When PETA's giant dinosaur attacked D.C., residents were shaking in their boots. But at the unveiling of our latest enormous animal, a 12-meter-tall baby seal named Sparky, Halifax residents let out a collective "Aww!"

As a crowd gathered to watch the Olympic torch pass through Halifax—they weren't able to miss Sparky, who was right on the heels of the torch:

We've teamed up with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) to inflate Sparky and put him on a mission to educate Canadians about the annual seal slaughter. Sparky is set to visit each city that the torch travels to until it reaches the final Vancouver Olympics destination.

Once residents recover from cute overload, Sparky and our crew will be enlisting them to call on their representatives in Parliament to support legislation to end the slaughter. As the Vancouver Olympic Games approach, all eyes are on Canada—and now is the time to put an end to this cruel industry.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Well, I just lost my appetite. And it's thanks to the announcement that a "members-only" restaurant will soon be serving seal meat to politicians and journalists who work on Canada's Parliament Hill.

gan.ca / CC

Back in 2008, some Canadian senators called for seal flesh to be added to the restaurant's menu as a show of support for Canada's annual seal slaughter, but they couldn't locate a supplier, since most seal-hunting firms cash in on fur sales to Russia and China. The restaurant isn't likely to sell out of seal: One of Canada's own senators said that he's heard that it tastes "horrible," and Quebec Liberal MP Marcel Proulex, who pushed for the nauseating menu item, admits that while it's unlikely that suppliers will get rich from its sale, "[a]t least we'll be sending the message that we're not afraid of seal meat."

Canada seems bent on thumbing its nose at compassion. PETA's Dan Mathews notes, "It's a very peculiar, disturbing cruelty unique to Canada, and it's just bizarre when a country like Canada, which is known for so many advanced policies in the social realm, would be so stuck in the Dark Ages about its support of such a hideous cruelty."

With people around the world voicing their disgust and taking action against the seal slaughter, I'm going to guess that Canada will soon be able to file this "show of support" in the record books right alongside the plan to include seal skin in Olympic uniforms. Epic fail!

Posted by Karin Bennett

Step 1: Burberry may be best known for its famous plaid frocks, but the company's use of fur is a great big faux pas.

How to Help: Post this twitition (that's right, I Twitter-fied it!) from your Twitter account:

@Burberry Stop supporting cruelty 2 animals & adopt a permanent fur-free policy NOW!

Step 2: More than half of the finished fur garments imported into the U.S. come from China. Animals who live on Chinese fur farms spend their entire lives in intensive confinement, only to be pulled from their cages, thrown to the ground, bludgeoned, beaten, and skinned alive.

How to Help: I'm sure by now you've probably seen our shocking undercover video from a Chinese fur farm. Please tell your followers about the horrors of the fur trade by posting the video on your Twitter page: http://ow.ly/zV9A

Step 3: Animals on fur farms around the world are often driven to cannibalism because of the extreme stress and frustration caused by intensive confinement.

How to Help: Because a picture speaks a thousand words, click here to retweet this Twitpic!

Step 4: By signing our fur-free pledge, you'll be sending a powerful message ("Hell no, we want faux!") not only to the fur industry but also to designers, retailers, and others who directly profit from the suffering caused by this cruel industry.

How to Help: Pledge to go fur-free and ask your Twitter followers to do so as well: http://ow.ly/zVf8

Step 5: Each year, the Canadian government allows sealers to beat and skin hundreds of thousands of seals. Baby seals—some of them only weeks old—have their skulls smashed in or are shot for their fur. If you haven't checked out our awesome "Save the Seals" celebrity ad series, take a peek: http://ow.ly/zVey

How to Help: Vote for your favorite "Save the Seals" celebrity using our twitter poll and ask your followers to vote too. Who will you vote for:
@Jayde_Nicole
@PamelaDAnderson
@BrodyJenner
@Perez
@hollymadison123

So, tweeps, you gonna help the millions of animals who need you? Pretty please, we'll ♥ you faux-ever!

Posted by Royale Ziegler, PETA's official twitterer

We were flooded with phone calls and e-mails from ticked-off folks after Land and Sea, a TV show on Canada's CBC network, aired an episode about the annual Canadian seal massacre. But it wasn't for the reasons that you might think. People were outraged because the episode featured the manager of a Newfoundland gift shop recalling that Kevin Spacey bought a pair of slippers made of sealskin while filming a movie in the area.

fameball / CC

Kevin Spacey in sealskin?! We've always known Spacey to be a kind person, so we asked him to set the record straight about this rumor. Spacey's rep assured us that the Oscar-winning American Beauty star did not purchase sealskin slippers (or anything else) from that gift shop. So file this one under "false rumor" (or "rumour," for our Canuck compatriots).

If you're fed up with the cruelty of the Canadian seal slaughter—and the lies of its apologists—then please take a minute to add your voice to those calling for an end to the massacre. Then spread the word to persuade other folks to do the same.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Yesterday, the enormously talented (and playfully goofy, but more on that in a minute) singer/songwriter Joel Gibb of the indie band The Hidden Cameras was in Ottawa to unveil a billboard reminding everyone that "Canada's Club Scene Sucks."

While other compassionate celebrities have opted to wear our seal T-shirt to point out that the annual massacre of baby seals is a big, bloody blot on Canada's reputation, Joel got into the spirit of things by donning our seal costume for the unveiling (well, part of it, anyway).

To read more about what Joel thinks of the seal slaughter, check out his interview with Exclaim!

Or you could check him out in concert—The Hidden Cameras are currently on tour. (No word yet on whether Joel will be performing in a seal costume.)

Posted by Heather Drennan

That would be PETA supporters Emily McCoy and Emily Lavender (aka adorable fuzzy seal), who shook things up a bit at the fall conference of the Fisheries Council of Canada.

Check out the look on the face of the woman in the foreground.

Why were these two nice ladies attending a conference for the Fisheries Council? Because the Fisheries Department oversees Canada's annual seal slaughter, in which hundreds of thousands of baby seals are bludgeoned or shot to death. Boo, hiss!

The duo chanted and drew attention to the seal slaughter for about 20 minutes, then they were carted off to the pokey. Ah well, all in a day's work.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

smh / CC

The good news is that thoroughbred breeding stats for 2009 show a decline in the number of horses who were bred. The number of stallions bred dropped almost 9 percent, and the number of mares bred fell 13.5 percent, according to The Jockey Club. Don't misunderstand—there's still a whole lotta suffering in the making. This year alone, more than 45,000 mares were "covered" (bred), which means that tens of thousands of foals will be born into the racing industry and face the risk of suffering broken bones, being drugged, and being abandoned, neglected, or shipped overseas for slaughter when they are no longer considered "useful." Most of the slaughtering of U.S. horses takes place in Mexico and Canada: More than 100,000 U.S. horses per year are trucked to Mexico and Canada to be slaughtered (and more than 10,000 of those horses are thoroughbreds formerly used for racing).

The Kentucky Derby and other high-stakes races represent the suffering of thousands of horses—day in and day out, year in and year out. While the drop in breeding means that fewer horses will be born to suffer a lifetime of abuse, there's still much more work to be done. Take a minute to check out our investigation into a Japanese horse slaughterhouse and write to the National Thoroughbred Racing Association and demand breeding limits.

Posted by: Karin Bennett

Mais oui! The rain didn't keep members of PETA France—or nearly five hundred other demonstrators—away from a massive anti-fur march in Paris on Saturday.

Think these "grim reapers" are scary? Try watching PETA's fur exposés without covering your eyes. Betcha can't.

Onlookers learned the stomach-turning truth about fur—that regardless of whether it involves the bloody head-bashing of baby seals in Canada or the skinning of live animals on Chinese fur farms, fur always represents horrible suffering for animals.

As a result of the march, the French television news service M6 even ran a feature against the fur trade. It also polled visitors to its Web site: So far, out of 16,000 respondents, 81 percent favor an end to the fur trade.

