Feld Entertainment, the parent company of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, must now pay the largest settlement of its kind in U.S. history―$270,000―for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) dating back to 2007. PETA has been after the USDA all this time to take action against Ringling for abusing the animals in … Read more »
Despite Conrad Murray’s manslaughter conviction, there will probably always be unanswered questions about Michael Jackson’s life and death. Questions about what happened to the exotic animals Jackson kept as “pets” may never be answered either, since the whereabouts of some of the animals aren’t known. The famous chimpanzee Bubbles, whom Jackson took everywhere with him … Read more »
Remember Coming Home, the sweet little thoroughbred who, discarded by the racing industry, wound up in the hands of a kill buyer? She was on her way to a slaughterhouse in Canada when PETA, working undercover at an auction house where hundreds of horses are sold every week, stepped in. Today, she lives on a … Read more »
Shadow and Chambers, two dolphins who were forced to perform at a Swiss aquarium, died after a rave party was held at the facility. Authorities are trying to determine the cause of death, which possibly includes being blasted with deafeningly loud music or being poisoned by narcotics dropped into their tank. PETA Germany had sent … Read more »
milan.boers | cc by 2.0 On the final day of SeaWorld’s challenge to its citations imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), questions abounded about the qualifications of Jeff Andrews, a 15-year SeaWorld veteran who now works at the San Diego Zoo and whom SeaWorld offered as a witness. Andrews was presented as … Read more »
Collapsed dorsal fins are a symptom of the unnatural environment of captivity—they are rarely seen in the wild, usually in orcas who are injured or ill Returning to the stand on day eight of the hearings regarding SeaWorld’s challenge to OSHA rulings against SeaWorld, the company’s “curator of animal training,” Kelly Flaherty Clark, became visibly … Read more »
Matthew Tosh | cc by 2.0 A female African elephant named Umoya was found lying on the ground with severe injuries Thursday morning at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. She died shortly thereafter. Umoya was one of seven elephants ripped from their home in Swaziland in 2003 and shipped halfway around the world to … Read more »
After its request to dismiss the OSHA case against it was rejected, SeaWorld called its first witness, Jenny Mairot, the supervisor of animal training at the Orlando park. Mairot started at SeaWorld a year after graduating from high school and has never received formal training as an animal behaviorist or trainer outside the organization. Despite … Read more »
Rojer | cc by 2.0 After a fall recess, SeaWorld is back in court to resume its fight against a citation imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which found that the theme park exposed its employees to serious risks after trainer Dawn Brancheau was killed by the orca Tilikum last year. SeaWorld … Read more »
© Comstock/Animals-Wildlife/Getty Images PETA is calling upon the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to investigate whether the owner of a New Jersey roadside zoo and pet store did enough to prevent a fire in which two giraffes, up to 15 parrots, and several dogs and cats died. The letter also asks the USDA, “[I]f this … Read more »
The director of the Oregon Zoo is history—and so is the terrible deal that she made with a notorious outfit caught on tape beating elephants.
© StarmaxInc Her Highness of Halloween, Elvira, knows a thing or two about fright. And there are few things that she finds as terrifying as imprisoning marine mammals in an aquarium and forcing them to endure pounding music reverberating through their cramped tanks. But that’s just what the ghouls at the Georgia Aquarium plan to … Read more »
In the first case of its kind, PETA, three marine-mammal experts, and two former orca trainers are filing a lawsuit asking a federal court to declare that five wild-caught orcas forced to perform at SeaWorld are being held as slaves in violation of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The filing—the first ever seeking … Read more »
Tired of going through racks of Halloween costumes and seeing the same old hockey masks and sexy nurse uniforms? Here are six scary DIY costumes guaranteed to make the most fearless revelers do a double-take—and then think twice about eating meat, wearing fur, or going to the circus. Steal an idea from PETA Vice President … Read more »
After witnessing an ear-splitting dance party at the Georgia Aquarium to kick off Atlanta Pride festivities, PETA Senior Vice President Dan Mathews sent a letter to the aquarium’s president and COO David Kimmel to set the record straight about how this kind of audio torture of animals is not only inappropriate but also likely a … Read more »