Written by Michelle Kretzer
One celeb who won't mind too much when awards season winds down? Octavia Spencer. She loves cheering for her friend Jessica Chastain, but she's getting antsy for her The Help costar to cook her some more vegan soul food like the vegan fried chicken they made on set. Jessica, one of PETA's reigning Sexiest Vegetarian Celebrities, has been scooping up the nominations, so to tide Octavia over, we've sent her her own vegan soul-food cookbook. Maybe soon the friends will be comparing vegan recipes and Oscars?
They can scoop up Robin Quivers' new vegan cookbook, The Vegucation of Robin: How Real Food Saved My Life. Or perhaps they'll take their happy reunion to Chef Tal Ronnen's new vegan restaurant and bar, Crossroads, opening in L.A.
Hilaria and Alec Baldwin are also celebrating an exciting new venture. The couple is expecting their first child in late summer. PETA is sending the vegan mom an early shower gift: a copy of Skinny Bitch Bun in the Oven.
And at just 15 years old, pop prince Greyson Chance thinks it's time he gave meat-free eating a chance. When he posted to Twitter, "first day of being a vegetarian. can I do this?" his fans responded in droves with words of encouragement. We think that we know a few more folks who might be cheering Greyson on:
When animals weren't getting "tweet outs" on Twitter, they were getting major ups from Maggie Q in The Huffington Post. The Nikita star spent the majority of her interview talking about her new PETA campaign titled, "Fight Climate Change With Diet Change—Go Veg," and detailing the environmental destruction and cruelty of the meat industry. If Maggie ever decides to get out of acting, we think she's got a future in animal rights.
To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.
Written by Jeff Mackey
Update: Another one bites the dust! Because of the public outcry following Bob Barker's letter to lawmakers on PETA's behalf (see below), Wyoming has become the latest state to shelve an "ag gag" bill designed to protect animal abusers on factory farms by preventing undercover investigations from being conducted. The irresponsible and dangerous legislation, House Bill 126, died in committee on February 12. Afterward, one of its cosponsors said that the negative attention surrounding the bill was a factor in setting it aside.
Our thanks go out to everyone who responded to PETA's action alert. Why not celebrate this victory by sending your not-yet-vegan friends a link to Meat.org, where they can view footage obtained—legally—from undercover investigations on factory farms?
Originally posted on February 8th, 2013:
PETA pal and TV legend Bob Barker has once again stepped up for animals—this time in Wyoming, where legislators are considering House Bill (H.B.) 126, a measure specifically designed to protect animal abusers within the intensive-agriculture industry, even from law enforcement.
© StarMaxInc.com
Bob, a lifelong Republican, has urged the Republican-majority Senate to reject the bill, which could prevent undercover investigators from collecting evidence of routine and systematic animal abuse on farms that is crucial in helping prosecute abusers. Undercover investigations by PETA have revealed the routine beatings, mutilations, sexual abuse, and other severe cruelty to animals prevalent within the meat, dairy, and egg industries and often lead to criminal charges and convictions, including in Iowa, North Carolina, Oklahoma and West Virginia.
In his letter, Bob writes, "Americans today want better treatment of animals killed for food, not for their legislators to hide illegal cruelty on farms behind locked doors. Over the last few years, I've been joined by figures from all walks of life, from Republican strategist Mary Matalin to animal welfare expert Temple Grandin, in opposing bills similar to H.B. 126, and legislators have listened, as such bills have died or been tabled by sponsors in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, and Tennessee as well as Arkansas, the second-largest poultry-producing state in the nation."
What You Can Do
If you are a Wyoming resident or you know some, please urge (or get them to urge) your state senator to join you and Bob Barker in opposing H.B. 126 today!
Residents of Indiana, Nebraska, and New Hampshire can also contact their legislators to urge them to reject similar bills that have arisen in the agriculture industry's desperate attempt to thwart consumers from learning the truth about the gruesome life and miserable death of animals on factory farms.
