We’re going full steam ahead with our efforts to permanently ban horse-drawn carriage rides in New York, and the latest high profile New Yorker to sign on to the campaign is Lea Michele, the beautiful star of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical, Spring Awakening. Here’s what she said about her decision to do this ad on behalf of New York’s carriage horses:

"These horses are forced to work long hours in extreme weather conditions, all while walking on hard pavement and inhaling exhaust fumes. As a New Yorker, I know how tough it can be to navigate the city streets, and that's on two feet! When I see the horses attached to carriages and made to pull heavy loads in traffic, it makes me sad and angry. I want tourists to know that long after their rides are up, these horses’ miserable lives continue, day in and day out."

Thank you, Lea! I’ve posted the new ad below, and you can learn more about the campaign here.

They’re new to the public eye, so there’s a few little things they’re going to have to learn—but socially appropriate attire is as good a place to start as any. Politico’s Anne Schroeder has the full story, and you can read PETA’s letter to New York’s soon-to-be first lady Michelle Paige Paterson about this photograph below.

Dear Mrs. Paterson,

I hope that this finds you well. As you may know, PETA is the largest animal rights organization in the world, with more than 1.8 million members and supporters dedicated to the protection of animals.

We’re writing today after receiving several phone calls and e-mails from our supporters — many of them New Yorkers — who were disappointed to see that you were wearing what appears to be a real fur coat in a photo on this Web site: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/8982.html. Please know that animals killed for their fur endure immense suffering and that most fur comes from China, where there are no laws that protect animals on fur farms. A recent undercover investigation of Chinese fur farms revealed that workers swing raccoon dogs and foxes by their hind legs and smash their heads on the ground, injuring them but often leaving them conscious as they are skinned alive.

In light of this information, please consider donating your fur coats to PETA’s fur-coat giveaway program. Every year, PETA holds “fur kitchens” at homeless shelters around the country in which we distribute dozens of free fur coats — donated to PETA by former fur-wearers — to those who have no other means of staying warm. And we’ve even shipped hundreds of furs to help warm the women and children freezing in Afghanistan and Iraq. Although nothing can bring back the animals who were killed in order to make these coats, we believe that this is one way to honor their lives while helping people who so desperately need protection from the cold.

You’d be in great company. Other compassionate women who have participated in PETA’s anti-fur efforts include Charlize Theron, Stella McCartney, Mariah Carey, Kim Cattrall, and Martha Stewart. I can be reached at 323-644-7382, extension 25, or MichelleC@peta.org. Thank you in advance for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Best wishes,

Michelle Cho

PETA

We’ve been trying to get designer Donna Karan to watch some footage of exactly what happens to the animals killed for her fur coats for a long time now—and yesterday, a brave PETA member who was up in New York for fashion week made sure that happened, with a little help from some soy lattes: Dressed to the nines and carrying a tray of coffees, she marched up to Donna Karan’s apartment and was welcomed inside without any questions, and offered a seat in the living room. When Donna Karan returned home, my friend pulled out the mini DVD player she had in her bag and cued up the fur farm footage, prompting the following exchange:

DK: I can't watch this now. I have somewhere to be . . . I just really don't have the time.
PETA: Yes, but you’ve promised twice that you would stop using fur and you keep bringing it back. Everyone’s so disappointed. You have to know that this isn’t right.
DK: I've seen all these videos, but for me it's just purses and accessories.
PETA: But for me and millions of other people, these are animals. They suffer terribly as they are electrocuted, gassed and skinned alive for their pelts.

…and so on, until Donna decided enough was enough and escorted my friend out of the house. Pissed off as she was, hopefully this has at least planted the seed in her head that it’s time to stop supporting the horrific abuses of the fur industry. But if that doesn’t work, we’ve got a few more tricks up our sleeve:

The New York Post featured this story on their front page today. You can read their coverage here.

Chrissie Hynde got married while sitting in a horse-drawn carriage in Manhattan in the '80s, but she’s changed her views on how ‘romantic’ carriage horse rides are since then. This afternoon, she led a PETA protest in Central Park to encourage tourists not to support the carriage-horse industry, which is notorious for abusing the animals it profits from, and forces them to pull heavy loads through exhaust-filled streets in all weather extremes. Here’s what she says about the whole sordid business:

"Learning about how horses have died in accidents and seeing their pathetic night stalls got me to change my tune about carriage horses. I love horses and hate seeing them reduced to beasts of burden in one of my favorite cities in the world."

And here’s what she said about her marriage:

"I got hitched to Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) in a horse drawn carriage in New York. The marriage didn't last and I hope the carriages meet the same fate."

A huge thank you to Chrissie for selflessly coming through for animals in need yet again. There are some pics from the event below, and while we’re at it, you can click here for a nice photo of Ms. Hynde at the recent opening of her vegan restaurant in Akron, Ohio. You frickin’ rule, Chrissie Hynde.

If you’ve checked the front page of PETA’s site lately, you’ll know that our good friend Pink has stepped up in a big way for horses who are victimized by the carriage horse industry in New York by creating a petition against the cruel business and starring in a billboard to help educate people about the horrors that go on behind the scenes in that industry.

Anyone who works in advertising will know that getting a billboard placed can be a tricky business sometimes—some billboards end up on the side of a dirt road in, like, Pottawattamie, Iowa, and some just never see the light of day at all. So these shots of Pink’s beautiful new ad in Times Square, New York, are nothing short of glorious. Check 'em out (then sign Pink’s petition here).