The PETA Files

How Many Animals Have You Saved? Find Out!

Michelle Kretzer — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 15:45:00 GMT

You know that you're making a lot of cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, and fish happy by not eating them, but do you know exactly how many animals you have personally saved? Check it out:

Tired of explaining to people that, yes, one person really does make a difference? Share this image on Facebook, Twitter, and let the numbers speak for themselves.

PETA's Top Six Videos for National Dairy Month

Jeff Mackey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:00:00 GMT

The dairy industry is blowing even more manure-scented hot air than usual, having declared June to be "National Dairy Month." Although the volume of its propaganda has changed, the content hasn't: The industry still won't tell you how dairy factory farms and their products wreck cows' lives, human health, and the environment.

So to set the record straight, we've put together a YouTube playlist of our top six videos about dairy products. Check it out:

You can help spread the word by sharing the playlist on Facebook and Twitter—and be sure to subscribe to PETA's YouTube channel so that you'll never miss our latest and greatest videos!

RIP, Vicky: 10-Month-Old SeaWorld Orca Dies in Captivity

Jeff Mackey — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 00:45:00 GMT

Another SeaWorld orca has died prematurely in captivity—this time, heartbreakingly, the deceased was a mere 10 months old. The infant, Vicky, died over the weekend at Loro Parque, an amusement park in Spain's Canary Islands. The cause of death is not yet known—there are reports that she had been behaving unusually in the preceding days.

Vicky was the offspring of Kohana and Keto, two SeaWorld orcas on display at Loro Parque. Senior SeaWorld employees oversaw orca training at Loro Parque when Keto killed trainer Alexis Martinez by ramming him and dragging him underwater. Kohana, who is Keto's niece—inbreeding is another sad outcome of captivity at SeaWorld—rejected Vicky, as she had previously done with her first calf, a male named Adan. It likely didn't help that Kohana had been taken away from her own mother after just 19 months—ocean-dwelling orcas carefully guard their calves, and young females help the mothers care for them.

What You Can Do

SeaWorld's reckless disregard hurts orcas and endangers those who come into contact with them. Please tell SeaWorld that you won't visit its parks so long as it imprisons marine animals, and spread the word on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, urging everyone to follow suit.

The Big Bucks Behind 'Ag-Gag' Bills

Alisa Mullins — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 23:30:00 GMT

What did you have for lunch today? If it contained meat, not only did you support cruelty to animals, you also supported an unprecedented attack on First Amendment rights, according to an eye-opening July/August Mother Jones cover story on the history of "ag-gag" laws.

The report starts at what you might call "ground zero" for advocates of "ag-gag" bills—PETA's 2008 investigation at a Hormel supplier in Iowa, in which workers were caught beating sows with metal gate rods and killing piglets by smashing their skulls against the floor, among other abuse.

This case and others like it have prompted a relentless industry backlash in the form of "ag-gag" bills in nearly two dozen states. The aim of such bills (eight have passed so far) is to outlaw undercover investigations at factory farms and slaughterhouses—a case of criminally blaming the messenger instead of the actual perpetrators of cruelty.

Amanda Hitt, director of the Government Accountability Project's Food Integrity Campaign, points out that "ag-gag" laws reach far beyond the factory barn doors. "You are also stopping environmental whistleblowing; you are also stopping workers' rights whistleblowing," she says. "[Y]ou have given power to the industry to completely self-regulate," which, she says, should "scare the pants off" consumers.

Read Mother Jones' complete article here.

James Cameron Uses Award Speech to Tell Everyone to Go Vegan

Michelle Kretzer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:30:00 GMT

James Cameron is no stranger to award speeches. And the Oscar-winning director knows that when the world is watching, he has a great platform to make a difference. So when National Geographic bestowed its "Explorer of the Year" honor on Cameron for his solo dive to the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench, Cameron used his acceptance speech to tell the roomful of explorers and scientists about one of his favorite subjects: eating vegan.

"I've had an epiphany recently," he said. "I want to challenge all of you as people of deep conscience, people who are environment stewards of the earth and oceans…By changing what you eat, you will change the entire contract between the human species and the natural world."