Update: In one of the pettiest pieces of pork-barrel politics we've seen in a long time, North Carolina state Rep. Roger West, who just so happens to be a sponsor of Brasstown's annual New Year's Eve Possum Drop, has introduced Senate Bill 60, also sneeringly known as "The Opossum Right-to-Work Act."
At face value, the bill appears to be simply a way to skirt a judge's recent ruling that outlawed the cruel event. But it's actually far more insidious than that—it would also strip other wildlife protections and would allow wild animals to be held in captivity for unspecified periods of time, put on display for profit or publicity, and exploited for some unspecified "other purpose." The bill even seeks to exempt some activities from the state's anti-cruelty law. TV icon Bob Barker has sent a letter to members of the North Carolina Senate urging them to reject the bill, and if you're a North Carolina resident, we hope you will do the same and get all your neighbors to weigh in, too.
Originally posted on November 14th, 2012:
After the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC), despite an objection from PETA, issued a made-up permit to Clay Logan to possess an opossum for his cruel annual New Year's Eve "Opossum Drop"—in which a terrified opossum is abducted, held captive, then suspended and lowered into a horde of boisterous revelers—at his general store in Brasstown, PETA took the matter to court. Now the verdict's in, and the animal with the gray fur scored a victory over the folks with the red faces—and necks.
That's right, y'all: Senior Administrative Law Judge Fred G. Morrison Jr. ruled in PETA's favor, finding that in North Carolina, citizens "are prohibited from capturing and using wild animals for pets or amusement" and that the "WRC has no authority to issue any permit to Logan for the unlawful public display of a native wild animal at the Opossum Drop Event." As a result, the WRC may not "issue any permit or license for possessing and publicly displaying a live opossum for use in an 'Opossum Drop' event or for any other public display of a live opossum or other native wild animal."
Each year, several weeks prior to New Year's Eve, Logan has captured an opossum from the wild and confined the animal before hoisting him or her high into the air on New Year's Eve, and then, with a raucous crowd cheering and the noise of fireworks, live music, and the firing of muskets and cannons, lowered the frightened animal into the fray. Opossums are shy animals who are terrified of humans—their primary predator—and vulnerable to stress-related conditions because of captivity, including capture myopathy, which can result in death days or even weeks after release back into the wild.
Causing animals pain or distress should never be cause for celebration. Learn more about entertainment that doesn't harm animals as well as how to live in harmony with wildlife.
Written by Alisa Mullins
How did you celebrate your last birthday? Did you have dinner at a nice restaurant? Take in a ballgame? Go to your friend's house for a surprise party? PETA Foundation staffer Kendall Bryant—aka "The Straw Boss"—would have none of that. She spent her birthday delivering straw bedding to cold dogs in North Carolina with her accomplice Dan "CircusesHurtAnimals.com" Carron. And because Kendall is a talented photographer and videographer, she documented her trip and turned it into a must-see video:
Kendall and Dan met pit bulls Tyson, Diamond, Pretty, and Tiger, who were all struggling to stay warm as best they could during the first snowfall of the winter. You can tell by their furiously wagging tails that they were nearly as thrilled to get some attention as they were to get fluffy straw, a hearty meal, and, in the case of Tyson, a lightweight tie-out to replace his heavy logging chain.
The pair also helped Bear, a golden retriever mix whose drinking water had frozen solid, and a pack of beagles, possibly used for hunting, who eagerly gobbled up the food that they were offered. (Many people don't realize that dogs kept outside in the wintertime burn more calories to keep warm and therefore need more food.)
In total, Kendall and Dan helped 18 dogs, three rabbits, a cat, and a rooster that day. I'd call that a birthday well spent.
Update: PETA has now confirmed that the USDA has not one but two open investigations into AWA violations by the Hawthorn Corporation: one prompted by PETA's complaint regarding Hawthorn's use of Lance Ramos (see below) to unlawfully exhibit tigers in violation of the USDA's revocation of Ramos' license and the other arising from a separate case in Florida. Please urge the agency to follow the lead of governments around the world in defending animals against abuse by circuses and exhibitors by permanently revoking Hawthorn's license.
