Cutting Into Live, Screaming Animals Violates Federal and DOD Regulations, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Fort Benning, Ga. -- PETA has filed urgent complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and with Major General H. R. McMaster, commander of Fort Benning in Georgia, calling for an immediate investigation into a whistleblower's report that just four days ago, on July 20, members of the 14^th Combat Support Hospital at Fort Benning participated in a trauma training exercise in which participants hacked off live goats' limbs with hatchets and tree trimmers and cut the animals apart with deer-skinning knives. According to the whistleblower, some goats were "screaming for their lives" during this ordeal—a clear indication that they were conscious and able to feel pain.

As PETA notes in its letter, both cutting into inadequately anesthetized animals and using live animals when non-animal methods are available are violations of Department of Defense (DOD) regulations. After PETA exposed video footage of a similar trauma training course earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture cited the course organizers for inadequately anesthetizing the animals. PETA also notes that many U.S. military training centers use only high-tech, human-like simulators that can bleed, breathe, respond to medications, and even "die."

"Hacking off screaming animals' limbs isn't just egregiously cruel—it's also a clear violation of DOD regulations and federal animal protection laws," says PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "PETA is ready and willing to help Fort Benning switch to the modern, non-animal training methods that will best prepare our service members to treat injured human beings."

Numerous studies by military and civilian researchers have shown that personnel trained on human-like simulators are better prepared to treat traumatic injuries than peers who were trained on animals. The Navy Trauma Training Center, the Air Force Center for the Sustainment of Trauma and Readiness Skills, and the Army's Rascon School of Combat Medicine use only non-animal methods for training medical personnel. The latter has even stated that "[t]raining on [simulators] is more realistic to providing care for a person than training on animals."

A copy of PETA's complaints are available. For more information, please visit PETA.org/Trauma.

Secret and Illegal Issuance of Permits to Circuses and Other Exploiters to Harm, Harass, and Wound Animals Is Now History

For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Washington -- The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has published a new regulation in the Federal Register that bars the agency from issuing permits to circuses, zoos, and others to harm, harass, and wound captive-born endangered animals without first giving public notice of the permit application and allowing for a public-comment period. The new measure—which will go into effect immediately—ends the FWS' more than three-decade-long practice of secretly issuing captive-bred wildlife permits in direct violation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The regulation comes after PETA prevailed in its lawsuit against the FWS.

"When the very agencies charged with protecting animals start issuing secret permits to circuses and other animal exploiters, the animals suffer as a result of those illegal acts," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "This new regulation finally shines the light of public scrutiny on the process for granting permits to harm, harass, or wound captive-born endangered animals."

The ESA states that the public must be notified of all permit applications, that those applications must be made publicly available, and that the FWS must take public comments on the applications before making a decision about whether to approve them. Prior to PETA's lawsuit, many roadside zoos and traveling animal acts with abysmal records of animal mistreatment held captive-bred wildlife permits that were secretly issued without public notice.

The regulation requires a notice of all captive-bred wildlife permit applications to be published in the Federal Register. It also stipulates that all information for each permit application will be made public and that a 30-day public-comment period will be required for each application. For each permit granted, the agency will publish specific findings, including that the permit was applied for in good faith, that issuing the permit will not operate to the disadvantage of the species, and that issuing the registration will be consistent with the ESA.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Royals Great Knocks One out of the Park in Brand-New Ad, Grants Exclusive Interview

For Immediate Release:
July 24, 2012

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Kansas City, Mo. — Hall of Famer George Brett, known for his mean bat during a 21-year career with the Kansas City Royals, is now a big hit with animal lovers across North America. That's because Brett—one of only four players in Major League Baseball history to accumulate 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, and a career .300 batting average—has just shot two brand-new ads for PETA about the importance of not locking dogs inside cars during hot or even just warm weather.

