Recent

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.

PETA Flour Sack Tea Towels

Caitlin-K — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:05:00 GMT

Animal Liberation Tank Top

Caitlin-K — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:04:00 GMT

Cage Standard T-Shirt

Caitlin-K — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:04:00 GMT

Thundershirt

Caitlin-K — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:03:00 GMT

Huge Victory for Animals in Labs!

Vanessa-C — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:02:00 GMT

PETA Signature Fitted T-Shirt

Caitlin-K — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 22:02:00 GMT

Looking for a Job That Makes a Difference?

Michelle Carr — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:35:00 GMT

PETA's Seven Cutest Cat Ads Ever

Michelle Carr — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 21:33:00 GMT