So tell us, what's your opinion on fur?

Posted by Karin Bennett

Considering that Canadian-born Pamela Anderson is queen of the reveal and a best friend to PETA and animals, we could think of no one better to help us unveil our "Save the Seals" ad series* outside the Ontario Legislative Building this morning.

Pamela is in Toronto for Fashion Week, and has been advocating for an end to the seal slaughter every chance she gets. Last night she strutted down the runway for her A*Muse fashion line in a onesie emblazoned with the slogan "The Seal Hunt Sucks." And this morning, she and PETA V.P. Dan Mathews did an interview with Canada AM, a national T.V. talk show.

At this morning's event, Pamela appeared beside a "baby seal" and unveiled her sexy new PETA ad for her fellow Canadians. She told everyone on hand, "I can only hope that … the international outcry will force the Canadian government to end this shameful practice. Canadians aren't cruel and indifferent, but our leaders have been on this issue."

In the new ad series, celebrities from around the world call for an end to the annual massacre of baby seals—the largest mass murder of marine mammals in the world. These ads have already begun appearing in entertainment magazines, on blogs, and in tweets in many languages.

(Shhh … Did you hear that? It was the collective groan from Canadian officials upon realizing they'll be getting zero time off from responding to complaints, as a direct result of these ads.)

Posted by Karin Bennett

*Want to rock the style of Pamela and so many other celebs? You can own that limited-edition "Save the Seals" tee by clicking here.

The 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver are four months away, but tomorrow the torch will be lit in an elaborate ceremony in Olympia, Greece. While the torch-lightings for the past few Winter Olympics have been disrupted by weather, it wasn't the clouds that had officials worried at today's final rehearsal …

It was PETA's "seal" and demonstrators who kept everyone on their toes.

As long as Canada, the host of the 2010 Winter Games, continues to allow sealers to bash in the heads of helpless baby seals, we'll continue to expose its shameful cruelty, wherever we can.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Grab your shades, dear readers. The lineup of stars you're about to see featured in our new "Save the Seals" ad series is shining super-bright. Ready?

A wide range of celebs, from Perez Hilton and Animal Collective to Kelly Osbourne and Brody Jenner, donated their time and donned our new baby seal T-shirt, designed by Lavish Lint, to support PETA's efforts to stop Canada's bloody seal slaughter.

Want a chance to win your own limited-edition "Hug Me, Don't Club Me" tee? OK, dumb question—of course you do. Simply tell us your most fantastic idea for a slogan for our campaign to stop the seal slaughter. We'll choose the entry with the biggest "wow factor" as the winner.

The contest ends on November 4, 2009, and we'll pick the winner on November 6, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting. Good luck!

Posted by Karin Bennett

… But PETA Germany's spunky supporters—including Jana from Germany's Big Brother—were still willing to brave the fall chill in Düsseldorf to call attention to Canada's seal slaughter.

Forget the fur—boots and scarves prevent frostbite just fine.

These gals and other caring people distributed postcards (which were addressed to the Canadian Embassy in Berlin) urging government officials to stop the slaughter. Hopefully, each passerby who picked one up put it in the mailbox.

Not quite ready to strip for the cause? Fear not—there are many other ways to call for an end to the seal slaughter.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

The following is a guest post from actor and animal rights advocate Brigitte Bardot. A dedicated activist, whose foundation to help animals has tackled issues such as fur, horse slaughter, and companion animal overpopulation, Brigitte was the first celebrity to stand up for Canadian seals. Here, once again, she speaks out against the sinister seal slaughter.

© Prestige/Getty Images

When, in 2003, some politicians and talk-show hosts called for a boycott of French products because of my country's politics against the war in Iraq, sales of French wine dropped by 26 percent in the United States in just a few days. This boycott may have cost French winemakers $112 million because of lost sales overseas.

There is little doubt that consumer boycotts hit where it hurts the most—in the wallet!

These massive ethical reactions from consumers can sometimes convince a government or a corporation to change the way that it does business. That is why I am supporting PETA's boycott of Canadian maple syrup until the Canadian government agrees to ban the slaughter of seals on the ice floes, the largest massacre of marine mammals on Earth, forever.

Canadian law authorizes seal pups to be legally killed as soon as they have lost their white baby fur, which happens about two weeks after birth. On the ice floes, the seals are bludgeoned, and some are skinned while still alive. Each spring, this vision of horror returns: The ice floes become an open-air slaughterhouse, where some pups are left in agony, their mothers trying desperately to revive their small bloody bodies.

This gruesome bloodshed has only one purpose: to fuel the fur trade!

Canadian officials are accomplices to these massacres and spend huge amounts of money to support this dying industry, which is a stain on their reputation in the eyes of the world.

This is why we must act and make Canada understand that it would be criminal, irresponsible, and economically suicidal to continue with the commercial seal slaughter.

The United States and the European Union have banned seal products, but Canada produces about 85 percent of the world's maple syrup―the maple leaf is even the symbol of this country.

As French wine was the ideal product designated by Americans to protest France's pacifist stance, maple syrup is the ideal product to boycott in order to protest Canada's aggressive stance.

Refusing to buy maple syrup so as to refuse to be an accomplice to the slaughter perpetrated on the ice floes can send a strong message to Canadian officials. That's why I am asking you to join PETA and boycott Canadian products to let the leaders of this country know that the seal slaughter is inhumane and disgraceful and that it represents a threat to Canada's economy.

I've been leading this fight for more than 33 years now, and I've already had some victories―with you today, we can win the final fight. I'm really counting on you!

Posted by Brigitte Bardot

Sometimes seals are on Sarah McLachlan's shirt. Sometimes they drive tractors. Sometimes they're in Washington, D.C.

And, as it turns out, sometimes they block the entrance to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City to protest Canada's seal slaughter while the country's prime minister, Stephen Harper, is inside at a meeting … and then they're taken away by the police.

© starmaxinc.com
This "seal of disapproval" let a crowd of people outside the hotel know that tens of thousands of harp seals are slaughtered in Canada each year.

© starmaxinc.com
This seal will live to protest another day. Baby seals whose skulls are bashed in during the seal slaughter aren't as lucky.

Take action! Tell Prime Minister Harper that the seal slaughter must end.

Posted by Amanda Schinke

When PETA caught wind of Air Canada's financial woes, we flew into action with a tempting offer that could help keep the company flying sky high and save thousands of seals from being slaughtered on Canada's ice floes each year. PETA V.P. Dan Mathews will meet with an Air Canada representative on September 11 to discuss giving the Air Canada planes that fly between Canada and the U.S. a makeover—by wrapping them in our anti–seal slaughter ad. Check it:

In April, we asked US Airways to deck out a few of the planes that it flies in and out of Vancouver, home turf of the 2010 Olympics. Though that proposal was rejected, we haven't given up. Got any high-flying ideas about where we could place this ad next? Share your brilliance below.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

answers / CC

The "Priceline Negotiator" recently made a plea for the release of the Edmonton Zoo's lonely, ailing elephant, Lucy.

In a letter to Edmonton Mayor Stephen Mandel, Mr. Shatner wrote, "I humbly ask you to allow Lucy to retire to better circumstances than at the Edmonton Zoo … she's old, feeble, and many of us know how that feels."

He joins pachyderm protectors around the world in rallying for Lucy's release.

Two years ago, elephant expert Winnie Kiiru named the Edmonton Zoo the worst zoo in Canada for elephants and called for the closure of the exhibit. Edmonton's frigid winter weather and the zoo's policy of locking Lucy in the barn when the zoo is closed mean that she spends the majority of her time indoors. The short amount of time that Lucy is allowed outdoors is spent in a barren, dusty enclosure. Being forced to endure the cold and the forced immobility is fueling her arthritis and causing chronic foot and respiratory problems.