© www.sxx.hu/me4sakura
As PETA has learned from years of working to free animals from Hawthorn's cruel clutches, calling Hawthorn "notorious" is actually putting it rather mildly. The exotic-animal exhibitor's reprehensible history of AWA violations include USDA citations issued on more than 60 occasions for Hawthorn's many failures to provide animals with proper veterinary care, nutrition, safe or sanitary enclosures, safe or humane handling practices, exercise, and adequate space.
The USDA's previous enforcement actions against Hawthorn have entailed multiple license suspensions, more than a quarter of a million dollars in penalties, and confiscation or ordered surrender of at least 17 exotic animals. None of these actions have done anything to ensure even adequate treatment of the animals Hawthorn forces to perform.
The USDA has recognized that continuing to fail to adhere to minimum standards of sanitation and feeding—both of which are chronic problems for Hawthorn—are violations for which an AWA license should be revoked. Yet the USDA appears to be granting Hawthorn preferential treatment by repeatedly renewing its license.
Someone whose license was permanently revoked is animal trainer Lance Ramos (aka "Lancelot Kollman") after AWA citations for, among other cruelty, using physical abuse as a "training tool" on exotic cats to the point that at least one of them died and denying adequate veterinary care to an elephant so severely emaciated that he was a full ton underweight when the USDA confiscated him. Despite this, Hawthorn brought Ramos on board to train and exhibit tigers, and PETA has provided evidence to the USDA that he recently illegally exhibited the big cats with a Shrine circus and Showfolks Circus.
Every day that Hawthorn remains licensed is a day that animals are suffering. Please send a polite e-mail to USDA General Counsel Ramona Romero urging the agency to revoke Hawthorn's license immediately and permanently disqualify its employees and agents from obtaining a USDA license.
As President Barack Obama began a tour of the country to talk about jobs and the economy, PETA met him in Asheville, North Carolina, and presented him with a job description of our own:
While the president spoke to Asheville residents about lowering the unemployment rate, PETA asked him to grant retirement to the bears who are suffering in another part of the state in squalid roadside bear pits. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently suspended the operating license of one of the pits, the Chief Saunooke Bear Park, after PETA filed multiple complaints about animal abuse there. The USDA cited the bear pit for, among other abuse, denying the bears adequate food and veterinary care.
Obviously, the Secret Service took stock of our bear and her message. Here's hoping the POTUS realizes soon that these bears want to be unemployed, like, now!
In a rousing victory for animals, a county planning commission in the U.K. has denied a notorious chicken factory farm a spot within its borders.
Harrison Farms had asked the Shropshire Council for permission to build an intensive factory farm in which 330,000 chickens at a time would be tightly crammed into dark sheds until the time came to slaughter them. But after hearing from PETA U.K. and almost 5,000 of PETA U.K.'s members and supporters, the council denied the application.
The animal advocates explained to the council how factory farms dose chickens with massive amounts of antibiotics to keep them alive in the cramped, filthy conditions and to make them grow so large so fast that many of them become crippled under their own weight or experience organ failure. They also relayed how the farms cut off the ends of chickens' sensitive beaks with a searing-hot blade to stop the frustrated birds from pecking at each other and how the only time the chickens see grass or feel the warmth of the sun is when they are being shipped to the slaughterhouse to have their throats slashed and be dunked in tanks of scalding-hot water. They also gave the council information on how factory farms are among the main contributors to climate change.
Congratulations to everyone who wrote in!
As Canada's bloody annual seal massacre approaches again this spring, the at-risk animals can always count on their country's own superhero for animals, Pamela Anderson. The bombshell from British Columbia has submitted an appeal on behalf of PETA urging the World Trade Organization (WTO) to uphold the European Union's (EU) ban on seal-fur imports.
