One glance at PETA Asia's hot new ad featuring Malaysian cover model Amber Chia, and I'm instantly reminded to water my plants and do three sets of fire hydrants. Pardon me for one moment, please…

Whew. OK, back to the post.*

Media representatives were invited to the photo shoot, to which Amber wore only painted-on stripes. The ad will run in Japan, Thailand, Germany, the U.S., and Korea later this year.

Photo: Aaron Lee

The fresh-faced beauty has graced the pages of Harper's Bazaar, FHM, and Playboy and has appeared on television and in Chinese films, including The 3rd Generation and Trio & a Bed. Amber says, "Tigers, elephants, and chimpanzees aren't meant to live fenced in any more than I am."

Knowing how animal prisoners suffer constant mind-numbing boredom and extreme frustration that leads to nonstop pacing and poop-slinging, we couldn't agree more.

Posted by Karin Bennett

*Between the ad and the exercises, I'm feeling the burn, people.

Today, I sing the praises of the Internet. Not for e-mail—which is handy, yes—but all that Viagra spam irks me. (Hello? It's called "Veggie Viagra"). Or online games (like I need another addiction. The real reason I love the Internet so much is because now my "cosmic justice file" has grown exponentially and now comes with an international flavor.

Let's have a looksie at some of my faves, shall we?

• An exhausted, abused monkey decides he's not gonna take it anymore.
• During this year's Running of the Bulls, the tortured bulls weren't the only ones who lost their lives. (Of course, the bulls still lost in the end. They always do.)
• Karma's a bitch, especially when another inmate delivers some Mike Tyson–style payback after you cut off the ears of your dog.
• Film critics thought Lady in the Water was a stinker, but this fisher "lady" in the water left many fishing critics beaming.
• This white tiger saw red as he mauled a zookeeper to death. Subsequently, so did zoo visitors.
• If this guy would have used our humane bug catcher instead of trying to kill a spider with a lighter, he wouldn't have almost burned down his house.
• Does this tune haunt you? I don't suggest fishing in a shark's waters.
• Lions and tigers and a very angry bear (Oh, my!) must have been fed up with being kept in a cage.
• What rhymes with "possum?" "Awesome," so don't try to shoot 'em.
• The gored matador from this bullfight hopefully learned his lesson and has picked up a more constructive hobby. I hear crocheting is nice.

buzzfeed / CC

Now, tell which of the above is your favorite example of cosmic justice.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Today, I sing the praises of the Internet. Not for e-mail—which is handy, yes—but all that Viagra spam irks me. (Hello? It's called "Veggie Viagra"). Or online games (like I need another addiction. The real reason I love the Internet so much is because now my "cosmic justice file" has grown exponentially and now comes with an international flavor.

Let's have a looksie at some of my faves, shall we?

• An exhausted, abused monkey decides he's not gonna take it anymore.
• During this year's Running of the Bulls, the tortured bulls weren't the only ones who lost their lives. (Of course, the bulls still lost in the end. They always do.)
• Karma's a bitch, especially when another inmate delivers some Mike Tyson–style payback after you cut off the ears of your dog.
• Film critics thought Lady in the Water was a stinker, but this fisher "lady" in the water left many fishing critics beaming.
• This white tiger saw red as he mauled a zookeeper to death. Subsequently, so did zoo visitors.
• If this guy would have used our humane bug catcher instead of trying to kill a spider with a lighter, he wouldn't have almost burned down his house.
• Does this tune haunt you? I don't suggest fishing in a shark's waters.
• Lions and tigers and a very angry bear (Oh, my!) must have been fed up with being kept in a cage.
• What rhymes with "possum?" "Awesome," so don't try to shoot 'em.
• The gored matador from this bullfight hopefully learned his lesson and has picked up a more constructive hobby. I hear crocheting is nice.

buzzfeed / CC

Now, tell which of the above is your favorite example of cosmic justice.

Posted by Karin Bennett

rd / CC

Back in May, we told you that a bill was under consideration in Bolivia to ban all animals from circuses—and that bill was recently made law! With the passage of law number 4040 by Bolivian President Evo Morales, the day has finally arrived when "It is forbidden to use wild and/or domestic animals in circuses throughout the country." As far as we know, Bolivia is the first country in the world to enact such a landmark measure for animals abused in circuses.

Bolivia is no stranger to looking out for animals. The country already set a precedent when it banned its military from mutilating dogs and other animals during training exercises. And with the passage of this new law, elephants, lions, tigers, horses, dogs, and all other animals who are forced to live in shackles or cages—and are routinely beaten into submission in order to perform unnatural circus "tricks"—will no longer be subjected to these cruelties in Bolivia.

And as if that weren't enough, PETA is now working closely with the Bolivian government on the country's first national animal protection framework law. If the measure is adopted, it would make Bolivia a global leader in animal welfare.

With the way things are moving, it seems that animals in Bolivia are on a fast track to having all the simple inalienable rights they deserve.

On behalf of animals in Bolivia, muchas gracias to President Morales, Member of Congress Ximena Flores, and concerned citizen Ana Serrano Revollo for all their hard work in making this law prohibiting animal circuses a reality!