Please add your pleas to Mr. Shatner's by writing to Mayor Mandel. Urge him to release Lucy to a sanctuary that can offer her hundreds of acres of diverse terrain, ponds for bathing, a more suitable climate, and the company of other elephants.

Posted by Karin Bennett

This week at the summit of North American leaders, President Obama discussed his stimulus plan, which is aimed at improving the U.S. economy. It includes a "buy American" clause that requires projects funded with stimulus money to use only American goods.

Guess who's up in arms?

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Prime Minister Harper is concerned that if America switches to products made in the US of A instead of buying those made in Canada, his country will suffer a significant financial blow.

That's exactly what we've been saying!

By boycotting Canadian maple syrup—one of Canada's major revenue sources—consumers can help pressure the government to end the annual seal slaughter.

You heard the prime minister—buy American! But before you head out to the supermarket, check out these pictures from our latest demonstration outside the Canadian Consulate in Denver, Colorado:

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Always one to lend a helping hand flipper, our American Maple Syrup Campaign "spokesseal" was itching to get behind the wheel of a tractor to help out one Green Bay, Wisconsin, farmer who was eager to show his support for our Canadian maple syrup boycott.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's … a seal driving a tractor?

As part of our relentless efforts to stop the Canadian seal slaughter, our seal is traversing the U.S. and urging people to choose maple syrup made in America as a way to put pressure on the Canadian government to stop the cruel killing of baby seals in Canada.

I've always wondered—does one need a driver's license to drive a syrup tractor?

So, where are you buying your syrup these days?

Posted by Karin Bennett

nationalpost / CC

Since most of Europe has denounced the shameful slaughter of baby seals loud and clear, you'd think that Canada's government would finally get a clue and take action to end the annual bloodbath, right?

Think again.

Sorry to say, but once again, instead of enacting the ban that good people around the world—including a great many in Canada—are demanding, the Canadian government continues to pour all its efforts into keeping the massacre going. Until the last minute, it was still lobbying the E.U. to change its mind.

Canadian bureaucrats can be pretty thickheaded, but we are determined to keep the pressure on them until they can't ignore it any longer. That means pushing the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic Games to get involved, buying American maple syrup instead of Canadian, and spreading the word to get other folks involved too!

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Oof.

I imagine this is what a certain fur hag might look like on a "good" day.

PETA's "Grim Reapers" recently greeted tourists at a crowded tour-bus stop in Toronto to reveal frightening facts about Canada's shame: the cruel slaughter of baby seals for their fur. Their scary outfits didn't stop tourists from high-fiving them—and tour bus operators were eager to point out our demonstrators to their passengers.

I'm dying to know: Which fugly fur wearer does our "Grim Reaper" most remind you of?

Posted by Karin Bennett

What do you get when you combine our favorite hockey player with one of our favorite faux-chicken sandwiches?

Hat trick! Georges Laraque was so impressed by a Canadian KFC's vegan sandwich, he ordered two more to go.

While there is one major animal offense that keeps Canada in the penalty box, KFCs in Canada offer an awesome vegan sandwich—and they are also making efforts to phase in controlled-atmosphere killing. Partner that with Georges Laraque's insatiable hunger for animal liberation and I'd say you have one of the sweetest assists Canada's seen in some time.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

Canada is celebrating its birthday today, and people around the globe just don't think it's fair. The country that kills hundreds of thousands of seals each year, most of whom haven't even seen their first birthday, gets to throw a big shindig? No way, hoser.

To let Canada know that the rest of the world will not be celebrating in honor of anything Canadian until the seal slaughter ends, people gathered today at Canadian consulates and embassies for demonstrations. They even protested at parades. Check it out:

If Canada is your "home and native land," take a minute and sign our Facebook petition, tweet at Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and send an e-mail to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee. Let your fellow Canadians know that the seal slaughter must end.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

sportsillustrated.cnn / CC

Georges already protested a fur expo in Montréal, and now he's just delivered a slap shot to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the bloody seal slaughter. Georges sent a letter to Prime Minister Harper, writing, "Blood on the ice is fine when it comes to Canada's national sport because players are willing participants, but the blood of helpless baby seals that stains the ice each year is Canada's shame."

He joins other notables who have denounced the slaughter, including Canadian Senator Mac Harb, British Columbia native Pamela Anderson, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and President Obama.

I think everyone can agree that this hockey champ is a pro at sticking up for animals.

Posted by Karin Bennett

smh.com.au / CC

Outcry against the seal slaughter is echoing around the globe. The European Union and the U.S. have banned seal products, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a resolution calling for an immediate end to the slaughter, and world leaders have spoken out against the massacre. Demonstrations from London to Hamburg and Los Angeles to Toronto have made headlines, and people all over the world have sent a strong, united message that the seal bloodbath must end.

It's clear that the Canadian seal slaughter is quickly losing favor and support: This year, about three-fourths of the seals who were expected to be bludgeoned or shot to death were spared. But we still need your help to make sure that Canada doesn't think the protests will end just because the killing has slowed.

One dead seal is still too many, so we've revved up our campaign to get the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee to use its clout to stop the seal slaughter. Check out our new Web site OlympicShame2010.com and give us a hand, won't you?

Posted by Shawna Flavell

frontiersoups / CC

Canada produces 85 percent of the world's maple syrup, and the maple leaf is known throughout the world to represent Canada. And, unlike seal skins, which have been banned throughout the U.S. and Europe, Canadian maple syrup is a product found in many grocery stores and kitchen pantries. A boycott of this iconic product will send a strong message to the Canadian government that people living both in and outside the country will not stand by while baby seals are beaten and skinned in front of their bellowing mothers.

The Canadian government has claimed that it continues to support the seal massacre for economic reasons. By boycotting maple syrup, continuing to hold demonstrations around the world, and targeting the upcoming 2010 Olympics in Vancouver, we will send the message that continuing the massive commercial seal slaughter will hurt Canada's economy far more than it helps it. Every time someone takes PETA's online pledge to boycott Canadian maple syrup, we will send a copy directly to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canada's Minister of International Trade Stockwell Day so that they realize how hard their continued support of the seal slaughter is hitting them in the wallet.

Canadian officials may turn a blind eye to seals' immense suffering, but the outcry against the seal slaughter echoes around the globe. Many compassionate Canadians have already spoken out against the slaughter, and PETA hopes that, as this year's slaughter draws to a close, Canadians will rally to defend their international reputation and tell their government once and for all that they will no longer stand by as this bloody massacre takes place in their country.

As a pancake and seal lover, I'll be buying only American maple syrup until Canada comes to its senses. Won't you join us?

Posted by Karin Bennett

Say what?

Because this is obviously a parody of that, PETA's legal team sent a letter to Carol Gross explaining why we will continue our efforts to protect seals from the bloody slaughter by selling merchandise bearing our protected spoof logo.

We might be open to striking a deal, though. If the Olympic Committee were to help us convince the Canadian government to stop allowing hundreds of thousands of baby seals to be slaughtered annually, maybe we'd agree to quit parodying the Olympic logo.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Why maple syrup?

Canada produces about 85 percent of the world's maple syrup, an industry that rakes in around $C213 million each year. Our newest campaign encourages restaurants and grocery chains to boycott Canada's multimillion-dollar syrup industry. By persuading businesses to sign our pledge, you'll be letting the Canadian government know that the country is going to get a serious hit in the wallet unless it declares an end to the seal massacre.

If your local eatery is already using American maple syrup, pour it on thick (it's safe to use Aunt Jemima and Log Cabin too) and thank the owner that no seal blood was spilled for your breakfast or brinner.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

The number of people who are willing to stand by as the Canadian government allows seals to be slaughtered each year by the hundreds of thousands is decreasing fast.

Recently, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed U.S. Senate Resolution 84, calling for an immediate end to the annual seal slaughter. This vote comes less than a week after the European Union voted to ban the sale of seal fur in its member countries.

