Do you know somebody who's thinking about adding a Hermes crocodile-skin bag or a pair of Alexander McQueen snakeskin pumps to their Christmas wish list? If so, the graphic pictures below will probably have them sending Santa a plea for a Matt & Nat bag or a pair of MooShoes instead.

Whether your bag, shoe, or jacket was made from exotic skins or sexy synthetics means the difference between life or death for animals. Snakes and alligators who are stripped of their skin are usually caught in the wild, often illegally, and their skin is ripped from their bodies while they are still alive. Because they are cold-blooded animals, they can suffer for hours or even days before they die.

If you need more proof that reptiles suffer when they are exploited for fashion, check this out.

Posted by Shawna Flavell

news.com.au / CC

In case you were wondering, Trashley Trollsen is as wretched as ever. She was most recently caught in an article on Marie Claire's Web site exclaiming, "Crocodile is my fa-vorite!"

Yeah, I love crocodiles too. That's why I don't think people should wear them.

Posted by Joel Bartlett

With shopping season in full swing, PETA volunteers and campaigners are out there braving the cold. Check out photos of some of our recent attention-getting demos below:

In Massachusetts, PETA's "Grim Reapers" descended on Donna Karan's storefront and dragged bloodied furs through the streets of Boston. Taunting the heartless designer to "bring out her dead," they urged shoppers to never buy animals' skins. Who, after all, would be caught dead wearing Rudolph?

As the circus dragged its beast wagons into Charlottesville, Virginia, one of PETA's sexy "Tiger Ladies" posed caged, nearly naked, and painted head-to-toe with stripes to let locals know that wild animals don't belong behind bars. Some may say she's naughty, but we know it's Ringling who's actually getting the coal this year.

Other PETA activists held a demo on the streets of Nashville, Tennessee, urging holiday shoppers to buy alternatives to exotic animal skins. Snakeskin bags, shoes, and jackets all come with a high price—paid by the animals who are ripped from their jungle homes and skinned alive. If someone on your "good" list likes the look of animal prints, check this out for more information on compassionate, fashionable alternatives to cruelty to animals.

Feeling filled with holiday spirit and want to get involved? Fire off a letter to Ringling, Donna Karan, and other cruel companies that exploit animals for profit, and let them know that they "better watch out"—PETA activists are coming to town. And remember, 'tis better to give than to receive, especially when your gifts will save lives!

Posted by Liz Graffeo

evasitoe / CC

Jada Pinkett-Smith, who currently stars in the number one film in the country, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, and is married to megastar Will Smith, recently made a compassionate pledge. The longtime animal defender recently told reporters that she just can't go on keeping her beloved animal friends in tiny cage prisons. Apparently, the rock-star frontwoman of Wicked Wisdom was moved to action by the family snake, Beauty.

"I think I'll never get an animal like a snake again where I have to keep her in an aquarium," Jada said, according to Contactmusic (via OneIndia). "We have this whole thing for Beauty outside for her to be in a natural habitat. But at the end of the day, she knows she's caged into her aquarium. We can't set her into the wild now, but I told [our daughter] Willow we won't do this again and won't have any animals that need to stay like that."

Good for you, Jada! Then she added this bit, which makes our campaigning hearts flutter: "Maybe when I get older, that'll become one of my activist endeavors."

Of course, we couldn't be more delighted to hear this! Jada and Will are one of Hollywood's hottest power couples, with considerable influence—and if Jada turns over a new leaf, that should have serious repercussions with her fans.

Posted by Missy Lane

We here at PETA love Top 10 lists more than David Letterman himself. So from the people who brought you the Top 10 Animal-Friendly Superheroes and the Top 10 Patriotic Ads of All Time … we now present (drumroll, please) PETA's list of the Top 10 "Ditch Exotic Skin" campaigns from PETA and its international affiliates for your ocular enjoyment!

10. 'Leave Cruelty Behind' Billboard
"Leave Cruelty Behind, Bag the Leather," says the fashionable iguana on this billboard (who just happens to be wearing a very chic human butt purse).

9. Topshop's Window Display
Topshop, one of the U.K.'s largest clothing retailers, refuses to sell fur or exotic skins. Their February 2008 window display drew some much-needed attention to the cruelty inherent in the exotic skin trade.

8. and 7. PETA's Snakeskin Belt Ad and Alligator Purse Ad
These amazing ads targeted the cruel exotic skin trade and were featured in an issue of PETA's Animal Times magazine.

6. June 2008 Exotic Skin Demo
This was one of PETA's most gorgeous demos—the setup and the model were stunning. In full body paint, our exotic skin lady laid down in front of a sign that simply read, "Exotic skins belong in the jungle, not on your feet." This demo was so sexy that it left many drool puddles on computer keyboards across the globe.

5. PETA India's 'Boycott All Snake Shows' Ad
Around the holiday of Naga Panchami (held in honor of the Serpent God), PETA India did a little charming of their own with this ad urging people to boycott snake shows. The ad features supermodel Jesse Randhawa and Hollywood/Bollywood dance instructor Sandip Soparrkar, with the tagline "Snakes Are Not Natural Performers—We Are." It's not about exotic skins directly, but it certainly shines an important light on other exotic animal issues.