The WTO's public hearings on trade arising from the cruel seal slaughter begin in Geneva on February 18. All major markets have banned seal-pelt imports, including the EU, the U.S., Taiwan, Mexico, and most recently Russia, which had been importing 95 percent of the Canadian sealskins, marking one of the biggest victories in the history of animal rights!
Please help Pam and PETA save seals from being bludgeoned and skinned alive for their fur—urge Canada's leaders to support Sen. Mac Harb's bill to end the commercial seal massacre today!
Wanda Sykes—one of the funniest people on the planet, in my opinion—has taken on a very unfunny issue: dogs left chained up outside. Like fellow Southeastern Virginia native and comedian Patton Oswalt, Wanda has sent letters on PETA's behalf to Newport News and Suffolk city officials, urging them to pass legislation against continuous tethering similar to ordinances enacted in neighboring towns, including Hampton, Virginia Beach, Smithfield, Sykes' hometown of Portsmouth, and PETA's hometown of Norfolk.
In her letters, Wanda explains that chained dogs—like the three pit bulls discovered by PETA cruelty caseworkers in Newport News in December—are often denied adequate shelter and suffer from loneliness, frustration, and neglect. One of those dogs had already died of starvation, and the two survivors were malnourished and had no access to food or water (PETA has filed cruelty charges against the dogs' owners).
As a mother, Wanda also expresses concern that chained dogs are more likely to become aggressive than dogs who live indoors with their human families, as evidenced by the tragic case of a toddler in Suffolk who was mauled to death by his family's chained dogs. Chaining also sends the dangerous message to children that dogs are disposable objects to be tossed out in the backyard and forgotten when they become inconvenient.
If chaining is still permitted in your community, please follow Wanda's example and encourage your local officials to enact a tethering ban. You can also help by sponsoring a custom doghouse to be built and delivered to provide a dog with relief from extreme weather.
These days, more and more hearty vegetarian meals are popping up at sports venues across the continent. So, after years of ranking the most vegetarian-friendly Major League Baseball parks and NFL stadiums, PETA has surveyed the top vegetarian-friendly NBA arenas, and the results are in:
1. STAPLES Center
Because Lob City is playing its best basketball in years, thanks to Blake Griffin and Chris Paul, Clippers fans may have more to cheer about this year than Lakers fans do. But fans of both teams have reason to celebrate the STAPLES Center's awesome vegetarian fare. With vegan sloppy Joes, a veggie burger, vegan sushi, a grilled veggie sandwich, and a hummus-and-pita plate, the STAPLES Center's vegetarian concessions are a slam dunk for fans, no matter which team they're rooting for.
2. Air Canada Centre
The NBA's only international team fittingly offers a menu with international flair. Fans in general seating can choose from a vegan burrito, a hummus-and-veggie wrap, a veggie dog topped with tomato and scallions, or a Bollywood veggie dog with potatoes, tamarind ketchup, papadum, and mint chutney. In premium areas, vegetable sushi and chilled Vietnamese summer rolls are on the menu. Fans flocking to see new arrival Rudy Gay won't be disappointed with his performance or with the food at halftime.
3. Wells Fargo Center
When Andrew Bynum will suit up for the Sixers remains a mystery, but one thing is certain: Fans looking for delicious, animal-friendly fare have come to the right place. Veggie dogs, two kinds of veggie burgers, and roasted butternut squash soup round out a starting lineup of vegetarian superstars that give Philly fans plenty to cheer about.
4. BMO Harris Bradley Center
Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis were All-Star snub victims, but vegetable-loving Bucks fans are welcomed with open arms at the BMO Harris Bradley Center's concession stands. They can choose from vegan tempeh sloppy Joes, hearty veggie burgers, traditional PB&J sandwiches, fresh fruit, and baked potatoes. Meanwhile, fans in premium areas can enjoy hot flatbread sandwiches made with marinated tofu, pesto, and chipotle Vegenaise. And we can't help but wonder if the vegan energy bars are what give Larry Sanders his impressive energy.