The most powerful leaders in the world have voiced outrage about this barbaric tradition, and their cabinet members are in full agreement. Even Canada's own senators have tried to introduce bills to end the slaughter.

WAKE UP, CANADA! The rest of the world is trying to open your eyes, and you've hit the snooze button too many times already.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

animals.nationalgeographic / CC

This vote adds to the pressure on Canada to end the seal slaughter. It shows that the EU Parliament recognizes the inhumanity of the annual massacre. The ban will undoubtedly deal a strong blow to sealers' profits—and that, in turn, will result in less blood on the ice.

The EU's decision is in line with the wishes of the majority of European citizens and all good people across the globe, including, of course, all Canadian citizens who are ashamed that their country is party to the bloody seal slaughter. Eyes now turn to the Canadian government: It has threatened to challenge the EU ban on trade in seal products at the World Trade Organization. Instead, it should be using its own laws to ban the seal slaughter.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

In PETA's new ad, Joel Gibb of Canadian indie band The Hidden Cameras announced that "Canada's Club Scene Sucks." and he's not talking about JELL-O shots.

Today, Joel and the band teamed up with PETA for a public unveiling of the ad in front of Queen's Park in Toronto.

The Hidden Cameras performed a short acoustic set, during which fans sang along to "Animals Belong Alone." The chorus goes like this: "We take and take, we know it's wrong. The earth belongs to animals, and animals belong alone." The performance must have been a good one, because a group of people at the park to protest the genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka even joined in.

Talk about compassion bringing strangers together!

Click here to find out more about my new fave band, the Hidden Cameras.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Here are some photos from the event:

Credit: JeffJewissPhotography.com

Credit: JeffJewissPhotography.com

Credit: JeffJewissPhotography.com

Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
Quit slaughtering the seals!
Happy birthday to you!

Or at least that's what I like to think these caring people were singing when they stopped by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's home to deliver a few birthday balloons for his big 5-0.

This young veg'un (isn't he adorable?) is older than most of the seals Prime Minister Harper allows to be butchered.

Since when you do need a police escort to deliver balloons?

Sergeant Mitch Monette took the balloons on the Prime Minister's behalf.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

The whole world is coming out of hibernation for spring. What better time to get outdoors and get active for animals? There are all sorts of demos happening. Check 'em out!

This was a particularly moving demo in Calgary to fight the Canadian seal slaughter.

This demonstration took place outside the Canadian Consulate in Seattle.

These ladies are letting the world know that McDonald's scalds chicks to death!

Ladies taking showers to demonstrate meat's effects on the environment always get attention—and just in time for "Meat's Not Green" Week!

Did you know that the amount of water required to produce one pound of meat is the same as the amount used in six months of showers?

Check out what PETA Germany's doing. This pile of bodies doesn't even come close to the number of animals who are murdered for their flesh every day.

Can't get enough photos of demos? Well, stay tuned, because we're only too happy to share! In the meantime, why don't you upload a few photos of your own?

Posted by Lianne Turner

Update: US Airways rejected our initial offer, but that little bump in the road isn't stopping us. We're still hopeful that we can work something out with the airline—and if US Airways isn't open to talking, we'll be approaching other airlines with the idea.

With the 2010 Olympics approaching, people are looking to book their travel to the Games sooner rather than later. So, we'd like to let would-be passengers know that there may be a reason (or 338,200 reasons) to skip that trip to Canada.

To that end, we've approached US Airways with a proposal. We'd like the airline giant to wrap a few of its planes (the ones that fly in and out of Vancouver—Games headquarters) with one of our ads:

US Airways is quite the global ambassador and thus is the perfect flying billboard to promote responsible travel. By placing our "Canada's Olympic Shame—End the Seal Slaughter" ad on the body of a few of its planes, US Airways will be doing its part to show Canada that the world won't rest until the cruel slaughter of baby seals ends. How do you like our design?

Posted by Shawna Flavell

From Los Angeles, California, to Paducah, Kentucky and from Berlin, Germany, to Zagreb, Croatia—all around the world, caring people are taking to the streets to protest against the shameful Canadian seal slaughter. These caring activists are showing Canada that the world will not tolerate this bloody massacre.

We've posted many entries on this blog with photos from across the globe, but that's just a fraction of the pictures that have flooded into our inboxes in recent weeks. We've just set up a gallery on Flickr, so we're no longer limited in the number of photos we can share with you. Check out the slideshow:

Got demo photos of your own that you'd like to share? Why don't you send 'em our way so that we can add them to our Flickr gallery?

Posted by Shawna Flavell

Some people just need to have things spelled out for them before they catch on. At this very moment, the seal slaughter is staining the ice floes of Canada blood red, despite all the not-so-subtle hints that we've been dropping to let Canada know that allowing a massacre to take place on its territory is an intolerable embarrassment. So, we've launched a billboard campaign across Canada to grab attention in a way that people can't miss.

The first billboard was unveiled in Mississauga, Ontario, by some kindhearted people and an all-too-adorable seal. I don't think that anyone who sees this while driving down the highway can fail to get the message:

Posted by Shawna Flavell

Click for a larger version

To check out the archives of past strips, click here.

Last week, I shared photos of people across the globe speaking up for seals. Fortunately, many Canadians are also standing up to let the world know that they are opposed to the seal slaughter. Check out these demo photos to see what ashamed Canadians are doing to show that they're not all a bunch of barbaric orcs up north.

Those are some seriously smart kids! These young British Columbia residents can probably relate to the baby seals who are being killed, most of whom are less than 4 weeks old.

They certainly know how to turn heads in London, Ontario.

Multiply that pile of bloody seal babies by 32,000 and you'll almost have the number of seals who will be killed this year.

Vancouver residents are preparing for the 2010 Olympics by illustrating the bloody horror of the seal slaughter.

Add some red ice and a grieving mother seal, and you've got yourself a massacre.

Are you a Canadian looking for ways to take action against the seal slaughter? You can start by signing this Facebook petition and sending it to all your Canadian friends.

Posted by Lianne Turner

The following blog is a guest post from peta2's Ryan.

The fight against the Canadian seal slaughter has gone digital!

That's right, gamers, get ready: This Saturday, World of Warcraft (WoW) players will have the opportunity to combat a team of four Horde seal killers. We need your help to stop them from bashing in the heads of any more seals!

Thrall refused to ban the slaughter of seals, despite multiple requests from the Alliance to do so, because Orgrimmar stands to make a large profit from the fur.

Activists from across the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor are banding together to put a stop to the atrocious seal slaughter. Anyone who slaughters baby seals for their fur must surely be in service to the evil Lich King.

Here's what you need to know in order to battle:

• You must be in the WhisperWind realm in order to fight. Visit WorldofWarcraft.com if you need information about how to switch into this realm.
• Once in the WhisperWind realm, go to Northrend, where you will find a zone called Howling Fjord, where the baby seals live on glaciers and boats float in the fjords. This will be the battleground to stop the slaughter. (Note: You must be at least a Level 70 player in order to enter Howling Fjord.)
• The battle will take place on Saturday, April 11, at 1 p.m. EST.

Make sure to check out videos about the upcoming battle here, and use our Facebook event to get all your friends to join you in the fight. Be sure to check back for the battle coordinates.

Think you can stop the seal killers?

UPDATE: The battle will be taking place at coordinates 79, 73 on the southeastern coast of Howling Fjord, due south of the Explorers League Outpost.

Posted by Ryan Huling

(Did all this WoW talk go right over your head? Don't be embarrassed—maybe you should just sit this round out and stick to helping seals on Facebook!)

By now, the whole world knows about the horrors of the Canadian seal slaughter. With demonstrations taking place around the world, it's pretty hard not to notice. Our friends in Canada, Germany, and cities across the U.S. have been out on the streets to spread the word. Check out some photos of recent demonstrations, and then visit our Action Center online to find out how you can organize your own protest.

We love LUSH for being cruelty-free, and now we love the cosmetics maker even more for teaming up with Sea Shepherd to save seals.