Posted by Missy Lane

thesun.co / CC

Natascha Kampusch made headlines around the world when she was finally able to escape her kidnapper after being held for eight years in a dungeon in Austria. "I suffered from claustrophobia and I thought I was going crazy in there," Kampusch told Austria's ORF television after her escape. "I was very distraught and very angry."

Recognizing that her ordeal was chillingly similar to that of tigers, elephants, and other animals who are snatched from their native homes and loving families only to be caged or chained by circus trainers for the rest of their lives, Natascha has joined PETA Germany in calling for freedom for animals in circuses. She looks forward to the day when circuses will stop depriving wild animals of everything that is natural and important to them. Here's what Natascha had to say:

It is now up to [German agriculture minister Ilse] Aigner to decide whether social, intelligent, and beautiful living beings should continue to be humiliated because ruthless or naïve people keep them chained in cages—depressed, broken and limited to an [extent] that prevents them from living a normal life according to their needs. Animals, too, would run away if they could, just like I took my chance to escape. Because a life in captivity is a life full of deprivation.

Thank you, Natascha, for speaking out in behalf of so many animals whose cries for help have yet to be heard by German lawmakers. Hopefully, Minister Aigner is listening.

Posted by Karin Bennett

It's been almost a year in the making, but three lions and two tigers in Kansas will soon be on their way to new homes after PETA pressured local authorities to act. We were first alerted to the big cats' plight back in May 2008, when a passerby informed us that the animals were being kept in what essentially amounts to a junkyard. Behold, the "Prairie Cat Animal Refuge" in all its splendor:

In June, we sent a team of exotic-animal experts to assess the situation, and their reports were included in the local sheriff's case, which recommended that charges be filed against the cats' "owner" and that authorities take custody of the animals. Unfortunately, the case encountered reams of politically-charged red tape. Then, last month, a man "under the influence" who was working and staying at a so-called "hotel" on the property (it's called the "Free Breakfast Inn"—infer what you will from that), wandered up to the cages and was promptly bitten by a lion. That incident, while not so good for the man (he was hospitalized for surgery on his arm), finally galvanized the authorities into action.

In the meantime, PETA was lining up homes for the animals to be taken to once they were given a clean bill of health: The Detroit Zoo (a progressive zoo that closed its elephant exhibit for humane reasons and has provided a home for numerous rescued exotic animals, including one of the Suarez polar bears) has agreed to take all three lions, and the tigers will go to Carnivore Preservation Trust, a sanctuary in North Carolina. The zoo is covering all expenses for testing and transporting the lions, while PETA is covering the cost of testing and transporting the tigers. That cost is estimated at $3,000. We're hoping that the animals will be moved at the end of the month—we'll keep you posted.

So there you have it—the latest installment of "Your PETA Dollars at Work." Just doin' our job, folks.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Considering that Tiger Woods' life is essentially a media circus, we hope that the superstar golfer can relate to the plight of his namesakes in the circus. That's why we've written a letter to Tiger asking him to tee up for one of our ever-popular naked tiger demos. We're hoping that Mr. Woods will show his true stripes by stripping down to his skivvies and painting his body with orange and black stripes—something like the (awesome) photo illustration below:

We think Tiger would look great in body paint.

Quite a change from the traditional polo shirt and Nike cap, but, hey, we can dream, can't we?

Posted by Alisa Mullins

tifft / CC

What might have been just another story of shoddy circus animal handling came to a karmic conclusion last week when a tiger trainer, Josip Marcan, agreed to pay nearly 1 million bucks to settle a lawsuit resulting from a huge traffic accident. The accident was apparently caused when one of Marcan's tigers escaped into the wilds of NYC—in this case, the Jackie Robinson Parkway—while traveling with the Cole Bros. Circus.

Demonstrating the spirit that has made the business of using and abusing animals in circuses the very definition of heartlessness, Marcan blamed everyone but his own whiny self. He called the injured drivers "reckless" and slammed the NYPD officers on the scene, saying "they just wanted to shoot the tiger."

Unfortunately, there was no happy ending for the tiger, Apollo, who was captured and returned to circus life.

Posted by Jeff Mackey

daylife / CC

Gas, trucks, and tigers?! Oh, no they don't!

The Tiger Truck Stop in Grosse Tete, Louisiana, has been on PETA's most hideous radar for years. This roadside hellhole, which at one time housed four tigers, now has one, a Bengal tiger named Tony.

Complaints about the welfare of these tigers have flooded PETA's inboxes, mailboxes, and phone lines. We have filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and written to the owner of the Tiger Truck Stop offering to help pay the costs to get the animals transferred to real sanctuaries.

Now, state wildlife officials have joined the growing throng of animal rights organizations (such as the Coalition of Louisiana Animal Advocates, which has battled the truck stop for years) and compassionate people who are fed up with the owner's repeated violations of animal care standards. Violations include having an insufficient number of trained employees, keeping the tigers in unsound facilities, having no veterinary care program for the tigers, and providing improper nutrition for the animals. In a letter to the truck stop owner, officials warn that Tony must be "legally removed from the premises to a Department-approved facility or out-of-state within 30 days …." Thanks, guys. Nice!