Cameron urged his audience to research the benefits of plant-based eating and try it for themselves. "I felt like I was waking up from a long sleepwalk. I believe we are all sleepwalking off a cliff if we don't do this."

More and more notable thinkers of our time are advocating meat- and dairy-free meals. Former President Bill Clinton made headlines when he famously traded his McDonald's habit for plants. Bill Gates is funding researchers at Beyond Meat and Beyond Eggs to create healthier, environmentally friendly plant-based versions of animal products. And Twitter cofounders Evan Williams and Biz Stone are investing in a meat-free future.

Are you ready to join Cameron in promoting the future of food? Share our meat-industry exposé "Glass Walls" on Twitter and Facebook.

Riveting New Film May Change the Way the World Thinks About Animals

Alisa Mullins — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:00:00 GMT

Acclaimed photographer Jo-Anne McArthur has been documenting the plight of animals around the world for more than 10 years. Now a haunting new film by award-winning documentary filmmaker Liz Marshall, The Ghosts in Our Machine, chronicles a year in McArthur's life as she photographs animals on fur farms and factory farms and in laboratories, zoos, and aquariums. She also photographs "the ones who got away" relaxing in rolling pastures at sanctuaries in the U.S. and Canada.  

"I feel like I'm a war photographer and I'm photographing history," McArthur says. "I'm trying to save the world."

Every month, The Ghosts in Our Machine names a special "animal ambassador," and this month's pick is PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk, who compares the movie to the groundbreaking anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin: "In much the way Harriet Beecher Stowe's book …did in its time, this film has the potential to broaden our view of those around us, to suggest their potential and their reality, cause us to pick apart our prejudices, and raise the potential for consideration, understanding and inclusion, to change a world view."

The Ghosts in Our Machine debuted in Toronto late last month and has already won several awards at film festivals. Look for it at a theater near you in the coming months.

PETA's Seven Cutest Cat Ads Ever

Michelle Kretzer — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:00:00 GMT

In honor of "Adopt a Shelter Cat" Month, here are some of our favorite cute cats and cool kittens:

Lil Bub knows that being the Web's favorite cat is serious business. She uses her platform to encourage people to spay and neuter, to say no to declawing, to adopt instead of buying, and to be all-around awesome animal guardians.

Shadow literally walked right into Dancing With the Stars judge Carrie Ann Inaba's life—through her front door as a stray. He quickly won her heart and then went after several hundred thousand more with his PETA ad.

What do you think about a cat who's a Morrissey fan? Obviously, he has great taste in music, has a wry sense of humor, and is a big spay/neuter advocate!

Mr. Nix lived up to his name when he helped his favorite human, Tricia Helfer, nix the problem of cats being neglected by their guardians. And clearly he did it with panache.

Slick Willie won hearts and minds on Twitter when he and his guardian, Nyjer Morgan, starred in an ad for PETA. But before Slick Willie was famous, he was in an animal shelter looking for a home like millions of other cats. So he used his platform to encourage everyone always to adopt, never buy.

The Situation is used to being surrounded by females, but even he realizes the importance of protection. These frisky felines help show everyone why it's crucial to spay and neuter.

It was pretty clear what rescued cat Toni thought of her costar, Torrey DeVitto, during the shooting of her anti-dissection ad: "She's grrrrreat!" And Toni was great at showing kids that they have a choice not to dissect any animal.

If you are ready to share your home with a new cat, please take a cue from these famous felines and adopt one from your local animal shelter, spay or neuter him or her, and give your cat a lifetime of quality care and friendship.

SeaWorld Slammed With Federal Fine Over Unsafe Conditions

Jeff Mackey — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 22:40:00 GMT

PETA protested outside SeaWorld parks in San Antonio and San Diego today, just one week after the marine-animal prison chain was hit with a $38,500 repeat violation fine from the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for allowing dangerous contact between employees and orcas in defiance of a federal court order—and basic decency.

This SeaWorld San Antonio employee was shocked to learn about the violations that led to the OSHA fine.

The fine resulted from a follow-up investigation and photos and footage on TV of trainers who hugged and kissed orcas without any protective barrier, as required by an earlier OSHA ruling. SeaWorld fought OSHA's decision with two unsuccessful appeals, but the ruling stands.