This concerned citizen in Detroit is holding a "hakapik," a club with a hook on the end that sealers use to bludgeon seal pups.

Our friends at PETA Germany showed up in full force to defend seals.

Londoners certainly know how to make a statement!

This Chicago demo brought tears to the eyes of onlookers. One passerby even took up a poster and joined the protest.

Inspired yet? Take a minute to read the words of a Canadian who opposes the seal slaughter, and then take action by telling the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee that you won't support the Olympic Games until Canada stops supporting the seal slaughter.

Posted by Lianne Turner

neobeans / CC

The owner of the Montréal Canadiens is considering selling the team, and guess who's throwing an offer on the table? In our letter to team owner George Gillett, we're offering to pay $10,000 Canadian to rent the team for a week, during which time we'd change its name to the Canadian Seal Pups and encourage every spectator to sign and mail our postcards to Prime Minister Stephen Harper urging him to end the seal slaughter.

Give the seal pups some hockey sticks, and then let's talk about blood on the ice.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

You have to wonder why the seal slaughter is allowed to continue even though almost everyone is opposed to it, including most Canadians. Helpless baby seals are beaten to death while their mothers scream in anguish. The babies are dragged across the ice with boat hooks, and some are even skinned alive.

So you see why we're doing all we can to stop the massacre, right? And we're definitely not alone in this fight. This week, U.S. Sens. Carl Levin and Susan Collins introduced a resolution asking the Canadian government to put an end to the seal slaughter. Hooray! We'll keep you updated on the resolution's progress. In the meantime, try sending a letter to Canadian officials urging them to stop the seal slaughter (and asking your friends to do the same), signing our petition (and asking your friends to do the same), and posting our alert on your Facebook page (and asking … well, I think you get the idea). We need the support of everyone we (and you) can possibly contact to stop this slaughter.

But before you get started calling, e-mailing, and IMing your friends, check out these pictures from PETA's protest in Toronto this week:

Don't do it! You don't want their blood on your conscience.

I bet the kids on those buses have already posted our alert on their Facebook pages!

Posted by Lianne Turner

This is it, people. If you haven't written to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee yet, today is the day. Not only did Canada's annual seal slaughter start today, they've actually increased the quota of seals that can be slaughtered. This means that seal killers can legally bash in the heads of up to 338,200 seals in the coming weeks. That's right—the world's biggest marine mammal slaughter just got bigger.

If you need a refresher course in just how disgusting the seal slaughter is, watch this video:

That's what the Canadian government has the unmitigated gall to call "humane." I kid you not.

Help stop this senseless massacre. Click here and here for a list of easy actions you can take for seals today. And please encourage your friends, family, and everyone you see on the street to do the same.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

At the moment, we're fighting to end the Canadian seal slaughter. Here are a few easy tips for spreading the word about the seal slaughter through your social network:

Facebook

1. Become a fan of PETA's Facebook page. This takes two seconds, tops, and lets all your friends know that you're fighting the seal slaughter. You can opt to get daily announcements on new ways to get active and check our status updates throughout the day.
2. Sign petitions and join causes. Facebook makes it easy to take action with "Causes and Petitions" that you can sign with a click, post on your wall, and forward to all your friends in less than a minute. Check out this petition to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter.

MySpace

1. Add PETA as a MySpace friend. You can read our blogs and bulletins, watch videos, leave comments, and way more. PETA's MySpace page is your all-in-one center for staying up-to-date on animal rights.
2. Get interactive. PETA's MySpace page has all sorts of banners, badges, and videos to embed, making it easy for you to personalize your own page and voice your support for baby seals. We even have a brand new MySpace wrapper, so if you can copy and paste, you can give your profile a pro-seal makeover.

Twitter

1. Follow @OfficialPETA. By following PETA on Twitter, you can get the latest updates on the seal slaughter battle and chat with our lovely and knowledgeable Twitter rep (yours truly).
2. Tweet for seals. You could RT (retweet) our tweets, let your friends know that they can follow us, or even send a tweet to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper (@pmharper) to ask him to stop the seal slaughter.

Now that you're equipped to fight the social-networking war against the seal slaughter, I'll see you on the field!

Posted by Lianne Turner

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the seal slaughter:

Credit: Sea Shepherd

Yeah. We thought that it was awful too.

How can you help end this atrocity? Glad you asked. Click here.

Posted by Christine Doré

This Sunday, March 15, is International Day of Action Against the Seal Slaughter. Why it's not on all the calendars between Purim and St. Patrick's Day, we'll never know, but, hey, we're doing our part to get the word out.

OK, so this event is big—international, even, as the name suggests. Animal protection groups of all sizes from all around the world have lots of things planned for Sunday. But you don't need nonprofit status to get in on the action. In fact, all you need is your own dang self—or just a group of your like-minded BFFs. Here are some entirely do-able ways to become an action hero for seals:

• You've probably already followed through on our action alert, but if not, this would be the time for it, don't 'cha think?



• If you're a Facebook fanatic, you can post our action alert to your page or sign our petition—and get your friends to sign it too.



• Think of someplace where lots of people will be on Sunday and set up a table there with information about the seal slaughter.



• Pick out a busy street corner or sidewalk—in front of a fur store, say—and hand out our attention-getting "Blood on the Ice" leaflets.



• Share our YouTube video with everyone you know.



• If you don't have time, but you do have money, donate some to us and support our work for seals and all animals.



• If you really want to get the message out loud and clear, host your very own demo against the seal slaughter! Don't worry, we've got your back! Click here to order a poster for your event and click here to order a seal mask. Take photos at your demo and e-mail them to our activist liaisons at ATeam@peta.org. We've got a guide that might help, too; you can check that out here.

And that's just for starters. For more ways to be an action hero for animals all year 'round, click the "Get Active" link at the top of this page and check out our Guide to Becoming an Activist—that is, if you're ready to become a superhero!

Posted by Jeff Mackey

With only three days left until the International Day of Action Against the Canadian Seal Slaughter (for the math-impaired, that's March 15), we're gearing up to show our snowy neighbors to the north that the world is watching as they prepare for their annual massacre of hundreds of thousands of baby seals. People are understandably outraged that baby seals are bludgeoned and skinned alive for their fur, and some people are directing that anger into creative ways to spread the message and get others involved. Check out this Claymation video that some folks with a rather wicked sense of humor put together:

We're not condoning violence in any way, but according to this video, even the Abominable Snowman is ticked off at Canada's seal killers.

Don't worry, even if you're not the creative type or can't make Claymation videos, you can still speak up for seals. Click here to write to the Olympic Organizing Committee and the Canadian Prime Minister to demand that they help bring an immediate end to the seal massacre.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

With the Canadian seal slaughter about to begin, we're doing everything we can to get it stopped. Hundreds of thousands of baby seals are murdered in this annual massacre. Can you imagine the horror a mother seal experiences when her baby's skull is smashed in right in front of her? We can't either, so this week, we're giving away a limited-edition plush seal pup to help remind the world to hug seals, not club them.

Comment below to win or click here to order a baby seal plush now.

How do you win? Post a comment below letting us know what you're doing to help stop the seal slaughter. The response that shows the most initiative will win a plush seal pup.

The contest ends on March 25, 2009, and we'll contact the winner on March 27, 2009. Be sure to read our privacy policy and terms and conditions, as you're agreeing to both by commenting.

Not feeling lucky? You can go ahead and buy a plush pup now. Or two or three. No need to feel guilty for splurging—all the money goes to a good cause!

Posted by Lianne Turner

With the start of the annual Canadian seal slaughter just a few weeks away, PETA took to the frozen Rideau Canal in Ottawa to help stop the killings. Skaters looked on in wonderment as activists recreated the "crime scene" from an attack on a baby seal. Check out these photos from the demo:

If you haven't witnessed the seal slaughter firsthand, you'll have to trust us that it looks a lot like this bloody mess—but with seal babies' corpses and wailing mothers nearby.