In the ad shot for TV and radio, Brett appears with his dog Charlie and says, "[P]lease do not leave your dog in the car. It takes only minutes for a dog to become dehydrated, sustain irreparable brain damage, and die of heatstroke …. Cover your bases. If you know that you'll be out and about, leave your dog at home indoors, where it's safe." Brett also appears with his canine pal in a print ad (available here) that reads, "If It's Too Hot for You, Then It's Too Hot for Spot."

In an exclusive PETA interview taped in Kansas City, Brett addressed the importance of having dogs microchipped in order to keep them safe and emphasized the importance of treating them like members of the family. "Dogs need someone to be around and someone to talk to …. [W]e have sitters come over when we travel sometimes, and … if the kids are home … it's mandatory that they walk the dogs every day—get them some exercise."

Brett joins a growing list of athletes—including Glenn Dorsey, Chase Utley, Tony Gonzalez, Chad Ochocinco, Amar'e Stoudemire, Lance Briggs, Aaron Curry, and Ron Artest—who have teamed up with PETA to help animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Nude Activists Painted With Butcher's Diagram Bare Skin in Wichita to Protest Meat-Eating 

For Immediate Release:
July 25, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Wichita, Kansas --  Two PETA members will protest the meat industry by wearing nothing but paint markings that mimic a butcher's diagram of body parts and standing behind a poster that reads, "All Animals Have the Same Parts—Go Vegan." PETA's point? Factory-farmed animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, just as humans are. They have the same bodily organs, the same five senses, and the same range of emotions. And, of course, we all feel fear and pain, and none of us wants to die violently.

When:   Thursday, July 26, 12 noon

Where:  Near the Whiskey Creek Steakhouse, on the corner of Second and N. Mosley streets, Wichita, Kan.

"Animals aren't 'breasts' or 'thighs' or 'flanks,'" says PETA campaigner Matt Bruce. "They think, feel, and want to live, just as you and I do. We hope to expose others to the benefits of a humane vegan diet."

Every year, billions of animals have their bodies chopped up, labeled as this or that cut, and wrapped in cellophane for the supermarket meat case. PETA encourages people to view animals as more than walking entrées, noting that animals raised for their flesh have personalities and feelings and form families and friendships when given the chance. Factory farms deny animals everything that is natural and important to them, confining them to filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds—where only a steady diet of drugs keeps them alive long enough to be prodded into the slaughterhouse. Chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows routinely undergo de-beaking, tail-docking, or castration—mostly without any pain relief.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Unwanted Offspring Die by the Tens of Thousands in Animal Shelters and on the Streets, Says Group 

For Immediate Release:
July 25, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

Quebec City -- Holding signs that read, "Condoms Won't Work: Fix Your Dog!" and "Condoms Won't Work: Fix Your Cat!" two PETA members dressed as giant condoms will hand out leaflets on animal birth control at a busy intersection in Québec City on Thursday. Their point? That the only way to get a handle on the overpopulation crisis among cats and dogs is always to have your animals spayed or neutered.

When:   Thursday, July 26, 12 noon

Where:  Southeast corner of Boulevard Charest Est and Rue de la Couronne, Québec City

"If cats and dogs could wear condoms, thousands of animals would be saved from suffering and death," says PETA campaigner Emily Lavender. "But they can't—so it's up to their guardians to take responsibility for spaying and neutering."

In 2010, more than 140,000 animals were admitted to animal shelters in Canada, and more than 50,000 were euthanized. Of those euthanized, more than 3,600 were healthy, adoptable animals. These numbers account for approximately half the animal shelters and pounds in Canada, so the actual numbers are much higher. Thousands more never make it to an animal shelter and are left to fend for themselves on the streets, where they often are subjected to cruelty, are struck by cars, or suffer from starvation, disease, or injuries. The solution is simple: Always spay or neuter your animal companions. Spaying one female dog can prevent 67,000 births in six years, and spaying one female cat can prevent 420,000 births in seven years.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Nude Activists Painted With Butcher's Diagrams Bare Their Skin

For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382  

Indianapolis -- Two PETA members will protest the meat industry, wearing nothing but paint markings that mimic a butcher's diagram of body parts and standing behind a poster that reads, "All Animals Have the Same Parts—Go Vegan," on Friday in Indianapolis. PETA's point? Factory-farmed animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, just as humans are. They have the same bodily organs, the same five senses, and the same range of emotions. Of course, we all feel fear and pain, and none of us wants to die violently.