5. Oracle Arena
Second-year head coach Mark Jackson has orchestrated a remarkable turnaround for the rejuvenated Golden State Warriors. But fans crying foul because Stephen Curry was left out of the All-Star game certainly won't feel cheated when they sample the tasty vegetarian fare at Oracle Arena. A Vietnamese ginger-garlic tofu sandwich, tofu lettuce wraps, and Vietnamese noodle salad lead an All-Star lineup of healthy, animal-friendly snacks that are sure to have fans rebounding for more.
6. Rose Garden
Number six overall draft pick Damian Lillard is favored to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, so it's only fitting that Portland's Rose Garden has netted sixth place on PETA's list, thanks to a variety of options like veggie burgers, vegan protein shakes, vegetable sandwiches, a broccoli stir-fry with rice or noodles, and granola with berries, bananas, and vegan protein powder at concession stands—plus, stir-fried soy strips with pineapple and teriyaki sauce in the suites.
7. United Center
Derrick Rose may not be returning any time soon, but the delicious meat-free fare at the United Center gives Bulls fans plenty to smile about. A vegan tempeh sloppy Joe, a veggie burger, and a baked potato lead the charge.
8. AT&T Center
For yet another year, the Spurs find themselves with one of the best records in the NBA, and now they can tout another accomplishment: earning a spot on PETA's top 10 list. It's fitting that familiar favorites, including bean burritos and tacos, vegan apple turnovers, and, in premium areas, vegan sloppy Joes, would be found at the home of the veteran team.
9. Bankers Life Fieldhouse
Indiana's faithful should be proud, as suffocating defense and physical play have kept the Pacers in the mix in the East, even without leading scorer Danny Granger. Another source of pride? Bankers Life Fieldhouse's hearty vegan sloppy Joes, veggie burgers, and garden-fresh salads, which have animal-friendly fans swarming to the concession stands just as their Pacers swarm to the ball.
10. The Palace of Auburn Hills
We know that the days of violence at The Palace of Auburn Hills are behind us, so if you're a Pistons fan, why not indulge in some cruelty-free fare, including vegan sloppy Joes, fresh fruit, smoothies made with soy milk, and quinoa-and-lentil salads? Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond clearly have bright futures ahead of them, and Pistons fans can, too, thanks to healthy and delicious meat-free meals.
Bear in mind that we've just mentioned a small sampling of the vegetarian food being offered—and that these arenas are just the best of the best. Many other venues also offer a wide variety of vegetarian options, including honorable mention awardees Madison Square Garden (falafel, veggie sushi, edamame), Philips Arena (vegan sloppy Joes, pasta, baked potato), Time Warner Cable Arena (lentil veggie burger, grilled vegetable kebab, vegetarian panini), Sleep Train Arena (vegan sloppy Joes and veggie burgers), and Amway Center (vegan sloppy Joes and veggie burgers).
No matter which team gets your blood pumping, you can help make sure that you're around to cheer them on for many years to come by choosing healthy vegetarian snacks. To paraphrase vegan NBA champ John Salley, it's the best damn way to eat. Period.
When Banana Joe was announced as this year's Westminster winner, his handler, Ernesto Lara, was given a silver bowl. But perhaps he should have been handed a silver shovel so that he could help bury all the dogs in animal shelters who lost their chance at a home, thanks to the greedy breeders and cruel puppy mill owners who supplied Westminster's contestants and who will supply the countless "designer dogs" yet to be born because of shows like this one.
Outside Madison Square Garden, a costumed dog flanked by PETA members pointed out to attendees what purebred pimps really do: They flood the market with puppies even as 3 to 4 million dogs are being euthanized every year for lack of a good home.
Inside during the finals, two PETA members held up signs that read, "Adopt! Don't Buy," and "Breeders Kill Shelter Dogs' Chances." Security removed the duo promptly, but audience members couldn't miss the message.
And the death toll will climb. Following the show every year, breeders see a rush of people who want a carbon copy of the winning dog—and then animal shelters see a rush of people who abandon them when they turn out to be too much work or don't act like the dog on TV.
