The PETA Files

Ad Exposing Pound Seizure in Texas City Rejected

2009-11-06T21:27:33Z

For more than two decades, Odessa Animal Control has sold homeless cats to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC) for use in painful intubation exercises. A spokesperson for Odessa Animal Control has stated, "We don't have a problem with [selling cats to TTUHSC]. … We don't ask any questions."

If Odessa Animal Control did ask questions, it would learn that the cats are killed after hard plastic tubes are repeatedly forced down their throats and needles are stabbed into their chests—a fate that no animal guardian could bear hearing if his or her cat were the victim.

To share this disturbing information and urge local residents to push for changes in Odessa Animal Control's policy, we attempted to publish this ad in a local paper:

Unfortunately, our blog is the only place that you can see the ad because it was rejected by the paper. We aren't giving up so easily, though. By this time last year, cats had already been shipped off and killed at TTUHSC, but we recently confirmed that no animals have been sold or used in the procedures yet this year. Please help permanently end this cruelty today by urging Odessa Mayor Larry Melton and Odessa Animal Control to stop selling animals to Texas Tech and passing this along to everyone you know.

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Hands Off the Adorable Monkeys, NASA

2009-11-06T20:29:54Z

usatoday / CC

You may remember that years back, PETA was instrumental in getting NASA out of the monkey business when we successfully pushed the agency to cancel plans to launch straightjacketed, electrode-implanted monkeys into space. So, as you can imagine, we leapt to attention when we learned recently that the ~~mad~~ scientists at NASA want to blast up to 28 squirrel monkeys with a massive dose of gamma rays in order to "simulate" the space radiation they would be exposed to if they were humans on a three-year mission to Mars (which they aren't, but apparently NASA isn't one to quibble over details).

The monkeys will then spend the rest of their lives being forced to perform a host of "behavioral tasks" to assess how the radiation affected their brains. Although NASA has repeatedly told the media that these monkeys won't be killed, they left out the teensy detail that earlier radiation experiments NASA has conducted on monkeys have caused the animals to suffer from fatal cancers, including brain tumors.

We asked NASA to halt these cruel and pointless experiments in a letter we sent to the agency this week. No answer yet, but in the meantime, please let NASA know how you feel about its plans to experiment on monkeys.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

Stella McCartney: Best-Dressed Woman of the Year

2009-11-06T19:17:04Z

enjoyfashion / CC

We're not the only ones worshipping at the altar of design deity Stella McCartney. Harper's Bazaar has named the fur-free fashionista the best-dressed woman of 2009.

It's no coincidence that Stella—who is one of the most powerful innovators in the industry—has taken top honors. She is stunningly stylish proof that it's never chic to wear fur or leather. We're sure that Stella's benevolent reign over the fashion world is a permanent position. Compassionate couture always comes out on top.

Posted by Logan Scherer

'Tradition Is Not an Excuse for Cruelty'

2009-11-06T17:45:27Z

timeslive / CC

In Spain, the bullfight is on its way out. In Britain, it was fox hunting, which is now illegal. In the U.S., we have our own shameful traditions, including slavery, to dwell on. And in South Africa, apartheid may be a thing of the past, but another cruel custom persists.

Sadly, during the festival of Ukweshwama, a group of youths torment and slaughter a terrified bull with their bare hands. They rip out the bull's tongue, shove handfuls of dirt into his mouth, tear out his eyes, and mutilate his genitals. This horrible murder has been excused from compliance with laws against animal cruelty under the country's "cultural liberty" exemption.

Abusing animals does not bring honor to any culture. Indian humanitarian, journalist, government minister, and advocate for animals Maneka Gandhi knows that and has sent a letter on behalf of PETA Asia to South African President Jacob Zuma urging him to modernize this cruel ritual. She writes:

While I respect culture, this bull-killing ritual causes extreme suffering to an innocent creature and has no place in the modern world. Tradition is not an excuse for cruelty, and many societies have ended or are working to end 'traditional' practices—such as slavery, cannibalism, infanticide, female circumcision, foot-binding, bullfighting, and fox hunting—that cause animals or humans to suffer.

As Maneka Gandhi points out in her letter, it's impossible to deny the link between violence toward animals and violence toward people. We hope that President Zuma and other world leaders who care about making their countries less violent will put an end to horrific practices such as this.

Posted by Heather Drennan

Victory! Oakton Community College Gets Smart

2009-11-06T14:31:56Z

It's been years since my high school biology class, but I still remember the smell of the rotting pig corpses that we mutilated over the course of a nightmarish three-day lab. Piled in the corner of the room in a black garbage bag, the carcasses emanated a rancid smell that only got worse each day, and after each lab period, we all ate lunch in the same room—the lab doubled as our cafeteria.

