April 2003 A Chesapeake, Virginia, woman called PETA after witnessing a man intentionally run over and kill three ring-billed gulls. We immediately sent investigators to the scene, took photos, and called Chesapeake Animal Control. The man was charged with cruelty to animals and the judge gave him a severe verbal reprimand for his behavior. Get tips … Read more »
April 2003 Alaska, one of the Suarez Bros. Circus’ “Suarez Seven” polar bears, was rescued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) based on research by PETA that raised questions about the bear’s identity. The USFWS used DNA testing to prove conclusively that Alaska was not, in fact, the polar bear who had been born … Read more »
April 2003 Calgary, Alberta, residents contacted us to let us know about the Calgary Stampede’s cruel chuckwagon races. At last year’s nine-day event, seven animals were killed: * A calf suffered a broken leg during a roping event and was euthanized.* A horse used in the chuckwagon event suffered a heart attack-induced aneurism and died.* Five … Read more »
April 2003 Area residents and students from Raymond High School in New Hampshire contacted PETA when they learned that their school planned to hold a donkey basketball game. We immediately contacted the school’s principal and the district superintendent to alert them to the cruelty of the spectacle. We also sent an alert to our area members … Read more »
April 2003 Employees of Canadian airline WestJet Airlines contacted us when they learned, just two days in advance, that the company planned to include a live tiger at its anniversary party. We immediately contacted the company’s CEO to explain about the cruelty and dangers associated with exotic animal displays. We received a call from a WestJet … Read more »
April 2003 A Virginia Beach, Virginia, resident was the first felony conviction under that state’s newly strengthened animal protection law. A drunken man beat his wife’s cat against a wall, inflicting five broken ribs, a broken sternum and front leg, and head trauma. She died from her injuries soon after. The Virginia Beach SPCA worked with … Read more »
April 2003 Since a tiger escaped in 1999 from a New Jersey tiger menagerie called Tigers Only Preservation Society (TOPS), the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife had been working to have the dozens of big cats moved to a facility in Texas. State and federal agencies found that the current enclosure was too small … Read more »
April 2003 Whistleblowers in Madison-Jefferson County, Indiana, contacted PETA to report that cats were found crawling over dead animals in the county animal shelter’s freezer after they were presumed dead. Cats slated for death at the facility were being piled into a metal box pumped full of nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”), a substance not recognized as … Read more »
January 2003 PETA found a pot-bellied pig at a Suffolk feed store in poor condition, all alone in a small pen. He had probably never seen another pig in his life. In a collective effort, we relocated the animal to a western Virginia sanctuary where he could live comfortably in spacious conditions with lots of friends. … Read more »
January 2003 When the general manager of a popular Los Angeles nightclub contacted PETA about getting on board with the club’s idea to put monkeys on display, we quickly responded, highlighting the myriad problems associated with keeping exotic animals, particularly primates, in captivity. We outlined the public safety issues, the public outcry that would surely ensue, … Read more »
January 2003 PETA received countless complaints about an incident in Cleburne County, Arkansas, in which four lions roaming freely near an exotic animal menagerie had to be shot to death because there was no effective method of capture available. The owner of the menagerie claimed that the lions were dumped on his property and took no … Read more »
January 2003 In 2000, PETA worked to stop the federal government from adopting a proposed rule that would allow the Hopi tribe to kidnap golden eaglets from their parents on National Park Service lands in Arizona and sacrifice them in a religious ritual. The proposed rule has not officially died, but because of an enormous public … Read more »
January 2003 The National Toxicology Program (NTP) has a history of asking only for animal-testing methods when soliciting proposals for new methods of testing chemicals for toxicity. After persistent contact with the organization, PETA convinced the NTP to include a request for non-animal methods in future solicitations. Read about the safe and effective alternatives to animal … Read more »
January 2003 PETA received a flood of calls from members of Greystone Association, a civic organization in Raleigh, North Carolina, about the board of directors’ decision to trap and kill a colony of beavers who had dammed a culvert and had been chewing down trees. In response, we sent a letter to the community manager asking … Read more »
January 2003 PETA received a call from a San Francisco, California, woman desperate for help in rescuing nine pigeons from a neighbor’s garage. The neighbor had exploited the birds in racing events and, once they were no longer useful, banished them to a life of confinement in his garage. Reputable bird sanctuaries are scarce, and pigeon … Read more »
