Written by PETA
"Brigitte Bardot asked Pamela to fill in for her today at her annual news conference to protest the Canadian seal slaughter (Brigitte is ill and couldn't make it). Pam of course did an amazing job. We arrived at Bardot's offices to a swarm of press. Pam read a 1-page statement about how, as a Canadian, she is appalled that the seal hunt continues...she described in graphic detail how the seals are beaten to death, and encouraged consumers to boycott designers who work with any fur. She then screened a graphic 2-minute video of the seal slaughter. The press were stunned. After a few words from the Bardot Foundation's campaigns director, Bardot herself called and was put on speakerphone...in front of all of the press, she thanked Pamela for continuing on the campaign in her place, and in broken English called Pam her daughter and her Valentine. Pam was so moved; it was very sweet. Pam was then presented with a heart-shaped bouquet of roses and a personal letter from BB. Then off we went to the Canadian embassy (with AP reporter and photographer and about 15 paparazzi in tow) where Pamela asked to see the Canadian ambassador so she could personally deliver a letter from BB to him in protest of the seal slaughter. Photographers went wild. We were turned away at security, but it made a great photo and a shocked guard promised to hand over the letter for her."
If you want to know what all the fuss is about, you can watch the footage Pam screened for press (and sign a petition asking the Canadian government to stop the seal hunt) here, and there are a few pics from the event here. Thank you Pam and Brigitte!
One of our most popular anti-fur slogans here at PETA is “Fur is worn by beautiful animals and ugly people”. And we’ve got some great ads to back it up. But the pictures that have been circulating of Aretha Franklin at the Grammy awards last week don’t even really need the tagline to drive that point home. She looks like a walrus in a cat costume. Except, like, nowhere near as cute as that sounds.
Here’s the note that PETA VP Dan Mathews sent to Aretha, who got all in a tizzy yesterday about the fact that Beyonce called Tina Turner “the Queen” and not her.
Dear Aretha-Music lovers may think of you as a "queen," but to animal lovers, you are a court jester. I'm sorry, Aretha, but your furs make you look like a clown. Why not shed the old-fashioned look that adds pounds to your frame and detracts from your beautiful voice? Won't you donate your furs to the poor as "queen of compassion," Mariah Carey, did? You'll get a tax credit for the donation, and we at PETA will all sing your praises.Dan MathewsVP, PETA
Seriously, our letter pretty much wrote itself after that.
If you’ve been following the Clemens hearings, you may have caught a surreal moment yesterday when a Congressman asked Roger whether he was vegan or not. Honestly, I’d be happy if this were a mandatory question at all congressional hearings, but I have to admit that it was a little odd in context. Nonetheless, Roger’s response (essentially “Dude, WTF is a vegan?”) more or less mandated another letter from our corner, and this time we’re sending him a gift basket full of steroid-free vegan goodies to sweeten the deal. It’s an established fact that a letter from PETA goes down a lot easier with a couple of vegan cookies and some faux-beef jerky. Check it out.
P.S. Thanks to PETA Files reader Tamara for sending in a transcript of this exchange!
And remember: Pels Ud, Kaerlighed Ind!
Some more pics and video at these sites, which are presumably more informative if you speak German Danish.
http://politiken.tv/nyheder/indland/article470983.ecehttp://galleri.tv2.dk/index.php/category-Nyhederne/id-10407233/page-1.html
The title says it all really. The country sensation took her rightful place alongside country’s biggest stars this week in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Emmylou, for this well-deserved honor, and thanks again for everything that you do for animals.
Shortly after the North Carolina Department of Agriculture announced that it was launching an operation to transfer the animals out of All Creatures Great and Small this month following the release of a seven-month long PETA undercover investigation which revealed nightmarish conditions at the no-kill shelter, our Cruelty Investigations Department received the following e-mail from the investigator who had last spent time on the inside at ACGS, confirming that it was all worth it:
Sent: Saturday, February 02, 2008 6:14 PMSubject: Heroes
Hello all-
I want each of you to know how wonderful things are turning out at the property formerly known as acgs. Every second that we spent every long night at the office or miserable day in the rain was so worth our effort. The animals that we helped there are exponentially happy and so much more at peace now. The Dept. of Ag…and other volunteers have turned the situation around almost a full one eighty in the last 32 hours. The animals on the hill and in the kennel have been relocated to pens where they no longer fight with their neighbors. The dogs outside with no shelter have been brought in out of the elements. The food, water, hay, sawdust, peanut butter treats, meds, and love have been flowing like these animals have never known before. There is very little barking and so much less commotion. This is truly a different place now. I wish you all could be here with me to see it. Things are not perfect yet but all is being addressed quickly and concisely. I can hardly hold back the tears for the joy at knowing how valuable our time was to dogs like Hammer who has finally been given vet care. I have gotten to know a young female pit named Lilly over my time here. She was always very excited to see me come into her unprotected outside pen, but today I took her out for her first walk in what seemed to be years. She was so scared at first that she cowered and crawled but after I had her out for a while she jumped into my chest and wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me for the longest time, kissing my chin. She is now in her own ten by ten on the hill full of saw dust, hay, and new food and water bowls, and will be moved in very soon as she is sure to be deemed adoptable very soon. I am overwhelmed with all that has happened here and I know many of you have worked much longer on this than I have. If no one else says this, THANK YOU, to each of you, from the the bottom of my heart and on behalf of the animals who can not say it the same way as you are all heroes for them! Thank you for the work you have done here. I am proud to have worked with each of you on this. If there is anyone who you would like to share this with please do so, as all who have been there in thought and concern deserve to know how important it truly was.
Sincerely,
I talked a bit yesterday about the ad we have running during the Westminster Dog Show, which is like a great big frat party for dog breeders, but what I didn’t mention was that we also had a team on the ground waiting to greet attendees, and inform passersby exactly what the breeding industry means for animals. The demonstration—which involved body bags to symbolize the millions of homeless animals who won’t be getting a mention at the dog show and signs reading “Breeders kill shelter dogs' chances”—was a big success, and the pics are really striking. Here’s what PETA VP Daphna Nachminovitch had to say about the protest:
"Breeders churn out puppies for a buck and go so far as to oppose spay/neuter laws that can save animals' lives. All dogs are created equal, but millions of wonderful mixed-breed dogs across the country are paying with their lives because of purebred mania."
It’s a new dawn, people. A fresh, vibrant world full of hope. The storm clouds have dispersed and the sun is shining on a happier future, where anything is possible…
On a trial basis, in the fine city of Philadelphia, 7-Eleven is offering vegan sandwiches.
To celebrate this glorious news, and to help make sure this trial is a big success, PETA dispatched our lovely lettuce ladies to the city last week to offer samples of the tasty meatless sandwiches (varieties include "chicken," "steak," and mock egg salad) to passersby. ‘Cuz that’s just how we roll. Check out the pics, and if you live in Philadelphia, be sure to give the sandwiches a try. Word on the street is that they’re pretty damn good.
Oh, brave new world that hath such people in it.
If you haven’t seen this ad yet, you should check it out. It’s all part of our new campaign to let the world know that the breeders bear a direct responsibility for this country’s massive animal-overpopulation crisis. It shouldn’t take a rocket scientist to make the connection that people who are deliberately breeding animals for profit when millions are dying for lack of a good home are making a bad situation worse—but the breeders have a powerful lobby. So we’re hitting them where it hurts: This simple but effective ad will be running on the USA network tomorrow during the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which is like prom night for breeders. More on this after the show.
There was a great piece about this in The Washington Post today, and you can watch the ad below.
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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