4. PETA's Exotic Skins Investigation Video
This incredibly sad video shows that every snakeskin bag, shoe, or jacket comes with a high price—and it's paid by animals that are ripped out of their jungle homes and cruelly killed.

3. Gena Lee Nolin Ad
Smokin' hot Baywatch alum Gena Lee poses here to help raise awareness about the suffering of crocodiles used for clothing.

2. Lisa B Ad for PETA Europe
Lisa B., the stunning star of Bridget Jones's Diary, posed for PETA Europe as a half-human, half-snake in what's definitely an eye-catching display. We know you'll be saving this one as your desktop wallpaper, guys.

And the number one exotic skin feature is …

1. Pamela Anderson Sells One Viper to Save Many!
Come on, we've gotta give the number one spot to our girl Pam! Pam auctioned off her Dodge Viper and gave the proceeds to PETA to use to educate others on the cruel exotic skins industry. That's one truly dedicated advocate!

Posted by Carrie Ann Harris

From the category of "When Animals Fight Back!" comes a news story from Venezuela: A 29-year-old student zookeeper was strangled by a 10-foot python. It seems that the intern was working the nightshift and decided to mess around with the snake, who then bit him, suffocated him, and tried to eat him—a sensible interaction if you are a python.

i190 / CC

Now, I'm certainly not saying that this guy deserved to be digested by a giant snake (although some might argue that taking a dangerous snake out without permission or supervision might earn him a nomination for a Darwin Award). What I am saying is that the killing of one human being by one snake in an isolated incident is instant news (just Google it for proof), but the killing of snakes by humans every day—to make Eva Longoria's gauche python handbag or Jessica Simpson's hideous tote—goes unnoticed.

And what's more, the python was just doing what pythons do, on instinct. He saw prey, so he went into his strangle-and-swallow routine. You can't possibly tell me that humans have a slaughter-and-make-into-purses instinct, can you? The python got beaten by the way, unlike Jessica Simpson, whom we just make fun of.

Let me hypothesize here. Maybe, just maybe, people are so fascinated by this kind of news story because they feel guilty for all the human-on-animal atrocities, and when something like this happens … well, maybe it's a sign that sometimes the tables are turned, and it scares us.

Do you get what we mean now when we say that "payback is hell"?

Posted by Amanda Schinke

This morning, The Today Show ran a fluff piece that literally made my skin crawl, and the complaints started pouring into our office—and for good reason! The show glorified alligator "harvesting" and called it the "deadliest catch, Florida-style." By alligator harvesting, they really mean alligator slaughtering, but harvesting sounds just oh-so-much comfier. To wrap your head around what we're saying, check out our own video footage from the "glamorous" world of the alligator harvest, and spot the difference between that and, say, the Vermont apple harvest:

Luckily, we've got some wicked smart and compassionate folks working at PETA, like our Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. Lisa fired off this fantastic letter to Today Show correspondent Kerry Sanders, who covered the story this morning. In the letter, Lisa said, "If people want to buy handbags and shoes made from [alligators'] skins, we think they should know exactly how the animals were killed and what better vehicle than Today?" All too true, Lisa. Hopefully, Today will respond, but until then, check out this compelling ad, and say sayonara to the exotic skins in your closet.

Posted by Christine Dore

The nation's fleeting attention was caught today by a story about a Florida woman who was surprised to discover a full-sized alligator nonchalantly wandering around in her kitchen looking for treats. For her troubles, the woman in question—Ms. Sandie Frosti—gets an all-expenses-paid trip to New York to do the talk-show circuit, so everything turned out OK for her.

But what's to become of old Andy the Alligator? Well, according to local authorities, our reptilian friend, who is believed to be a grown-up from a group of baby gators that the neighbors used to feed in the pond, has been bound up and is awaiting slaughter, which will probably come via a knife or ax to the spine, so that he can be paralyzed before they skin him alive to make shoes, belts, and bags out of him.

Which is pretty much the price that animals who don't pass the "cute and cuddly" test always tend to pay in these situations. There's going to be plenty of yukking it up about Ms. Frosti's wacky experience during the talk-show fluff pieces tomorrow morning, so I figured at least somebody should tell the alligator's side of the story. If nothing else, maybe it'll at least serve as a reminder never to buy exotic skins.

Here’s a sneak preview of a pair of ads targeting the cruel exotic-skins trade that will be featured in the latest issue of PETA’s Animal Times magazine.

We have a ways to go before people stop abusing these amazing animals for the sake of fashion accessories, but I did get one piece of good news today on the issue—Yves St. Laurent, who are among the worst offenders when it comes to using exotic skins in their designs, now have a vegan men’s Oxford shoe. It’s just a tad out of my price range, but a great sign of things to come.

Topshop is one of Britain’s largest clothing retailers, and for a long time now, they’ve been busy doing for animal-free fashion what the Body Shop has done for cruelty-free cosmetics. Not only do they refuse to sell fur or exotic skins, but they advertise their ethical choices with pride. In 2006, they filled the window of their flagship store in London with this beautiful anti-fur display, and this week, they’ve outdone themselves. Check out their latest display, which draws attention to the cruelty inherent in the exotic-skins trade. It’s a piece of art.