PETA Statement: Alleged Arsonist Should Be Charged With Cruelty to Animals

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2018

Contact:
Megan Wiltsie 202-483-7382

Below, please find a statement from PETA Vice President Colleen O’Brien in response to the arrest of Temecula, California, resident Brandon N. McGlover, who has been charged with five counts of arson to wildland after allegedly setting multiple wildfires in Riverside County:

Anyone who deliberately sets fires is signing a death warrant for wild animals, who often have no chance of escape. In addition to the human families who lost their homes, millions of wild animals, including mammals and birds, surely lost their homes and even their lives in the wildfires that this man apparently set. Cruelty to animals should be added to the charges brought against him, and PETA warns that anyone in a wildfire’s path who evacuates and leaves their dogs, cats, horses, and other animals behind to fend for themselves may face fines and even jail time for criminal abandonment.

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way,” and more tips for residents affected by wildfires are available here. For more information, please visit PETA.org.