For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2008

Contact:
David Perle 757-622-7382 

Canton, Ohio -- After learning that the organizers of a fashion show sponsored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame are planning to include fur in the show, PETA has fired off a letter to Hall of Fame interim executive director Ron Dougherty urging him to eject the animal skins.

"There's nothing remotely sporting about how animals are electrocuted, crushed, and strangled to make a coat," says PETA Assistant Director Dan Shannon. "Mr. Dougherty deserves a spot in the 'hall of shame' for using the NFL's revered monument to excellence to promote one of the most hideous industries on the planet."

July 28, 2008

Ron Dougherty, Interim Executive Director
Professional Football Hall of Fame

Dear Mr. Dougherty:

On behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters, I am writing to urge you to pull all real fur from this Friday's Pro Football Hall of Fame Fashion Show Luncheon.

You might be interested to learn that animals trapped for their fur can suffer for days in steel traps before dying of exposure, frostbite, shock, or infection. Mothers who are desperate to return to their young will even chew off a limb in a desperate attempt to free themselves. Trappers eventually return and strangle, stomp, or bludgeon the survivors to death.

On fur farms, animals spend their lives in barren, filthy wire cages, exposed to all weather extremes. They often go without adequate shelter, clean water, or veterinary care (even for severe injuries, including broken bones). Unable to escape and deprived of everything that is natural and important to them, animals often go insane from these conditions. Fur farmers use the cheapest killing methods available. Many animals are electrocuted by having rods inserted into their rectums or vaginas, and others are beaten, gassed, or suffocated to death. These crude killing methods aren't always effective, and sometimes animals regain consciousness while the skin is being ripped off their bodies.

No organization wants to be associated with blatant cruelty to animals. I think you'll agree that this is a serious matter that deserves your immediate attention. Please respond by the end of the day tomorrow, July 29, so that we can inform our concerned members of your decision. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Dan Shannon, Assistant Director
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals