As a floridian, this disgusts me. These birds are already terrified of people, but instead of defending themselves they fly off when they can. They're easy prey because they sit out in the sun drying their wings for a good hour before they can take to flight again. It seriously upsets me when people hurt wildlife.

Posted by: Heather Wolf | October 15, 2009 06:16 PM

The earth would be a nice place for animals if humans weren't here to massacre them and decimate their habitats.

Posted by: Brien Comerford | October 15, 2009 07:40 PM

These are beautiful birds, people should have more consideration for animals!

Posted by: Dawn | October 16, 2009 10:56 AM

Here's another way to protect wildlife: Enact legislation to ban all hunting. My cousin just e-mailed me the photo of a proud hunter who had just killed the most beautiful wolf I had ever seen. This beautiful animal weighed 275 pounds and was killed for the crime of chasing a bear too near the feeding station this fool had set up to murder deer. The wolf was supposedly the largest one ever killed.

Posted by: Rev. Meg Schramm | October 16, 2009 12:54 PM

Karin, Thank you for this well written and polite blog that everyone needs to pay attention to (style as well as content).

I wish more people would write this way and truly help animals avoid these dangers instead of the more outrageous ones I read here. This I think is a clear indicator of what PETA should be doing, but I truly do not see it often around here sadly when I see protesters in bikinis and other things.

This is food for thought - it's not, no matter what anyone here thinks about my stance on the issue. I really think that people would take you seriously if you did more things like this instead of some of the other stunts I've seen pulled that can cost you guys things such as your job (any arrests you may get protesting), or worse your health or lives (things such as the protest in Washington D.C. where the seals lay on the crosswalks).

Posted by: Mel | October 17, 2009 06:42 PM

Men who hunt are insensitive, rotton and pathetically stupid. The End!!!!

Posted by: cal | October 18, 2009 12:31 PM

Be confident, because there is hope. Everyday that hope increases. Obviously people are trying to help the animals!

Posted by: Kimberly S Lewis | October 18, 2009 06:32 PM

@ Dawn

"These are beautiful birds, people should have more consideration for animals!"

couldn't have said it better meself.

@ Mel

your squeamish "academic" non sequiturs make precious little sense, your suppositions are pure folly, lacking in even basic commonsense.

the real "issues" here are protecting wildlife and natural ecosystems. not how you just happen to view the PETA blog.

Posted by: vegancoin | October 19, 2009 04:00 PM

Mel, I appreciate your effort to be constructive with your comment, but I have to agree with vegancoin. PETA's mission is to educate others about animal issues, and the crazier the stunt the more attention it gets, which is thus turned into press for the animals. I think the popularity of the PETA Files speaks for itself, but I'm sure your polite comment is appreciated.

Posted by: Elphaba | October 20, 2009 10:04 AM

Elphaba and Vegancoin, I appreciate your civil responses, but I would like to ask you to please understand where I'm coming from (and from my POV, as I attempt to do yours). IMHO, I do see PETA doing some real good things - it's just how you do it that causes you more harm than good at times.

Personally, I am someone who in my own way helps animals. I have helped in shelters, and have rescued animals that were hurt. If they were dead, I have called sanitation so those that are carrion eaters don't in turn become carrion when they try to eat the corpses.

Thing is, I don't make a big show of it, but that's because I feel that the focus should be on the animals 100 percent. It's not me, it's them, but I would feel that if I did similar tactics as I see in PETA, it would be turned to become ME.

Unfortunately - when I see these stunts done by PETA, I don't see it drawing attention to the animals. What I see is a "Look at us (as people in lettuce bikinis for example," not "See what we're doing for the animals - with actual proof." It's more sizzle than grilled tofu.

Personally, I have talked to many people from different views on this subject (yes, I've had some who are strongly opposed to my views - even more so than you have been to me), and they tell me the same thing: PETA draws attention to themselves as PEOPLE more than they do the animals in those responders' views.

This of course isn't a liked viewpoint by many here, and I understand that - but please, look at it from a common joe's standpoint (and I mean by looking at this with NO bias). What do you see when you see these protests? - do you seriously, in your heart, see a bunch of people who are doing what they can *tangibly* (where it can be seen or touched) to help chickens... or do you see a bunch of people dressed up in chicken costumes and being ignored by people because they see in their eyes - "Here's a group that is telling us to go vegetarian and boycott McD's (or KFC), yet is supporting the company doing something that will still harm a chicken because it kills them? (Controlled Atmosphere Killing)"

(BTW, most common response was - stand on one side or the other, not waffle which is what you appear to be with this stance).

This is what you need to ask yourself - are you really helping the animals by physically doing something, like in the blog here above that Karin wrote, or are you just showing off to get your 15 minutes of fame?

This is an ugly comment yes, but I really do think that if you think about it, you may be getting more of the positive turnout - both helping animals and the media you crave - if you do more of the above.

Posted by: Mel | October 21, 2009 01:55 PM

@ Mel

your moral schizophrenia is showing. your selfish and condescending remarks are pointless, your delusional one-track commentary is fodder for the terminally dull-minded, your irrational viewpoints are misguided. trollbait by any other reliable measure..

you telling people how to perform activism is childish and obscene.

please do explain how coming on this forum and badmouthing PETA and ar activism is helping the animals.

the doublespeak that you merrily engage in is nothing short of amazing.

get a new script.