Roadside exhibits and novelty displays are worlds away from suitable habitats for exotic animals. Not only are these frustrated animals dangerous, but they quickly become stir-crazy and display stereotypical behaviors within their cramped pens. Hopefully, now, with the state stepping in, the Tiger Truck Stop has exploited its last animal and Tony is off to a great life.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

askmen / CC

There must be something in the drinking water of decisionmakers these days—a little lapse in judgment, perhaps? Thankfully, our longtime supporter Kim Basinger, who has testified on behalf of “exotic” animals on Capitol Hill in the past, can spot a bad situation from a mile away.

At our behest she has just sent a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for their irresponsible decision to issue a permit that will allow two tigers to be transferred to the Baghdad Zoo. That's right, according to the permit, Riley and Hope will be sent off to live an uncertain future in a war zone—an area already proved to be dangerous and deadly to the animals at the Baghdad Zoo and where the last two tigers were shot to death by…”friendly fire.” You can read Kim's full letter here:

July 28, 2008

H. Dale Hall, Director
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
1849 C St. N.W.
Mail Stop 3238 MIB
Washington, DC 20240

Dear Mr. Hall,

I have long had an interest in how “exotic” animals are treated in captivity. Now, I am very troubled to learn that U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved an export permit to send two tigers, Riley and Hope to the Baghdad Zoo - into a war zone with an uncertain future - and hope you will do all in your power to reverse the Service’s decision.

It has already been shown that the animals at the Baghdad Zoo cannot be properly protected from the country’s military conflict. When the war began, hundreds of animals in the zoo were killed, stolen, eaten, or let loose by looters. The last two tigers escaped and were shot dead. The future is uncertain. Most of the people in Iraq still do not have access to basic necessities or a safe environment and Iraq remains a war zone: sending tigers there would place the animals squarely in harm’s way.

Also, because Iraq is not a signatory to Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), issuance of the permit would violate the basic tenet of CITES and will eliminate a significant incentive for other countries to sign on to the provisions of this very important international treaty that is designed to protect tigers like Riley and Hope.

The Endangered Species Act mandates that such a transfer enhance the species in the wild, yet there’s absolutely no evidence that sending these tigers to Iraq would fulfill that requirement. Their presence is for amusement.

In their natural environment, tigers quietly roam throughout many miles of territory consisting of forests, swamps, grasslands, savannahs, and rocky terrain, hunt, and raise their young. This is the life that they were meant to have—not dodging bullets in a facility that does not have the expertise or resources to properly care for them. It’s my understanding that the zoo even lacks veterinary diagnostic capabilities and many of the animals are handled with the crude use of ropes.

Surely your agency will give thoughtful reconsideration and make the kind and responsible decision to deny the export. Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Kim Basinger

If you're as outraged by this decision as Kim is, please immediately contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service using our action alert. Ask them to rethink their decision to transfer Riley and Hope and to consider the safety of all animals at the Baghdad Zoo.

Posted by Jennifer Cierlitsky

jupiterimages / CC

Hang on to your steel-enforced combat hat, because the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department is about to issue a permit to ship out two tigers from the U.S. to BAGHDAD (wha??!!). Yes, you read that right—the government is all set to send tigers into a war zone. I don't know about you guys, but this whole situation sounds a little familiar … Pride of Baghdad, anyone? The award-winning graphic novel by Brian K. Vaughn is all about the true story of tigers who escaped from the Baghdad Zoo following an American bombing. At the end of the novel, the animals are shot to death by soldiers. Can it happen again? With the FWS' help, perhaps so ...

People are still being blown up in Baghdad, and no one knows what the future holds for human beings there. So is it really a safe and responsible place to send these massive, beautiful wild animals?

If you're like me and you're equally angered by this madness, check out what we have to say in our official action alert and let the Fish and Wildlife Service know what YOU think.

Posted by Christine Doré

geocities / CC

Have you heard about that classy lady over in Brownsville, Texas, who was selling six Bengal tiger cubs in a Wal-Mart parking lot? Makes you wanna spit, doesn't it? Even if you have no idea what can become of one of these regal creatures in the hands of nefarious wildlife pimps, a simple guess should lead you to an unhappy conclusion.

"They buy them as babies," said the officer on the scene. "They don't realize it's going to get to be hundreds of pounds, eat an awful lot of food and become dangerous." I can picture Joe Schmo at home with his 6-month-old tiger now ... wow! Who knew a hyper-carnivorous alpha predator with 1,000 lbs. bite strength could eat so much? And wow, she's already way too big for a doghouse!

Sadly, it's actually become quite a trend to have a tiger, as 15,000 are kept as "pets" in the States. Since most of the shortsighted people looking to acquire an exotic animal on the black market don't happen to live in a 400-square-mile forest, when adopted into civilian homes, tigers face futures filled with malnutrition, loneliness, and captivity-induced mental illness. Now, while pondering to make the wonderfully progressive decision to write a letter or support a tiger sanctuary, if you want, you can still go ahead and spit.

Posted by Missy Lane