October 2007 After receiving an anonymous tip that a kiosk at Fox Run Mall in Newington, New Hampshire, had a novelty display that tormented a Betta fish, PETA immediately contacted the mall’s management. In the display, bubbles were pumped up to the top of a tube, where the trapped fish continually struggled. Within minutes, the display … Read more »
October 2007 PETA was contacted by attendees of the summer festival Obon at Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida, about the fact that goldfish were being given away in small plastic bags. According to complaints that we received, children were reportedly poking at the fish, and some unwanted fish were dumped into trash … Read more »
October 2007 PETA immediately contacted Judy Steele Elementary School in Las Vegas, Nevada, after learning from concerned parents about a planned goldfish giveaway. Many animals who are given away don”t live for long, becoming victims of unintentional neglect or cruelty. Those who manage to survive are often discarded when people no longer consider them cute or … Read more »
October 2007 After receiving a complaint that rabbits, goldfish, and iguanas were being given away as prizes at the Louisiana Shrimp and Petroleum Festival in Morgan City, Louisiana, PETA contacted the festival’s director and explained that countless animals suffer neglect and abuse when they are given to people who have not seriously considered the commitment and … Read more »
October 2007 Gilchrist County Animal Control in Florida called PETA asking for help getting a dog weight-pulling event canceled at The Hitching Post bar in Trenton. Sadly, laws do not protect animals from being forced to participate in these types of events, which often serve as networking opportunities for dogfighters. After animal control officers told the … Read more »
October 2007 The Alaska Zoo announced that it will send Maggie, a 27-year-old African elephant, to the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) sanctuary in California! Maggie has lived in frigid Alaska in a small exhibit with a concrete enclosure since 1983 and has been alone since elephant Annabelle died in 1997. Earlier this year, Maggie collapsed … Read more »
October 2007 After receiving a complaint about goldfish giveaways at the annual community festival sponsored by the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department in North Huntington, Pennsylvania, PETA wrote a letter detailing the cruelty of giving away animals. Chief Hinish agreed to prohibit animal giveaways at future festivals, admitting that animals are not trinkets and that bringing a … Read more »
October 2007 When PETA learned that AC Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, intended to hold a “Kiss a Pig” contest, we sprang into action. We contacted the school principal and alerted her to the cruelty involved in bringing a young, frightened piglet into a huge auditorium packed with screaming students. The principal agreed that … Read more »
October 2007 After learning from PETA how animals killed for their fur are treated, Swiss watchmaker Swatch, Burton Snowboards, and fashion giants Rebecca Taylor and Nicole Miller made the compassionate decision never to use fur in their designs again. In a letter to PETA, Swatch chief operating officer Reto J. Stockli wrote, “Swatch Ltd. and the … Read more »
October 2007 PETA received complaints about a “rat roulette” game at the 2007 Sacred Heart Fall Festival at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Pinellas Park, Florida, in which a rat was placed in the middle of a spinning roulette wheel and had to locate one of the holes along the side of the wheel in order … Read more »
July 2007 Following years of campaigning, a milestone was reached for animals when Louisiana joined the other 49 U.S. states in acknowledging that the cruel “sport” of cockfighting has no place in civilized society and passed a bill to ban it. Roosters used in cockfights are fitted with sharp razors called gaffes that tear through flesh … Read more »
July 2007 Following a PETA action alert and protests targeting the company, which resulted in thousands of e-mails to the company’s executives, PetSmart has announced that it will no longer sell rabbits in its stores! Considering that thousands of rabbits are abandoned to die in animal shelters every year, this is big news for bunnies–and for … Read more »
After learning that Pennsylvania’s Delaware County Wage Peace and Justice organization planned to release “doves” for a special event’s opening ceremony in September 2007, PETA got on the phone with the organizers and asked them to replace the dove release with an animal-free alternative, such as using dove-shaped kites. The birds used for “dove releases” … Read more »
July 2007 Coca-Cola had a history of conducting invasive and deadly animal experiments–including cutting open chimpanzees’ faces in order to conduct taste tests and force-feeding chemicals to rats to test “caramel color”–none of which is necessary or required by law. After discussions with PETA and after we learned that Coca-Cola was funding a deadly physiology test … Read more »
July 2007 After the president of Country USA – an annual music festival in Oshkosh, Wisconsin – heard from PETA that live goldfish were given away by a carnival booth at the 2006 event, he let the vendor know in no uncertain terms that live animal giveaways would not be tolerated: “It has come to my … Read more »
