred. As stated in the New York Times, "The video is disturbing. It shows in graphic terms what happens to the unfortunate thoroughbreds who become spare parts in a contracting industry."
You can blame the U.S. horse-racing industry for the carnage. It routinely breeds tens of thousands of "surplus" thoroughbreds every year, then sells thousands of them to breeding facilities in Japan. More than 2,000 U.S. thoroughbred horses and breeding mares have been shipped to Japan since Ferdinand was slaughtered in 2002.
Just last year, Americans watched in horror as racing filly Eight Belles suffered fractures to both her front ankles and was euthanized just moments after running the Kentucky Derby. How can anyone not be disgusted by the shuffling of thousands of horses off to Japan and into slaughterhouses?
Join us in defending former Derby and Preakness champs Charismatic and War Emblem—and thousands of other thoroughbreds. Demand limits on breeding and a ban on the export of horses to Japan.
Written by Karin Bennett
Here's the deal: A Buffalo man is all upset that two Brooklyn entrepreneurs plan to put a slaughterhouse in the back of the building in which his Subway franchise sits. He says that the odors creeping in from the slaughterhouse would scare away his customers. We see it a bit differently.
We're the last ones who want to hide slaughterhouses where nobody will have to think about—or actually see and hear—the animals they're blithely eating, so we've written to Buffalo to say that PETA supports the creation of this slaughterhouse, with just a couple of modifications: Erect a glass wall to allow the public to see the terrified animals who are being slaughtered, install a sound system to broadcast the animals' screams, and open the facility to school and other tours with an elevated walkway running right through it.
I suspect that this could hurt business at a lot of restaurants in the Greater Buffalo area. But buck up, Subway man. What you lose in meatball and cheesesteak sub sales, you gain on the Veggie Delite sandwiches and perhaps by adding a Gardein "chicken" sub or other super-delish vegetarian alternatives!
Written by Jeff Mackey
When you saw Kia's new commercial, "A New Way to Roll," a few questions probably popped into your head: How did they train these hamsters? How long did they make them run on those wheels? Do hamsters even like soul music?
Well, have no fear: The hamsters in this commercial are computer-generated—no vigorous training or particular taste in music necessary! That means that when this commercial comes on and the Soul car rolls in, you can rock out with the hamsters to the funky beat guilt-free. We love this ad so much that we've decided to give Kia Motors America—and its creative ad agency David&Goliath—PETA's GOODY Award. By creating an ad that takes advantage of animated animals instead of dragging real ones into the process, Kia and David&Goliath have set a progressive example for other companies to follow.
Please comment below if you've recently seen an ad that depicts animals in a positive or negative way. We'll consider it for our GOODY Award or BADDY Award (for ads that stink) faster than you can say, "CGI rules!"
During Sunday night's episode of Celebrity Apprentice, I nearly fell off my couch when I heard Herschel Walker say that he didn't eat meat. But then it clicked … of course he's a vegetarian. Find an attractive, fit person in any room and it's a good assumption that he or she might be vegetarian. One peek in Trump's celebrity boardroom and I think we could all agree that Herschel Walker fits the bill. This Heisman trophy–winning football star is in great shape (and he even has Joan Rivers trying to set him up with her daughter).
With PETA faves Khloe Kardashian and Dennis Rodman already out the door, I was hoping that this vegetarian football hero would last until the end, but Herschel got the boot this week, with Trump professing his love, "I love you. I love you, Herschel. I love you. I'm not a gay man, but I love you. And you're fired."
Now that he's got free time on his hands, we're hoping we can ask Herschel for a vegetarian testimonial!
Written by Christine Doré
Last week, a former employee of a Pilgrim's Pride slaughterhouse in Alabama took his work home with him and went on a killing spree (you know, the kind involving humans—the kind that there are actually laws against). Is it so shocking that someone who kills for a living would be violent off-duty, as well? Statistics show that counties with slaughterhouses have higher violent-crime rates than other counties, which is why we sent a letter to Gov. Bob Riley of Alabama asking him to require that slaughterhouse workers receive empathy training and that cameras be installed in slaughterhouses.
Maybe it's just me, but it seems obvious that slaughterhouses would be linked to violent behavior. Pilgrim's Pride is infamous for employing cruel workers, some of whom were videotaped stomping on chickens' heads, ripping off their beaks, and slamming them against walls in an undercover PETA investigation. We hope that Gov. Riley will take our advice to help prevent future killings—of both humans and nonhumans.
Written by Lianne Turner
Did anyone catch the America’s Next Top Model last night, where the models wrapped themselves in meat and paraded around a slaughterhouse? I honestly don’t know what to say about this, except, like, please don’t do that anymore, ANTM. You’re going to alienate a lot of viewers who care about animals.
Fortunately, we have a Communications Department for these sorts of occasions, and (thankfully) they’re way more articulate than I am. So here’s PETA’s official response to the ill-conceived show for those who have been writing in about it:
No matter how beautifully it is presented, flesh from a tortured animal is flesh from a tortured animal. Meat represents bloody violence and suffering, so if that’s the look they were going for—they achieved it. Instead of swathing models in meat, we wish they had followed in the footsteps of PETA pinups Pamela Anderson and Alyssa Milano who show off their “natural beauty” in outfits made of lettuce leaves for PETA’s “Let Vegetarianism Grow on You” ad campaign.
dListed has pics and details.
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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