Today, though, it's the sweet smell of victory that I'm waking up to. Nine months ago, a compassionate student at Oakton Community College contacted PETA about a professor who was having students in an anatomy and physiology class cut open live rats and mudpuppies to observe how their organs worked. We immediately contacted school officials to share information on the intelligent, complex animals who were being tormented and killed for these experiments and presented officials with cruelty-free and effective educational alternatives. This week, Oakton Community College let us know that it has stopped using live animals in ALL of its classes!

shiachat / CC

We're urging all schools (hear that, ASU?) to follow Oakton's enlightened path and replace their cruel classroom animal experiments with modern, more effective non-animal learning methods. Biology is the study of life—it just doesn't make any sense to kill animals to teach it. Urge schools in your area to get smart and go cruelty-free.

Posted by Logan Scherer

Spacey Sealskin Slipper Story Is Spurious

2009-11-05T20:40:51Z

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

The City of Brotherly Fug

2009-11-05T19:54:28Z

The folks at totalbeauty.com have released their roundup of "Eight Cities With the Ugliest Guys." Hagerstown, Maryland, "scored" second place on the list, which cited lackluster libidos, flabulousness, and puny IQs, among other factors.

Axe, schmaxe. PETA's got the cure for homely Hagerstown residents:

Men who go vegan gain instant sex appeal. How so?

Veggie Viagra ring any bells?
Their extra cushioning melts away—vegans weigh 10 to 20 pounds less, on average, than their meat- and cheese-munching counterparts.
They're smart to avoid heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other ailments that have been linked to meat consumption.
They radiate compassion because they no longer eat the flesh of abused animals.

To the men of Hagerstown: Take the "Pledge to Be Veg." You'll be saying, "Bye bye, Haggardtown" and "Hello, Handsomeland!" before you know it.

Posted by Karin Bennett

New Jersey Gubernatorial Race Raises Some Hefty Questions

2009-11-05T18:16:13Z

capemaygop / CC

Political campaigning can get pretty dirty, and during the weeks leading up to last Tuesday's elections, the New Jersey gubernatorial race was no exception. Democratic incumbent Jon Corzine launched an attack ad against Republican Chris Christie that hit Christie below the belt—implying that he "threw his weight around" as a public official, literally.

While health care and the economy may have been the big issues on the table this election season, a survey by Public Policy Polling found that a hefty 11 percent of Jersey voters said that Christie's bulging waistline was a legitimate election issue, and 19 percent said it made them less likely to vote for him. Maybe Garden State residents are just proud to have the 10th lowest obesity rate in the U.S. and didn't want Christie weighing them down—but I'd say Christie should address this issue pronto.

Despite the obvious fat-bias, Christie came out on top and won the election, and we say, "Well, Chris—you've won, and now it's time to lose." We suggest that Christie enlist some help from carrot-crunching vegetarian Newark mayor Cory Booker—and adopt a vegan diet. Studies show that vegans are, on average, 10 to 20 pounds lighter than meat-eaters and that a vegetarian diet reduces the risk of heart disease by 50 percent—so it's obvious that going vegan would be the best way for Christie to shed pounds and maintain a healthy weight.

So, what do you think? With 23 percent of adults and 31 percent of children in New Jersey obese, should the governor-elect slim down and set an example of healthy living?

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Oh, Phew, Piven Was Only Kidding

2009-11-05T16:27:25Z

For a minute there, we thought Jeremy "Mercury Poisoning" Piven was serious when he said that he gave up soy milk for fear that it would give him "moobs."

I mean, come on, everybody knows that cow's milk—not soy milk—is the real culprit behind man boobs, right? According to Harvard scientist Ganmaa Davaasambuu, cow's milk "contains considerable amounts of female sex hormones"—especially milk from factory-farmed cows who are kept almost constantly pregnant. She estimates that dairy products account for 60 to 80 percent of the estrogens consumed by the average person.

But wait—there's more! Factory-farmed cows are commonly fed bovine growth hormone in order to stimulate their bodies to produce more milk. Hormone-treated cow's milk contains high levels of Insulin Growth Factor (IGF-1), which studies show can cause the dreaded gynecomastia (moobs). Milk consumption, with all its accompanying hormones, has also been linked to prostate cancer and breast cancer.

So, boys, if you're worried about maintaining your manly physique, pour some soy (or rice or almond) milk on your cereal—and pour the moob juice down the drain.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

10% Wool, by Jeff Corriveau

2009-11-05T15:52:19Z

Click for a larger version

You know, animal shelters have gerbils too.

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

Chicken 'Bones'

2009-11-05T14:41:24Z

It's not like I don't already watch Bones religiously, but I'm definitely tuning in for this week's episode, in which our intrepid heroes, Brennan and Booth, try to get to the bottom of the murder of a chicken factory farmer. The main suspects are the farmer's neighbors—who are no doubt not terribly keen about living next door to a stinky, putrid factory farm—and animal rights activists. Considering, however, that the show's star, Emily Deschanel, actually is an animal rights activist, I have a feeling we won't be dealt with too harshly.

In the past, Bones has done a great job of exposing the cruelty of dogfighting and horse slaughter, so I'm hoping that the producers will manage to squeeze in some of the factory farm and slaughterhouse footage that we sent them for this episode. It would be pretty cool for the millions of Bones fans to get a look inside a typical factory farm.