Posted by: vegancoin | October 21, 2009 07:21 PM

@ mel

you are playing a shell game with the truth. yet you fail to recognize and acknowledge even simple bits of truth and obvious incontestable facts. like clockwork. you almost contradict yourself at every turn, but hold back only to unleash a torrent of unbelievable non sequiturs and insensible irrelevant ad hominems in PETAs general direction. your ad hoc moralizing is obscene, childish and worthless.

you have proven nothing except that you are a very insecure person. one that cannot deal with reality, instead doomed to incompetent servitude to hypocrisy, witless lies and one-way propaganda.

your detestable and unfortunate sermonizing is really bullying, that is why you are eager to force the issue. because there isn't one, an act of moral cowardice. this is a key issue, otherwise your remarks can only be rightfully described as irrational and worthless.

how PETA and ara's conduct themselves in public and in private is exactly none of your concern.

nothing is foolproof.

Posted by: vegancoin | October 21, 2009 09:17 PM

Vegancoin, I respect your right to have an opinion. It's one of the few things we have in America that no one has taken away -at least yet.

I have, however, hit a nerve with you in my comments that must've been truthful. Otherwise, you wouldn't go into a two post comment (which is full of the same confusion you posted about my post). Even Elphaba - who is strongly against my views (and I respect her views too), has never done that.

I did not tell you how specifically to do activism, just suggest that there's more like in Karin's blog. What she posted shows what PETA is truly about (and, yes, I do see some good coming from PETA, just not as much as I'd like to), instead of what we normally see with the protests.

What I did suggest, however, was that you look at it from an average person's POV. I truly feel that if you did - you might be surprised that most people ignore the true message you're trying to tout.

I'm not badmouthing PETA as a whole - just some of the antics, but am trying to help you guys become a more successful activist group from the point of view of an average person. Unlike a lot of people on both extremes of this issue, I can see both sides, and rather well. One of the reasons why is because I've lived both sides - I've experienced it.

It's hard to take an activist group - and yes, I have considered in the past joining this group - seriously when they disagree so vehemently with someone for their POV. By this, I mean attacking a person and accusing them of mental conditions that had been said in public would be slander.

This is why I'm saying that blogs like Karin's are what I miss about this organization (I'm more than likely older than most of the people on this board): I miss reading more stories about TRUE and total helping the animals. I read too many "let's protest such and such" stories that have had little to no results. That's what I would love to read more from PETA.

All this is food for thought - you can take it or leave it (which I feel you have, but as I said, you proved my point ... sadly).

Posted by: Mel | October 22, 2009 10:39 AM

Mel, that is understandable. Unfortunately, things like this don't get much attention and PETA has to use other tactics to get people to even think about animals. I understand why you might think that makes advocacy more about the activists than the animals, but I trust that PETA's efforts are unselfish and that the organization is doing its best with what it has to get others involved. I do hope you will encourage some of the people who feel the same way as you do to check out blogs like this and leave positive comments--if they increase in traffic and popularity I'm sure we'll all see more of them!

Posted by: Elphaba | October 22, 2009 12:02 PM

Thank you Elphaba for the positive comments. I do appreciate your honesty - even if as I said we'll have strong views that counter each other. Bear in mind however, there will always be what you see as negative comments - which happen on any blogs. They can't be all positive or negative - otherwise, there's nothing to look at and people lose interest. ;)

I think if there's a balance on how things are promoted - and there can be - I think that PETA will get a lot more respect than what I currently see from the views of the general public (those who have no bias either way).

One thing I do like for example that does have a "little extreme" to is is that the group - dressed in lettuce bikinis (any weather BTW) will give out samples of veggie burgers.

While they're not everyone's cup of tea (the burgers), at least this way people can experiment with them and then decide if they're for them or not - as everyone can't always afford the $3.50 or so for a package of them. (Me? - They're OK on some brands, others taste a bit bitter to me, and I've yet to figure out why. The ones I like best have more veggies to them than soy.)

Posted by: Mel | October 22, 2009 01:18 PM

your sour-grapesian reductionist logic has gotten the better of you.

your comments seem to be confusing, irresponsible, irrational and irrelevant, your arrogant tone an obscenity. there is no right or wrong way to do activism and express ones beliefs. that is what i believe.

in case you missed it animal rights equals people rights.

taken to the extreme the boston tea party was just some soft-soap, a comical shtick and my freedoms just some cheap trick. this is an absurdist POV, i can't seem to make it any clearer than that.

"As long as there are slaughterhouses, there will be battlefields" - Tolstoy

“If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian.” Paul McCartney

"If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there'd be peace." John Lennon

Posted by: vegancoin | October 22, 2009 08:21 PM

Vegancoin, again these are your opinions; however, as I'm noticing more and more, it's attitudes such as yours that harm the cause more than help. I find it rather ironic you're actually doing what you're decrying me for as far as your opinion.

Why does it harm your cause you may ask? - You don't at least attempt to read the other side of the situation. You should know your enemies well, and it's clear to me you don't, and resort to name calling.

You don't have to agree with my opinion no... and you won't... but still, it's something you should give a modicum of respect. (Then again you have by responding to me).

I will conclude with this: There is something I said that hurt you because you know there's truth to it - otherwise you wouldn't be so vitriolic about it. Elphaba's even seen it - otherwise she'd be dressing me down too (as I said, we strongly disagree).

Instead of trying to put me down, why don't you look at what a common joe is saying about some of PETA's protestings and focus on how to make them more effective instead of just a "look at us" mentality that is in their eyes more flash instead of informative.

Posted by: Mel | October 26, 2009 09:39 AM

Indeed, I have been quite critical of you in the past, Mel. I would like to see more positivity from you, and I appreciate your willingness to be constructive in this instance.

Posted by: Elphaba | October 30, 2009 02:29 PM