In fact, Lara won’t even be keeping Banana Joe—he will be returning the dog to his breeder.
The results are in: Real winners adopt from animal shelters.
In just one week, we could require the Obama administration to address the fact that animals are still being killed in gas chambers. It's up to us.
Currently posted to the White House's "We the People" petition site is an appeal asking for federal attention to the suffering that animals endure when they are gassed. It can take as long as 45 minutes for a dog or cat to die in a gas chamber. He or she may convulse, vomit, gasp for breath, attempt to claw through the walls, void his or her bowels, howl in panic, and even be bitten by other frightened animals. And some animals do not die, like Daniel, the Alabama dog who has become the face of the movement to ban gas chambers.
Compare this to an intravenous injection of sodium pentobarbital, administered by trained professionals, that assures that the animal "falls asleep," the same quick, painless loss of consciousness that we feel when we are given anesthetics before surgery.
But despite the cruelty of gas chambers and the affordability of humane injections, it is still legal to gas animals in 31 states. Let's change that. We have until February 18 to collect 100,000 signatures.
I'm going to add my name to the petition right now. Will you please join me?
If you've suffered through having your heart broken (and who hasn't?), you know it feels like you want to die. But if your heart actually were to (physically) break, you really could die. So as Valentine's Day nears, PETA is placing this digital billboard in two locations in Montgomery, Alabama—a state with one of the highest rates of heart disease in the nation.
Why do vegetarian hearts have an edge over carnivorous tickers? A recent study found that vegetarians are 32 percent less likely to suffer from heart disease. In fact, staying away from all the saturated fat and cholesterol in meat, dairy products, and eggs gives vegans a significant advantage in avoiding a range of life-threatening diseases, including cancer, strokes, and diabetes.
And when your healthy heart starts beating in rhythm with that special someone's, it's good to remember that vegans also get a boost in their love life because we're less susceptible to sexual dysfunction. So whether your heart needs Cupid or a cardiologist, there's one prescription: Go vegan!
As half of one of the world's cutest on- and off-screen couples, we figured that Lea Michele would have some great ideas for how to spend Valentine's Day. We were right. Lea doesn't want expensive jewelry or a massive bouquet of flowers. Her idea of a lovely evening is laid-back and simple.
"My idea of the perfect romantic Valentine's Day is staying at home, cooking a yummy dinner, and watching a really scary movie," she told us.
Sounds like the real-life Rachel loves simply snuggling up under a blanket with her beloved. But Lea made it clear where we'll never catch her canoodling: in a horse-drawn carriage.
"The one thing I find the least romantic is taking a horse and carriage ride," she said. "I can't express enough how unhappy these horses are and how much pain and suffering they go through each day. Please do not ride [in horse-drawn carriages]. Take a beautiful walk together with your loved ones instead of bringing more pain to these beautiful animals."
Yeah, there are few things less romantic than watching horses breathe exhaust fumes and dodge traffic. Watching your loved one breathe in yummy aromas coming from the oven and dodge a playfully lobbed strawberry, however …
As Pope Benedict XVI resigns from the papacy, PETA hopes that the newly elected pope will also encourage believers to respect animals, as Benedict and his predecessor Pope John Paul II did.
Sergey Gabdurakhmanov | cc by 2.0
When asked about the rights of animals in a 2002 interview, the pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, responded, "That is a very serious question. At any rate, we can see that they are given into our care, that we cannot just do whatever we want with them. Animals, too, are God's creatures . . . Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures, so that geese are fed in such a way as to produce as large a liver as possible, or hens live so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds, this degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible."
You can learn more about the Bible's teachings about care and concern for animals at JesusVeg.com.