Set your DVR: "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" airs tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST. In the meantime, you can get a sneak peek at the action in this slideshow:

Bones: Episode 5.06 "The Tough Man in the Tender Chicken" Photos

Posted by Alisa Mullins

E. Coli Outbreak Kills

2009-11-05T14:25:45Z

The number of cases of swine flu and E. coli is on the rise, reminding us that the dangers of factory-farm–bred pathogens and meatborne illnesses have become impossible to ignore. The most recent E. coli outbreak, which killed two people and sickened dozens more, has been traced directly to the New York–based ground beef producer Fairbank Farms—which recalled more than 545,000 pounds of meat on October 31.

In the wake of this deadly outbreak, we're launching our "Meat Kills" billboard to let New Englanders know that the safest thing to do with meat is to throw it out:

Meatborne illness is just one symptom of a very sick and cruel industry. The threat of E. coli infection, listeriosis, campylobacter infection, and other bacterial infections is only the beginning of the devastating health effects of eating the dead, rotting flesh of a tormented animal. Research has shown that vegetarians are 50 percent less likely to develop heart disease, and their chance of getting cancer is 40 percent lower than that of meat-eaters. Plus, meat-eaters are nine times more likely to be obese than vegans are.

It's obvious that the best thing anyone can do for his or her health is to ditch the deadly meat and adopt a vegan diet. So what are you waiting for?

Posted by Liz Graffeo

Floridians Number Two in Nation's Swine Flu Blues

2009-11-04T21:33:40Z

Achoo! Swine flu?

Sunshine State residents who feel under the weather should know that Florida has had 141 confirmed swine flu deaths. Sounds to me like Florida residents would do well to learn about ways to stop the spread of swine flu—hence our action in Jacksonville this morning.

PETA "pig" and his peeps, decked out in our new swine flu masks, handed out copies of our "Vegetarian Starter Kit" to passersby.

Evidence is growing that the meat industry is responsible for the swine flu outbreak, just as it was largely responsible for outbreaks of MRSA, mad cow, E. coli, and bird flu. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, studies have shown that 30 to 50 percent of pigs raised for food in the U.S. have been infected with some strain of swine flu. That shouldn't come as any surprise, considering that jam-packed, filthy factory farms are breeding grounds for disease.

The best way to help guard against future swine flu outbreaks? Swear off the ham, Spam, and snouts—and go vegan.

Posted by Karin Bennett

Beluga Whale Dies

2009-11-04T20:58:35Z

A beluga whale named Nico died this week at SeaWorld San Antonio, where he was being temporarily housed while the Georgia Aquarium underwent renovations. This marks the third time in the last three years that a beluga whale from the Georgia Aquarium has died.

drake.marin.k12 / CC

The cause of Nico's death has not yet been determined, but according to aquarium officials, he was already ailing when he was obtained from a Mexican aquarium along with another beluga whale, Gasper, who died in January 2007. The aquarium's two surviving whales, Maris and Natasha, are on loan from the New York Aquarium. A third beluga whale from New York, Marina, also died in 2007.

In a chirpy news release announcing the arrival of Maris, Natasha, and Marina in 2005, the aquarium expressed the hope that "we soon [will] have baby beluga whales."

In the same news release, the aquarium announced the arrival of Ralph and Norton, two whale sharks who—you guessed it—are now dead. Seeing a trend here?

Instead of swimming freely in the sea, animals at aquariums are relegated to a world that's measured in feet instead of fathoms. Beluga whales are extremely social animals who—when left to their own devices—play, chase each other, and interact in extended pods. They have been called "sea canaries" because of their complex vocalizations, which they use to communicate with each other.

In captivity, these whales have little room for exercise and are cut off from their natural social groups. While they might not have to face natural enemies, the stress of captivity is apparently the scariest "predator" of all.

Posted by Alisa Mullins

San Francisco Bans Declawing!

2009-11-04T20:34:52Z

mediabistro / CC

Purrrrr. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to make ~~disabling~~ declawing cats illegal, and other California cities are set to vote on similar measures this week.

Painful and traumatic, declawing is really 10 separate amputations in which the last joint of every single toe gets cut off along with the nail. Declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting a person's fingers off at the first knuckle and leads to gradual weakening of cats' legs, shoulders, and back muscles. Declawed cats are more likely to have behavior "problems" such as avoiding the litterbox and biting, and they are commonly surrendered to shelters by frustrated guardians.

Germany and other parts of Europe have outlawed declawing as a form of cruelty, and many conscientious veterinarians in the U.S. refuse to declaw because they realize that all someone needs to do to save their furniture (or whatever other lame excuse people come up with to justify mangling their kitties) is take the time to simply trim their cats' nails and buy proper scratching posts.

The Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and Berkeley city councils will be considering or voting on declawing bans this week, so please tell anyone you know in these cities to send an urgent e-mail to their councilmembers today.

Posted by Heather Drennan (with help from Wellington)