Aggression between orcas is nearly non-existent in nature, but the constant stress of living in forced social groupings inside tiny tanks at SeaWorld causes them to lash out, posing a danger to animals and employees alike. SeaWorld's own corporate incident logs contain reports of more than 100 incidents at its parks. Orcas have pulled trainers into the water, held them at the bottom of the pool, head-butted them, slammed into them, breached on top of them, and, of course, killed them—and those are just the episodes that have been reported.

What You Can Do

Please tell everyone you know to leave all marine-animal parks and aquariums out of their family travel plans, and ask SeaWorld officials to release their animals to sanctuaries.

Did Johnny Depp Go Vegan for the Big 5-0?

Michelle Kretzer — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:00:00 GMT

The rumor mill is buzzing with reports that Johnny Depp, who just celebrated his 50th birthday, has gone vegan. The famously private star hasn't confirmed or denied the news, but a source says that Johnny is "raving about losing his paunch."

In other celebrity news: Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux are learning quite a bit from their adopted chickens. "They're very social animals," Jennifer said, "and they like it when you visit them with a cup of coffee in your hand. According to my groundskeeper, they love pasta."
Perez Hilton reports that Nina Dobrev is feeling healthy and happy because of yoga and eating "mostly vegan food."
Yoga trainer to the stars Rainbeau Mars created a lot of Internet buzz when she invited her wedding guests to participate in a three-week vegan cleanse before the big day. Rainbeau took to The Huffington Post to let people know that the idea was merely a suggestion for her guests but that she hopes they, too, will discover the physical and mental health benefits of vegan eating.
Dancing With the Stars pro Kym Johnson unveiled her new PETA Australia ad in her native Sydney, Australia. The ballroom beauty struck a pose with a handsome hare to encourage people to choose bunny-friendly cosmetics.

When Wendy Williams dropped by Ellen DeGeneres' show, Ellen showed Wendy's recent nude PETA ad and the gals gabbed about the things they're both doing to help animals. Meanwhile, Ellen's "official underwear model," Mike Wolfanger, was busy rescuing a turtle from the middle of a crowded road and posting a charming Instagram photo of the rescue:

And elsewhere on the Web, celebs were tweeting about animal rights:

To keep up with what all your favorite stars are doing for animals, follow @PETA on Twitter.

Mayoral 'Candigato' Urged to Fix Mexican Town's 'Kittyzens'

Jeff Mackey — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:00:00 GMT

U.S. citizens are hardly alone in their frustration with government officials. In the town of Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico, two residents have proposed electing a cat to be mayor. This is no yarn: The designated candigato, Morris, has seen his popularity soar—at least on Facebook—so PETA has sent the cute contender a letter asking him to back a purrposal to require Xalapa's residents to spay and neuter their cats (and dogs) and to treat homeless animals kindly.

Giving Strays an Escape Claws

Although his campaign managers suggest that Morris will eliminate the "rats" from government, that hardly seems fair to actual rats, who are smart, clean, and friendly. Instead, PETA suggests that he should focus on the "fat cats." Well, really, they're not so much fat as they are pregnant, contributing to the overpopulation crisis that's relegating so many animals to hard lives on the street.

Every stray cat and every neglected dog came from an animal who wasn't spayed or neutered. By preventing animals from being born, sterilization also prevents them from being hit by cars, infected with miserable diseases, attacked by other animals or cruel people, used as bait by dogfighters, or simply left outside to die of starvation, exposure, or neglect.

With these things in mind, Morris must recognize that leaving his fellow felines to fend for themselves is about as desirable as a hairball. If he licks his opponents, let's just hope that absolute meower doesn't corrupt!

What You Can Do

Good citizenship starts at home—please practice animal birth control by adopting animals from shelters or rescues and having your companion animals spayed or neutered.

Please note: PETA's backing of Morris for mayor is obviously intended as a humorous way to provide Xalapa residents with information about ways to address the homeless-animal crisis. PETA makes no comment on the suitability for office of any bipedal candidates. PETA promotes and educates the public on ways to help animals and does not directly or indirectly participate in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. Voters should consider a range of issues important to them in deciding how to cast their vote on election day.