Renowned Celebrity Tattoo Artist Joins PETA Anti-Fur Ad Campaign

For Immediate Release:
September 30, 2009

Contact:
Amanda Schinke 757-622-7382

Las Vegas -- Mario Barth--who has won more than 200 awards celebrating his artistry and innovation in tattooing--will debut his brand-new "Ink, Not Mink" ad on the red carpet at the kickoff party for this year's Biggest Tattoo Show on Earth, an annual tattoo expo that regularly draws 25,000 visitors. The ad reads, "Be comfortable in your own skin, and let animals keep theirs."

When:   Thursday, October 1 (red carpet festivities begin at 9 p.m.)

Where:  rumjungle nightclub in the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, 3950 Las Vegas Blvd. S., Las Vegas

Barth's designs often incorporate animals. The care with which he renders them shows that he finds beauty in all kinds of animals: finned, feathered, and furry. Barth says that fur comes from "a living being, you know, which has thought process, which has feelings, which experiences pain."

Each year, tens of millions of minks, foxes, rabbits, raccoons, and other animals are trapped, drowned, or beaten to death in the wild or are gassed, strangled, stomped on, or electrocuted on fur farms.

Barth joins other compassionate celebrities--including Tommy Lee, Steve-O, Carey Hart, and Dennis Rodman--who have appeared in PETA's "Ink, Not Mink" ad campaign.

For more information, please visit PETA's Web site FurIsDead.com.