Peter Dinklage asks fans to join him in making kind choices by not hurting animals or asking others to hurt animals for them. LEARN MORE.
"NY Ink" star and tattoo artist Ami James says that people should "never be silent" for animals in a new ad for PETA. LEARN MORE.
Animals and the planet depend on us, and actor Maggie Q wants us to know what we can do to help. LEARN MORE.
Animals are forced to endure the pain of having chemicals applied to their sensitive eyes and skin. Join Dave in buying only cruelty-free products. LEARN MORE.
Actor Taraji P. Henson wants us to show dogs the unconditional love that they so graciously give us. Make animals a part of your family. LEARN MORE.
Group Cites State Laws Prohibiting Gambling, Animal Races in Bid to Stop Planned Races For Immediate Release:May 20, 2010
Contact:Jeff Kerr 757-622-7382
New York -- Concerned that annual pigeon races planned by the Bronx Homing Pigeon Club, Inc., violate state gambling laws and a state law prohibiting most animal races, PETA sent letters to the district attorney and police chief of Bronx, Nassau, Kings, Orange, Putnam, Queens, and Richmond counties--where race participants reside--urging them to investigate the races, prosecute participants of past races, and order race organizers to cancel upcoming events if the races violate state law.
According to state law, races that include any bet, stake, or reward are illegal if they involve animals other than horses. Gambling laws further prohibit race organizers or pigeon trainers from making money off such races. The three races planned for this fall all involve registration fees and monetary prizes, and in the past, these races have generated tens of thousands of dollars in side bets.
PETA is also concerned about the cruelty inherent in pigeon racing. Pigeons who are forced to race are taken as many as 500 miles away from their roosts. If these birds must land because of an injury or inclement weather, they will often starve to death because they are born in captivity and are unable to fend for themselves in the wild. Pigeons who manage to survive storms, injury, or exhaustion and make their way home to their mates (with whom they mate for life) might still be killed by unsatisfied trainers.
"Pigeons are the symbol of peace, but there's nothing peaceful about a 'sport' in which birds are forced to fly hundreds of miles only to have their necks wrung if they don't find their way home fast enough," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "Profiteering at these gentle birds' expense is as illegal as it is cruel, and it must be stopped."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.