July 2003 PETA persuaded a prosecutor to upgrade charges against a Niles, Illinois, man who was charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty for the fatal beating of his family’s puppy. Thanks to our many phone calls, a letter to the prosecutor, a news release, and an action alert to members, this abuser now faces a … Read more »
July 2003 In response to a letter and information packet from PETA about the barbaric practices of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the San Diego, California, Gulls hockey team removed all Ringling circus tickets from its prize packages.
July 2003 PETA learned that a donkey baseball game was scheduled for a bicentennial celebration being held in the town of Thompson, New York. Members of the Monticello Police Department and the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office were to compete in the game. We immediately contacted the sheriff and the chief of police, as well as other … Read more »
July 2003 PETA learned that Warner Springs Ranch resort in California planned to hold a donkey basketball game as part of its “family night.” We, along with other activist groups, immediately contacted the general manager of the resort to explain the cruelty inherent in this antiquated “sport.” We also pointed out that numerous people have been … Read more »
July 2003 A concerned person living near Belmar, New Jersey, sent advertisements for weekly turtle races at Patrick’s Pub to PETA. We immediately forwarded the information to the county Health Department to ask that it investigate and provide information detailing the risk of salmonella infection associated with turtles, especially in food-service establishments. The Health Department required … Read more »
July 2003 A Virginia Beach, Virginia, whistleblower called PETA to report that Stumpy Lake Golf Course was planning to round up and slaughter 300 Canada geese living on the lake. In response, we immediately fired off a letter to the mayor and city manager asking them to halt plans to kill the geese at Stumpy Lake … Read more »
July 2003 When activists learned that PETA had convinced Miller Brewing Company to stop sponsoring festivals in Guam at which cockfighting is featured, we began receiving calls about Anheuser-Busch’s sponsorship of cockfights in Saipan. We immediately contacted the CEO of Anheuser-Busch to explain the horrors of cockfighting and to ask that the company disassociate itself from … Read more »
July 2003 After several months of pressure from PETA, Illinois prosecutors filed felony charges against an Illinois man who had attacked his neighbor’s dog with a home-made spear. The case had been dropped after the abuser’s mother–claiming to be the dog’s guardian–called prosecutors to say she would not be pressing charges. Read about the link between … Read more »
July 2003 Two Pennsylvania men pleaded guilty to breaking into a home and cutting 10 cats with knives, injuring eight and killing and disemboweling two. PETA pressured the prosecutor’s office to seek the strictest penalty, issued a news release, and gave several interviews. The judge, citing the horrible cruelty involved, gave each of the men 26 … Read more »
July 2003 Members of the public pool in Totowa, New Jersey, contacted us when they received advertisements for a Labor Day event at which hundreds, if not thousands, of goldfish were to be dumped into the town pool. The Totowa Bureau of Recreation planned to allow the children to jump in and attempt to capture the … Read more »
July 2003 PETA received a complaint about Trail Horse Adventures in Sedona, Arizona, which was forcing horses to work in temperatures above 100F. Horses were suffering from heat exhaustion and several horses had recently died. We filed a complaint with the sheriff’s department and livestock inspectors. During the inspection, 13 horses were pulled off the line and … Read more »
July 2003 PETA staffers got up early one June morning to help some amphibians in distress in Virginia Beach, Virginia. A man had allowed rainwater to fill his dilapidated pool, and several frogs and toads had laid their eggs in it. Once the eggs hatched and the tadpoles turned into frogs and toads, the animals were … Read more »
July 2003 PETA worked for several months with a llama expert and the sheriff’s department in Chehalis, Washington, to seize a herd of abused and starving llamas from an animal hoarder. The owner was charged with 16 counts of animal neglect and nine counts of animals roaming at large, in addition to a count of animal … Read more »
July 2003 PETA received evidence of an alleged incident during which Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Kentucky, Inc., employees deliberately caused the mutilation and death of two kittens who were trapped inside a trailer. Employees apparently refused to manually unload the trailer in order to spare the kitten they allegedly knew to be trapped. When the cargo was … Read more »
July 2003 After PETA sent a letter to the Minnesota Zoo and rallied members through action alerts, the zoo agreed not to send the animals from this year’s farm display to auction and ultimate slaughter. Instead, the more than 100 goats, calves, sheep, and pigs were sold to people who have offered to provide sanctuary for … Read more »