A voice from above says: "Stop the Seal Slaughter!"

Lord knows you don't want this muck on your skates—or on your hands.

Inspired yet? Learn more about our campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter and what you can do about it.

Posted by Lianne Turner

Well, you gotta give the guy points for trying. Courageous Canadian Senator Mac Harb introduced a bill on Tuesday to ban Canada's annual slaughter of hundreds of thousands of baby harp seals, but he failed to find even one other senator with a backbone (or heartbeat) to support it. Despite the fact that most Canadians—and everyone else on the planet—think that the baby seal massacre is as revolting and indefensible as, well, clubbing a baby human and stealing his or her candy, Canadian government officials, who apparently live in sound-proof igloos, inexplicably continue to defend it.

Senator Harb's bill marks the first—but hopefully not the last—time that a Canadian politician has proposed banning the seal slaughter. It was inspired by a pending EU ban on the importation and sale of most seal products. Even Russia—Russia, people!—is poised to ban its own seal hunt, which Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has described as "such a bloody hunt, and it is clear that it should have been banned a long time ago." Yes, Vladimir "Tiger Tamer" Putin. That Putin.

Canada, when Russia starts making you look like a big, blustering bully, you know you've got an image problem.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

While most of us would never dream of bashing in a helpless baby seal's skull, there are people out there who don't even think twice about it. More than 205,000 seals were killed last year in Canada's annual seal massacre, which is why we sent a "baby seal" to Ottawa, Ontario, to ask the locals for hugs instead of clubs. Check out these photos to see PETA's baby seal in action:

Want to help stop the Canadian seal slaughter? Let the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Organizing Committee know how you feel here and ask your friends to do the same.

Posted by Lianne Turner

Yesterday, PETA held a press conference in Vancouver to announce our ramped-up campaign against the Canadian seal slaughter. We'll be running the campaign up to and through the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which will be held in the city. Our goal is to switch some of the focus from Canada's Games to Canada's shame—the annual massacre of hundreds of thousands of baby seals. To illustrate the worldwide outrage over Canada's despicable seal slaughter, our international affiliates also held protests in Australia and France yesterday.

PETA's official press conference in Canada

PETA Asia-Pacific's demo in Australia

PETA France's demo in Paris

PETA Germany's demo in Berlin

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Vancouver will be home to the 2010 Olympic Winter Games, which will put Canada on center stage for much of the coming year, and we plan to put its shameful hunt there, too, for all the world to scrutinize. We have written to the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee asking for their help with persuading government officials to outlaw the hunt.

There's no word yet on Prime Minister Stephen Harper's reaction to our press conference, but he can be sure that we will continue to be a thorn in his side until he puts an end to the bloody seal slaughter once and for all.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

britannica / CC

In an attempt to save this industry, Canada has implemented new standards aimed at making the hunt more humane, including the following:

1. The use of hakapiks (clubs with metal hooks on their ends) on seals more than 1 year old is now banned. Ironically, it is legal in Canada to kill seal pups when they are about 12 days old. During last year's hunt, almost all the seals who were killed were 3 months old or younger.


2. Sealers must now feel seals' heads to confirm that they are dead.


3. Sealers must wait 60 seconds before skinning the seals to ensure that they are dead.

Talk about setting the bar low.

I'm sorry, but impaling baby animals in the jaw with hooks, dragging them across the ice, and throwing them into a pile where they choke on their own blood before skinning them for the sake of fashion does not fit anyone's definition of "humane." These laws are a pathetic attempt to misguide shoppers, but the industry is not changing at all. Canada, if you really want to improve the lives of seals, won't you please ban the seal hunt immediately?

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Racism, slaughter, skinning … this video has it all—all things inhumane and barbaric, that is.

In a shocking new video released by our pals across the pond at PETA Europe, some bear-skinners recently got their five minutes of fame when, unbeknownst to them, they were videotaped cutting the skin off a black bear and spitting out racial slurs that will have their own mothers dodging their phone calls this holiday season.

You can view this footage below, but please be forewarned: The images and language are graphic.

These pin-head hunters sell bear hides at the very same auction where the British Ministry of Defense buys furs to make the Queen's Guards' caps. Now, you might think that the Queen is simply unaware of the cruelty sewn into each cap, but that's hogwash. PETA Europe has joined forces with top British celebs such as Ricky Gervais and Lucy Davis about this issue. Even Pink has gotten into the mix, sending the Queen a letter expressing outrage over her support for the slaughter of Canadian black bears.

There is no excuse for racism and there is no excuse for the Queen to support the killing of black bears for their fur. The Ministry of Defense needs to stop dragging its heels and make the switch to faux. Until the change is made, the Queen's Guards' caps will be symbols of cruelty at its worst. One way to help is to send a message to Canada's Prime Minster and demand that he ban the practice of bear-baiting.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

fedcan / CC

While the airlines may see this as a blow to their bottom lines, we hope they'll think of it as an opportunity instead. To wit: Bring back the veggie meals! And not just as an option, but for all passengers.

You see, adult vegans are, on average, 10 to 20 pounds lighter than adult meat-eaters. So by putting veggie food on those seatback trays, the airlines can help keep their frequent flyers slim and healthy—and free up more seats for paying customers, as we suggested to the powers that be. You can see our full letter to Air Canada here.

Of course, even if you're not traveling by air this holiday season, it's good to know that there's a way to keep from carrying extra pounds into the new year. To learn more, check this out.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

Care2 / CC

When the Elliston Heritage Foundation announced plans to establish a memorial to honor seal hunters who have died during Canada's gruesome annual seal hunt, PETA sent a letter to Myrtle Stagg, chair of the foundation, asking her to erect a memorial to the millions of seals who are killed during the hunts each year. Part of the foundation's mission is to commemorate sealing disasters, and we can't think of a more horrific and preventable disaster than the world's largest annual slaughter of marine mammals, which claims hundreds of thousands of innocent victims year after year after year.

We haven't heard back from Stagg, perhaps in part because the foundation shies away from the "politics" of the seal hunt. Huh? Last time I looked, horrific animal abuse was less about politics and more about deep-seeded psychosis. No matter where you fall on the "political" spectrum, anyone with a shred of kindness can confidently condemn an event in which baby seals are bludgeoned, shot, and often skinned alive and agree that their deaths should not go unnoticed or unmourned.

PETA really hopes that Canada will soon find some compassion and end the seal hunt for good.

Either way, I hope to see that memorial for the baby seals before next year's slaughter begins.

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris

PETA Foundation staffer Alex Bury and Vegan Outreach pres Jack Norris' recent wedding was for the birds—and they wouldn't have had it any other way. You see, the Bay Area couple are so committed to spreading the vegan message (she proposed to him while they were handing out veg leaflets) that they flew to Canada and shared their commitment to each other at a Toronto KFC restaurant.

Why get hitched at a Canadian KFC? Marriage isn’t the only thing new and exciting on the menu. Thanks to PETA’s landmark agreement with the company that coordinates the purchase of chickens for all KFC franchises in Canada, conditions for chickens killed for KFCs in Canada are now subject to various welfare improvements and most KFCs in Canada have added a faux-chicken sandwich to their menus. Making their vegan wedding a joyous occasion for all peeps (geddit?) involved, the newlyweds served the new sandwich at their reception. What did guests think of the faux fowl? It was love at first bite. Speaking of love ... congrats, Alex and Jack! Here are pics of the happy event:

Posted by Amy Elizabeth

Yesterday, we mentioned an advertisement that we wanted to run in a Canadian newspaper in the wake of a shocking stabbing murder and possible cannibalism in Manitoba. Countless people have contacted us with their concerns, so we'd like to explain why we wanted to run the ad that no newspaper will touch with a 10' pole.

