Boxes containing the remains of more than 750 raccoon dogs were found in a Netherlands meadow last week. The pelts were missing the strip of fur down the center of the animals’ backs, a tell-tale sign that the animals were likely skinned to make fur collars and cuffs. Although there are no known … Read more »
Rama / CC by 2.0 France The Onion—in a 2004 article that was recently re-posted on the front page of the gag mag’s website—says scientists torture mice just for laughs. This “report” is so cleverly written that when I sent it to Kathy Guillermo, PETA’s vice president of laboratory investigations, she had “palpitations,” as she … Read more »
After more than a decade of scientific research, negotiations, and lobbying by PETA, PETA U.K., and other groups, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has approved new, non-animal testing methods for measuring skin irritation. Now, across the world, rabbits will be spared as the standard way of testing for skin irritation is switched … Read more »
Victory Update: Following a year of vigorous campaigning, PETA has learned that government officials have grounded plans for a cruel and ineffective radiation experiment on monkeys. Learn more about this victory for monkeys. But here on Earth, people aren’t only listening, they’re following you—on Twitter. Check out the following tweet from Astro_Sandy, aka NASA astronaut … Read more »
Q. You have an extra $4,000 in your pocket. Do you:online surveys OK, maybe that’s a trick question. Who in the world would spend one plugged nickel on this gruesome “novelty”? We realize that giving attention to things like these “piggy banks”—or those strange dead squirrel beer cozies—is like engaging with a radio shock … Read more »
We are still receiving calls, e-mails, and blog comments about Anapka, the donkey who was recently hoisted up on a parasail and spent a terrifying 30 minutes in the air, braying for help, before crash landing in the ocean and being dragged across the beach in a promotional stunt. Great news: Anapka’s days of flying … Read more »
Brazil’s Environmental Justice Institute has claimed that one seafood exporter has illegally killed nearly 300,000 sharks.
Some of the gruesome scenes in the upcoming horror movie The Last Exorcism might make you lose your lunch, but at least you can take comfort in knowing that Ashley Bell’s onscreen vomit is … vegan! Ashley, who plays the demonically possessed Nell Sweetzer, told Nylon magazine that the film’s director called her up to … Read more »
On an average day, PETA’s Cruelty Investigations Department receives dozens of phone calls reporting cases of animal abuse. Here’s what happens next.
On Monday, we blogged about the risks posed to animals who are stowed away like luggage in the cargo holds of planes. On Tuesday, those warnings became a heartbreaking reality for seven puppies who died after being shipped from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to Chicago in the hold of a commercial airline. Shipping animals as … Read more »
If you’re a regular PETA Files reader, you probably already know about the physical and psychological problems that plague specially bred (meaning inbred) dogs. Labrador retrievers commonly suffer from hip dysplasia, cataracts, and retinal degeneration. German shepherds are prone not only to hip dysplasia but also to spinal paralysis, epilepsy, and blood disorders. Bulldogs … Read more »
Meat is murder, and disturbing new facts released last week about the case of convicted British Columbia pig farmer turned serial killer Robert Pickton show just how dead-on the saying is. The Province reports, “In Pickton’s freezer were eight packages of meat both chunked and ground, some wrapped in plastic, some in butcher’s paper. These … Read more »
When Michael McLeod pleaded guilty to shooting and killing his Norfolk, Virginia, neighbor’s dog, Rex, because he was annoyed at the dog’s barking, he may not have thought he’d get a long prison sentence for cruelty to animals. But he was facing Circuit Court Judge Karen J. Burrell, a self-described “judge who has compassion for … Read more »
A photo essay in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar features celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe—whose catch phrase is “I die”—being knocked off by various designers. We were struck by how easily the photo in which infamously furry Project Runway judge Michael Kors “bags” Zoe could be mistaken for a PETA ad: I thought … Read more »
It’s been barely a week since the fabulous Pamela Anderson rolled up her sleeves and opened her wallet to help PETA rescue nearly 50 dogs from overflowing Gulf-area animal shelters, and she’s already back in action—this time, she’s helping PETA rescue a special group of cats. Pamela is helping pay for veterinary care … Read more »