When one of Ricky Gervais' young fans tweeted the star with the message "my parents agreed if you retweet this they will buy my sister a dog & let you name it," Ricky agreed but with one important stipulation. "A rescue dog tho," he mandated. We would expect nothing less from the man who is a constant voice for homeless animals, urging people to adopt, never buy, and bashing greedy breeders and puppy mills. And like many compassionate celebrities, Ricky consistently uses his Twitter account to reach millions of people with animal-friendly messages.
We can always count on Ricky to get an animal rights point across while he's making people laugh. And Jon Stewart did, too, with The Daily Show's humorous coverage of Iran's launching a monkey into space: "Iran, you think the CIA is tough? You just got PETA on your ass, and those guys don't f**k around." We'd love to hear Jon's take on Funny or Die's spot-on spoof of Dodge Ram's pandering "God Made a Farmer" Super Bowl ad, "God Made a Factory Farmer."
And Waka Flocka Flame's hilarious Instagram photo had us laughing at how ridiculous people look in fur:
Happily, Beyoncé went fur-free at the Super Bowl, but she draped herself in python skin, iguana skin, and leather instead. PETA is urging the singer to take a cue from other beautiful, talented performers such as Carrie Underwood, who puts on a dynamic show in cruelty-free fashions.
And it was the epitome of a dynamic cruelty-free show when Vaute Couture designer Leanne Mai-ly Hilgart presented the first completely vegan runway show at New York Fashion Week. Celebrities are flocking to the line, which is named after "haute couture" but spelled with a "v" for vegan.
New York isn't the only city celebrating cruelty-free fashion. Across the pond, our affiliate PETA U.K. presented the first-ever Vegan Fashion Awards, with celeb judges Sadie Frost and Meg Mathews honoring animal-friendly fashion from top designers and retailers such as Stella McCartney, Vivienne Westwood, and Topshop.
Written by Jennifer OConnor
Nearly 10 years after she was liberated from the sweltering hell of a Mexican circus, Alaska, the bear who was the impetus for the eventual seizure of all seven bears held captive by the Suarez Bros. Circus, has died at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. Estimated to be in her late 20s—old age for a polar bear—Alaska was euthanized because of kidney failure.
It almost sounds like an Onion spoof—polar bears in a Mexican circus. But it was no joke. The Suarez Bros. Circus—which, coincidentally, is in the news this week after a handler was mauled to death by a tiger—was hauling the dejected bears around Mexico and the Caribbean in cramped cages without access to water for swimming, something that polar bears desperately crave. A whistleblower leaked videotape showing the overheated bears pacing in small cages and panting constantly. The bears where struck and whipped in order to force them to perform ridiculous tricks.
PETA dug into the bears' backgrounds and uncovered evidence indicating that Alaska may not have been born at Zoo Atlanta, as the circus had claimed on her import application. After we reported our suspicions to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the service used DNA testing to prove conclusively that Alaska's identity had been "stolen," a violation of federal law. The FWS fined the circus $120,000 and sent Alaska to the Maryland Zoo, where she lived with fellow polar bears Magnet and Anoki.
When Alaska first arrived at the zoo, she was sick, lethargic, filthy, and, her caretakers soon learned, deaf. Free at last from the cramped cage, she explored her surroundings and swam in a pool for the first time in years. Rancid scraps were replaced with wholesome, healthy food. There were no more frightening and confusing tricks. Alaska's battered body and broken spirit began to heal.
Alaska is an inspiring example of how animals can recover from years of deprivation if given the opportunity. Her courage and dignity should stand as testament to all the animals whose health and sanity are sacrificed in the name of "entertainment" in circuses. May she rest in peace.
Update 2:
Well, the results are in, and the friends of felines have carried the day: The new Monopoly token will be a cat—inspired by a real-life rescued kitty (see below)—to replace the older iron token.
Thank you to all you Monopoly fans who cast your votes in recognition of the fact that no one wins when people breed and buy animals. Remember: The best way to show more than a token interest in helping homeless cats is always to adopt them from shelters or rescues and make sure they're spayed or neutered.