Yes, of course we were horrified (who wouldn't be?) when we heard the details of this barbaric, incomprehensible killing. And obviously, everyone's good thoughts go out to anyone affected by this violent act. That's all a no-brainer. Now, remember, PETA is known for being provocative—that's our job. The animals don't benefit from our silence. So our thought is always: How can we get people to see that despite their feelings about this kind of violence, they are often paying someone to do exactly what was done to the man on the bus, and worse, just so that they can eat a sandwich? Voila, the ad!

We see parallels between acts of violence against humans and cruelty to animals, since both spring from a common root. We understand that such comparisons may be uncomfortable for many people, but they're not inaccurate.

Responding to violence with anger is also natural, but just being angry solves nothing, does it? Real change comes about when we channel anger or sadness into action. By juxtaposing the shocking details of the murder with the fate of animals whose bodies are casually hacked apart to end up between two slices of bread, some good will come. Already, thousands of people have visited our site not just to scream at us but also to read about slaughterhouses, and many have watched "Meat Your Meat." If you can sit through that and not see the truth in what we are saying, what can we say?

Like humans, animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone. Animals in slaughterhouses experience terror in the face of death. They fight for their lives and struggle to avoid pain. Birds love and grieve. In light of animals' suffering, we are urging people to embrace nonviolence in the face of senseless violence—against all beings—by going vegetarian. If someone doesn't like it, maybe it is because it makes them feel guilty for just saying, "Oh, how terrible," about the bus violence but not wanting to face the fact that they contribute to violence as well. To think otherwise is simply supremacist.

Quick—what reason do people usually give for continuing to eat meat even after you've told them about all the awesome health, environmental, and animal welfare benefits of going vegetarian? If you said taste (as in, people don't want to give up meat because they like the taste), you win $1 million! Not really (sorry!), but it does mean that you've been doing a great job trying to get your friends and family members to take the cool vegetarian plunge—go, you!

Now, people who've explored veggie cuisine know that you don't have to give up anything in the way of taste or texture to go vegetarian, but guess what massive corporation is going to help spread that message to new audiences? If you said most KFCs in Canada, you don't win $1 million, but you are right (go, you, again!).

Most KFCs in Canada have just added a vegetarian chicken sandwich to the menu, and by all reports, the faux chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside, and delectably flavorful inside and out. YUM! (YUM! is actually the name of the company that owns KFC in the U.S., but they aren't serving it, dammit).

The company that coordinates the purchase of all chickens for Canadian KFCs has also entered into an agreement with PETA, which includes landmark animal welfare reforms that will substantially improve the lives and deaths of chickens killed for Canadian KFCs. And we at PETA have been so happy about this that we sent our Lettuce Ladies on a Canadian tour to pass out KFC's faux-chicken sandwiches to anyone eager for a taste. How's that for winningly fabulous, eh?

Here are some photographs from Montréal!

Posted by Grace Friedan

So I told some of my animal buddies about the progress with the KFC campaign in regards to the animal welfare changes we secured for chickens killed for Canadian KFCs..

So we had a little celebration, as you can see here. They couldn't really wait for the grapes to ferment into wine and all that, so they just gobbled (no pun intended) them up.

Congrats to everyone for doing such a great job with the campaign so far! The chickens especially thank you for working to make their lives better.

—Pulin

Posted by Pulin Modi, Senior Street Team Coordinator, peta2

If I were to list the most interesting experiences I've had in my 26 years of life, I'd say that eating a meal of vegan fried chicken with the president of the company that coordinates the purchasing of chickens for all Canadian KFCs at the PETA HQ—in the midst of our bitter five-year battle with the chicken chain—would make the top 10.

That was back in December. Six months later, I'm happy to report that our bread-breaking (along with negotiations, dozens of e-mails and phone calls, and a meeting in Toronto that preceded my "chicken" dinner) was successful: PETA has officially ended our Kentucky Fried Cruelty campaign in Canada. Our decision came with a new animal welfare plan that will affect all chickens killed for KFCs in Canada.

For one thing, 100 percent of the chickens killed for Canadian KFCs will be purchased—through a phase-in program—from suppliers that use "controlled-atmosphere killing" (CAK), the least cruel method of bird slaughter available. CAK works by replacing birds' oxygen with a mixture of nonpoisonous inert gasses to gently put them "to sleep." It may sound horrible—because killing animals for a fleeting taste sensation always is—but for animals killed for food, it's a 180° turnaround. Gone will be the days of broken bones, abuse by workers (because with CAK, workers never handle live birds), electric shocks, and live throat slitting and scalding.

The conditions for animals on farms will also be improved. In addition, the company that coordinates the purchasing of chickens for all Canadian KFCs will encourage the chicken companies supplying Canadian KFCs to move away from the cruelest breeding and farming practices and will also form an animal welfare advisory council.

But I haven't even gotten to the best news yet. That vegan fried-chicken meal that I ate with the head honcho in December might not be his last. Most KFCs in Canada will now be adding a vegan chicken item to their menus. That means that at least 65 percent of KFCs in Canada will now have a totally cruelty-free option (ask for the item, called the Classic Vegetarian Sandwich, in a wrap and with no mayo to make it vegan). Not too paltry, huh? (Get it?)

As for our campaign against KFC, it continues in full force everywhere else. In fact, I sent a letter to the CEO of KFC's parent company, Yum! Brands, today urging him to make the same changes that are being made in Canada.

Thank you to everyone who helped us win this historic victory by staging protests, writing letters, and forwarding videos (among other things).

To everyone who has yet to help: Lend a hand by logging on to KentuckyFriedCruelty.com and signing our petition urging KFC to improve animal welfare worldwide.

—Matt

Posted by Matt Prescott, Assistant Director of Corporate Affairs

I wanted to do a joke here about the fact that “gosling” means baby goose, but it’s not coming, so I’ll just play this one straight: Ryan Gosling, the Oscar-nominated star of Lars and the Real Girl, Murder by Numbers, and Half Nelson, has just fired off a letter on behalf of PETA to John Bitove (who runs the show for most KFCs in Canada, Ryan’s home country) urging him to stop Canadian KFCs' suppliers worst abuses of chickens, who are killed when they’re still just babies. "The time is ripe to do the right thing," he writes. "By adopting the basic recommendations made by PETA and scientific experts (including raising birds in a more natural manner and employing less cruel slaughter methods), you could dramatically improve the lives and deaths of chickens …."

Ryan Gosling	Goslings

Image credits: DeadlineHollywoodDaily, BBC / CC

And if you haven’t seen Lars and the Real Girl yet, you should rent it. Definitely one of my favorite movies this year.

According to Reuters, the captain and first officer of the Farley Mowat, which belongs to the anti-seal hunt Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, were arrested by Canadian authorities, who representatives from Sea Shepherd say boarded the ship outside Canada’s territorial limit last week. As you might imagine, both sides are telling some conflicting stories about the event, and while I’m really trying to maintain a bit of journalistic distance in reporting this thing, it’s pretty tough to take Canada’s Fisheries Minister seriously while he’s also using every opportunity to try and claim that this is humane, and, like, totally above board from an ethical perspective. In the meantime, Paul Watson of Sea Shepherd is pissed. Here’s how he described the incident:

"This is an act of war. The Canadian government has just sent an armed boarding party onto a Dutch registered yacht in international waters and has seized the ship."

I’ll let you know once I can get some more details on this—in the meantime, there’s no question about the fact that Canada has declared war on seals. The Canadian government will be killing 275,000 of these animals this year in a barbaric hunt that has provoked international outrage. If you want to take a moment to let these people know how you feel about that, you can sign on to PETA’s campaign against the seal hunt here.

Timeout / CC

In late June the Montreal Symphony are hosting a TV Special to salute Buffy Sainte-Marie's 50th year making music. I am honored to be asked to take part. I first bought a Buffy Sainte-Marie record when I was 12, and her music has always remained with me. In the 1960s, as a political activist, Buffy's lyrics were fearless, and I'm very grateful for all the risks that she took.

