Written by PETA
Um, no—but I can tell you that whatever it is, it's vegan. A toned testimonial to the power of tofu, up-and-coming World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) star Daniel Bryan (aka "The American Dragon") depends on his vegan diet to keep him fit and in perfect "flying clothesline" form. To summarize: Vegan diet + athlete = recipe for wrestling success. Speaking of recipes—how about giving meat and dairy the smack-down and snacking down some tasty vegan eats instead? Your body will thank you.
Via Vegetarian Star
Written by Amy Skylark Elizabeth
"Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay out." —Mark Twain
Italy had Leonardo da Vinci, India had Mahatma Gandhi, England had William Wilberforce, and the U.S. had Mark Twain.
Like these other luminaries, Twain was a committed advocate for the humane treatment of animals, and we don't think that aspect of his life should be left out of any commemoration. So in advance of next week's 100th anniversary of Twain's death, PETA is donating $5,000 to The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum in Hannibal, Missouri, and PETA Vice President Dan Mathews will be there to unveil a plaque featuring a quote from Twain about animal experimentation:
I believe I am not interested to know whether Vivisection produces results that are profitable to the human race or doesn't. To know that the results are profitable would not remove my hostility to it. The pains which it inflicts upon unconsenting animals is the basis of my enmity towards it, and it is to me sufficient justification of the enmity without looking further. It is so distinctly a matter of feeling with me, and is so strong and so deeply-rooted in my make and constitution, that I am sure I could not even see a vivisector vivisected with anything more than a sort of qualified satisfaction.
Animals were integral to Twain's writing from his first stories through his final years, and many of his animal-related pieces are spotlighted in Mark Twain's Book of Animals.
If you're going to be in Hannibal on Saturday at noon, come join Dan (who cites Twain as an inspiration in his memoir, Committed) as he unveils PETA's plaque at The Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum. With it in place, Twain's animal rights message will reach thousands of future visitors to the museum.
Written by Paula Moore
This clever PETA supporter gave the term "armchair activism" a whole new meaning by sitting down in order to stand up for chickens who have their throats cut open and are scalded alive by McDonald's suppliers.
The long-awaited Senate and House versions of the new Toxic Substances Control Act—which is intended to improve the way that hazardous substances are tested and regulated in the U.S.—have just been released. PETA's Regulatory Testing Division has been working tirelessly for years to make sure that animal testing is minimized in this bill.
For the past 30-plus years, chemicals have been tested on millions of animals—with very little to show for it. Reliance on animal-testing results―which have been shown to be largely irrelevant to human health effects―has contributed to the ineffectiveness of past legislation in protecting humans and the environment from hazardous chemicals. Fortunately, recent advances in science and technology allow for more useful information to be gathered without extensive animal testing, and incorporation of these new approaches should be the foundation of any new legislation.
The newly introduced legislation incorporates a number of animal protection measures that we have been advocating, such as the following:
While both versions of this bill are headed in the right direction, further elements need to be clarified to ensure that animal use is minimized and eventually eliminated, and we will be working hard to do just that.
Incorporating these measures into the bill will improve the efficiency, speed, and accuracy of the tests, while cutting costs, preventing an enormous amount of animal suffering, and vastly increasing the EPA's ability to protect humans and the environment.
Stand by for ways that you can help.
Written by Alisa Mullins
Well, it's not the law of our dreams, but we're happy to report that one part of a bill that has just been passed in New York City (and maybe just the one part) should improve living conditions for horses who are used to pull carriages. Under the new legislation, carriage operators are required to provide horses with larger stalls in which they can finally turn around and lie down (the current stalls couldn't be smaller unless you built them through the horses' flanks) as well as to allow the horses to come off the roads and spend five weeks out of every year at a stable with a paddock or a pasture.
A hike in fares has also been enacted. It probably won't make a difference, but it might decrease the number of misguided tourists who want to take horses for a ride. After all, it's the animals who pay the ultimate price in this money-hungry industry: Horses are forced to pull heavy loads in all weather extremes while walking on hard pavement, dodging loud traffic, and inhaling exhaust fumes that cause damage to their lungs comparable to that which heavy smokers experience. Does that sound even remotely romantic to you?
Anyone who has seen or thought about this wretched excuse for amusement knows that it's past time for the horse-drawn carriage industry to be put out to pasture permanently. Tel Aviv has done it, and now it's time for New York to do it. Please join us in asking New York City officials to ban horse-drawn carriages as a blight on the city. Thanks!
After an elephant who was being used in a Shrine-sponsored circus killed an animal groom in Pennsylvania recently, people asked how such a thing could happen. Circus spokespeople claimed that the elephant had been spooked by a live electrical wire.
Hmm. The same question arose when Tilly, an orca living in a cramped tank at SeaWorld, attacked and killed a trainer. SeaWorld said all sorts of things, such as that maybe Tilly was just playing! Now, check out this mind-boggling video from China, and it's abundantly clear: To captive animals, some humans are hated, and some are just food. As for the hated, who can blame the animals? Chains, sharp metal bullhooks, whips, small cages, loss of freedom—it's a dangerous mix.
We watched this frightened toddler walk a tightrope over a pit filled with stressed-out tigers and steeled ourselves for the worst.
Captivity doesn't make a wild animal's natural instincts disappear. Is it any surprise, then, when animals who have been beaten, battered, and broken respond accordingly?
Via Perez Hilton
Written by Jennifer O'Connor
Wow, that was fast! Less than a day after PETA released heartbreaking photos and posted an action alert on our Web site drawing attention to the plight of more than 50 dogs who were transported on a Lufthansa cargo plane from the U.S. to a notorious Charles River Laboratories animal testing facility in Scotland, Lufthansa has announced a new policy prohibiting the transport of dogs and cats to laboratories. To everyone who responded to our call to action, thank you!
It's a great first step and an important victory for cats and dogs. We're delighted that Lufthansa acted so speedily. But all animals suffer in laboratories, so PETA is currently in discussions with Lufthansa concerning additional measures that can be taken to protect animals of other species.
On Tuesday afternoon, Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman signed into law a bill banning abortions after 20 weeks of gestation based on the belief that fetuses can feel pain at that stage. He also signed another bill requiring women to be screened for mental health problems before having abortions.
No matter where you stand on abortion, we hope that you appreciate the billboard that we'll be erecting in Lincoln, Nebraska, to remind everyone that electing not to take animals' lives is always a sane choice.
The tables may have turned on a German angler recently. A man ended up with fishing hooks in his rear end after he apparently broke into a hunting and fishing store and fell on the hooks. Police were able to reel him in quickly because he was drunk (shocking, I know) and couldn't run very fast with barbed hooks in his behind.
How's that for karma? Hopefully he'll think twice about picking up a rod and reel now that he knows how much hooks hurt! Or will he need a few through his lips first?
Written by Heather Moore
President Obama's decision to allow oil and gas drilling along the East Coast isn't sitting well with some politicians and environmentalists, who worry that new infrastructure and possible oil spills will harm the environment and animals. But there's a bigger culprit: factory farming.
More than one-third of all the fossil fuels produced in the U.S. are used to raise animals for food, and factory-farm waste lagoons are a leading source of water pollution in the U.S. People can best help conserve resources, save the environment, and save animals' lives by kicking the meat and dairy addiction. To spread the word, PETA has asked the Department of the Interior to "dress up" oil rigs with educational banners and to serve only vegan meals aboard the drilling rigs.
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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