Update:
Following PETA's appeal to replace the current purebred "Scottie dog" token in Monopoly with one representing a rescued mutt (see original post below), Hasbro Gaming Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader Eric Nyman responded in a letter to PETA, saying:
Among the options for the new token is a cat. This token and its design was inspired in part by a cat named Shadow, who was rescued by one of our employees. Shadow recently passed away, so we are thrilled to pay homage to her by using her as inspiration for one of our potential new Monopoly tokens.
You can vote for the new cat token here.
Originally posted on January 16th:
Monopoly players can be fanatical about their token of choice—I always have to play as the dog. Now, Hasbro is shaking things up with plans to retire one of the traditional Monopoly tokens, with the decision based on online voting. It looks like the little pooch will make the cut, so PETA is urging the company to make another change that could save real dogs by altering the token's look and referring to it as a "rescued mutt" instead of a purebred "Scottie dog."
Breeding Hurts—and Kills
How would this switch help dogs? Including a dog who is clearly a mixed breed would remind players that these canines are just as lovable, loyal, and deserving as any purebred and that every time someone chooses to buy a dog from a pet store or breeder, a homeless animal loses his or her chance at finding a home. For millions of dogs in shelters, there is no "Get out of jail free" card. Approximately half of the 6 to 8 million animals who enter shelters every year are euthanized, largely for lack of a good home.
Purebred dogs are also more likely to suffer from debilitating conditions and painful congenital disorders. Scotties, for example, are often affected by a hereditary disorder called "Scotty cramp," which can significantly impair their ability to run or even walk normally. Because they are not bred to produce specific physical traits, mixed-breed dogs have a lower risk for respiratory problems, bone disease, hemophilia, cataracts, hip dysplasia, and other disorders.
Please never buy any animal from a breeder or pet store. Instead, give a shelter mutt a "Chance"—you'll gain a wonderful companion while also helping to alleviate animal overpopulation, which causes so much misery.
PETA first learned about Boomer when his owner was seeking a new doghouse for the 4-year-old Rottweiler, who was left outside 24/7 in the Pacific Northwest. A PETA cruelty caseworker urged her to allow Boomer to live indoors or else give him up so that he could have a chance to be adopted by someone who would. When she balked at doing either, the caseworker worked with a local animal advocate to try to persuade her to act in Boomer's best interests.
Happily, Boomer's owner eventually opted to give him up so that he wouldn't have to spend the whole winter shivering outside all alone. Now the personable pup is in a foster home, and his foster mom is so smitten with him that she says if she can't find the "perfect, perfect home" for him, she will just keep him herself.
It's the best possible outcome for a dog or cat—a bright future filled with care and affection instead of cold and loneliness.
Please help dogs like Boomer by working to pass anti-chaining legislation in your community, and if you know of any animals left outside all the time, don't assume that the owners won't listen to you—speak up and try to make a difference!
Happy New Year! Yes, already—at least in places where the Lunar New Year is observed, including China. To join our Chinese friends in celebrating the start of the Year of the Snake, we're featuring one of PETA's most memorable snake-themed ads, in which lovely actor, dancer, and producer Jenna Dewan-Tatum exposes the distinctly not-so-lovely side of the exotic-skins trade.
Jenna—who is preparing to deliver her very first bundle of joy with husband Channing Tatum—recently appeared in American Horror Story: Asylum. But what happens to animals killed for their skins is every bit as gruesome as anything perpetrated by that show's mad scientist or serial killers. Snakes have their bodies cut open from one end to the other and their skin ripped off before being tossed aside to struggle and thrash in pain for hours or even days until they die. Most alligators used for accessories are raised in filthy tanks until they are stabbed or beaten to death.
Millions of snakes, lizards, alligators, crocodiles, and other reptiles are violently killed every year so that their skins can be torn from their bodies to make wallets, belts, boots, and handbags. Don't buy into this cruel rip-off—instead, choose accessories made from chic, cruelty-free materials such as fake snake, mock croc, and pleather. You'll look (and feel) better knowing that you got the glam—without stealing someone else's skin.
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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