I am also pleased to be asked to join the bill at the V Festival at the Thunderbird Stadium in Vancouver, and also at Fort Calgary in Calgary.

However, as we all know, the psychologically and constitutionally sickening Canadian seal-kill has started and is once again in full-cry.

The horror of the Canadian seal-kill is untranslatable, and although I fully realize that highly concentrated evil exists in other countries - Japan's dolphin slaughter, Iceland's newly-revived whaling, the cat-skinning trade in Switzerland, and China with just about every injustice imaginable - there is something especially menacing about Canada's seal-kill.

Loyola Sullivan (Canada's Ambassador for Fisheries Conservation) is a man of glacial coldness who claims that the seal-kill is "humane" - a view he might alter if his own skull were cracked open with a spiked axe. The fact that the seal-kill provides a livelihood for fishermen is an insultingly dim excuse for it to take place - after all, the German gas chambers of World War 2 also provided work for someone.

The seal-kill takes place to satisfy greed for fur-pelts, and this Canadian government is happy to drag the global image of its own country down, and make it a place that people such as I couldn't bear to visit.
-Morrissey, 29 March 2008.

The Honorable Tom Rideout
Credit: CBC/CC

Bad PETA Germany! What were you guys thinking? Did you even take a second to think that you might be hurting the feelings of the Newfoundland Fisheries Minister when you released a video depicting the horrors of the seal slaughter that he presides over? No, of course you didn’t. And look what happened. Because of your heartless disregard for the complicated emotional needs of Canadian Fisheries Ministers (and this isn’t the first time you’ve upset defenseless bureaucrats, is it, PETA Germany?), you’ve gone and hurt The Honorable Tom Rideout’s feelings. What do you have to say for yourselves?

Here’s how it’s all going down, according to Newfoundland’s Western Star newspaper:

"The provincial government is alarmed by a new anti-sealing video which is being distributed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) 2, in Germany. The Honourable Tom Rideout, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture, expressed his disappointment and concern that this group would draw such a vile comparison to the Canadian sealing industry, which includes one of the most well-managed harvests anywhere in the world. The video compares the harvesting of seals to the violent physical abuse of a human."

And Minister Rideout has been eloquent on the subject of his “disappointment” in a press release that he’s been sending around:

“We are now witnessing a new low on the part of anti-sealing organizations. We in Newfoundland and Labrador have become accustomed to the misinformation and inaccurate depictions of the seal harvest that are presented around this time every year. However, this particular attack is the most vile that I have ever seen myself in my almost 30 years in public life. It is completely indecent for this group of people, who have likely never even visited our province, to present such a disturbing depiction of sealers. It is ironic that this group, which is making such an unethical attack, has the word ethical in its name. Their ethics are certainly nowhere to be seen in this approach to addressing their concerns with the Canadian sealing industry. It is also ironic that this attack is coming from Germany where there is a harvest of wild animals including the hunt of 1.2 million deer and over 500,000 wild boars per year.”

Now, there are those who would say that drawing attention to the vicious bludgeoning and skinning of live seals is worth disappointing the occasional Fisheries Minister, but to those people I ask this question: What about the emotional bludgeoning that Mr. Rideout might have experienced as a result of having to watch video footage depicting the horrific acts that his government is condoning? It almost seems as if my counterparts in PETA Germany (who, as the Minister so astutely points out, live in a country that still allows deer hunting and should therefore not be allowed even to talk about cruel hunting practices that occur elsewhere in the world) don’t care at all about whether their video about the internationally reviled Canadian seal hunt offends some functionary in the Newfoundland Ministry of Fisheries and Aquaculture. Unbelievable.

This is the video in question:

And this is the footage it’s referencing. Tom Rideout calls it a “harvest.” I call it an atrocity. You say tomato …

If you speak a bit of German, you can learn more here.

Bear baiting is so cruel it has been banned in British Columbia and in many U.S. states, and is condemned by the majority of Canadians and by numerous hunting and conservation groups as being cruel and unsportsmanlike, yet black bears continue to be cruelly slaughtered in Canada.

Alexia over at the PETA UK blog has all the latest on conservative MP Ann Widdecombe's public unveiling of this shocking footage at the House of Commons. Click here to get the entire scoop!

Please click here to join us in contacting Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, and ask him to help end bear baiting in Canada. Plus, I created this action alert, so you know it's an important one!

Hugs,

Christine <3

Canadian Rocker Bryan Adams, a vegan and a friend of PETA who has donated his talent as a photographer to help us create our ads, took it upon himself this week to let John Bitove, the CEO of most KFCs in Canada, know exactly what he thinks about KFC suppliers' treatment of chickens. Adams said, "[Y]ou could set your company apart from KFC operators in the U.S. and elsewhere by eliminating the worst abuses on these birds, as … chickens killed for KFC in Canada are scalded to death in tanks of hot water, suffer broken wings and legs, and worse."

Thanks Bryan, for, um, "Everything You Do" (I'm going to be singing that song all week now).

And if you’d like to write to KFC’s execs yourself, you can find their contact information here.

Robert Dziekanski was killed by a Taser stun gun in a Canadian airport last month. Dziekanski’s death, which has been widely reported after a video of the incident was posted on YouTube last night, is one in a long list of fatalities that have been caused by Taser stun guns. And yet Taser International continues to claim that these weapons are safe, practical tools for law-enforcement. How are they able to do this and get away with it?

The strategy’s pretty simple, actually. For years, Taser International has been funding and performing crude experiments on pigs, horses, and other animals that serve no other purpose than to provide them with “evidence” that their weapons are safe for humans. And yet as Robert Dziekanski’s death shows, the information that Taser International has been able to gather from shocking pigs is utterly useless—except insofar as it serves to protect Taser CEO Rick Smith from mounting public opposition to the use of his dangerous weapons.

The Taser situation is a perfect example of a problem that is endemic to all such animal experimentation. As is the case with so many drugs that go to market after animal testing only to be pulled from the shelves when they’re shown to be dangerous to humans, the results of these experiments have no relevance whatever to how humans will be affected, because (as should be obvious to a first-grader) pigs and horses have fundamentally different physiologies to humans. We just don’t work the same way. And the inevitable result—as we’ve seen time and again—is that companies like Taser International manipulate the data from their meaningless experiments to justify whatever argument they care to make. And people like Robert Dziekanski pay the price.

This video shows one of the hideously cruel experiments that Taser International has been performing on bulls, pigs, and other animals since they first tried to rush their weapon to market. Do we really want to stake our safety on the word of a man who does this?

Nobody can make you feel stupid quite like the French can. They have it down to an art. This picture, from a protest against the Canadian seal hunt in Paris this week, just says so much. I love the juxtaposition of disgust conveyed by the signs, and outright contempt conveyed by the dude wearing a silly beard to look like a sealer. That's how you do a demonstration. Nice work, the French.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is really good at ignoring people. He"s ignored millions of outraged Canadians and concerned people around the world; he's ignored countless representatives of the animal protection community; and he even managed to ignore Sir Paul McCartney, when the former Beatle pleaded with him to put a stop to the seal hunt taking place in his country. So no one’s doubting Stephen Harper’s capacity to be ignorant. But, after a letter from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk to Mrs. Laureen Harper, Mr. H may have to add his wife to the list of people he gives the cold shoulder to. Here’s hoping she has a more compassionate response than her husband.

Nothing says "Stop the bloody seal hunt" like a pile of dead, naked seal people outside your front door. We're hoping that the Canadian Prime Minister got that message loud and clear last week when these brave souls stripped off, covered themselves in fake blood, and held a “die-in” outside his office to symbolize the bloody seal-killing that happens every year on the ice floes off Newfoundland. Canada, I really do love you guys: the hockey, the maple syrup, the kickass national anthem—all that great stuff—but WTF with the baby-seal bludgeoning? Seriously: worst idea for a national tradition ever.