When:   Friday, July 27, 11 a.m.

Where:  Southeast corner of S. Meridian and W. Maryland streets, Indianapolis

"Animals aren't 'breasts' or 'thighs' or 'flanks,'" says PETA campaigner Tracy Patton. "They think, feel, and want to live, just as you and I do. By exposing my body, I hope to expose others to the benefits of a humane vegan diet."

Every year, billions of animals have their bodies chopped up, labeled as this or that cut, and wrapped in cellophane for supermarket meat cases. PETA is encouraging people to view animals as more than walking entrées, noting that animals raised for their flesh have personalities and feelings and form families and friendships when given the chance. Factory farms deny animals everything that is natural and important to them, confining them to filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds—where only a steady diet of drugs keeps them alive long enough to be prodded into the slaughterhouse. Chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows routinely undergo debeaking, tail-docking, or castration—mostly without any pain relief.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Nude Activists Painted With Butcher's Diagrams Bare Their Skin in Columbia for Pro-Vegan Demonstration 

For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2012

Contact:
Amanda Schinke 202-483-7382 

Columbia, Mo. -- Two naked PETA members will give the lunchtime crowd in downtown Columbia some food for thought on Friday. The activists will wear nothing but paint markings that mimic a butcher's diagram of body parts and stand behind a poster that reads, "All Animals Have the Same Parts—Go Vegan," in an effort to show Missourians that factory-farmed animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, just as humans are. They have the same bodily organs, the same five senses, and the same range of emotions. Of course, we all feel fear and pain, and none of us wants to die violently.

When:   Friday, July 27, 12 noon 

Where:  Corner of Ninth and Cherry streets, Columbia, Mo.

"Animals aren't 'breasts' or 'thighs' or 'flanks,'" says PETA campaigner Matt Bruce. "They think, feel, and want to live, just as you and I do. We hope to expose others to the benefits of a humane vegan diet."

Every year, billions of animals have their bodies chopped up, labeled as this or that cut, and wrapped in cellophane for the supermarket meat case. Factory farms deny animals everything that is natural and important to them, confining them to filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds. Chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows routinely undergo debeaking, tail-docking, or castration—mostly without any pain relief.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Protesters Draw Attention to Ringling's Violent Treatment of Baby Elephants 

For Immediate Release:
July 26, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382  

Anaheim, Calif. -- An "elephant" will lead PETA protesters on Friday as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus prepares for its opening show in Anaheim. The protesters will display signs that read, "This Is Ringling Baby-Elephant Training," alongside banners emblazoned with compelling photos taken inside Ringling's training center. The photos expose how baby elephants used by Ringling are stretched out, slammed to the ground, gouged with steel-tipped bullhooks, and shocked with electric prods. These abusive sessions go on for several hours a day in order to force the baby elephants to learn to perform circus tricks out of fear of punishment. Actor Alec Baldwin has recently narrated a video exposé that focuses on how circuses abuse elephants.

When:   Friday, July 27, 12 noon

Where:  Outside the Honda Center, at the intersection of E. Katella Avenue and S. Douglas Road, Anaheim

"Orange County residents would run screaming from the big top if they knew how baby elephants are violently forced to perform difficult, confusing, and sometimes painful tricks," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "We're telling parents that if their kids love animals, the last place they should take them is the circus."

Late last year, Ringling Bros. paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. Both the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) Los Angeles and the Pasadena Humane Society & SPCA have joined 13 other California humane societies to urge Californians to boycott Ringling Bros. and all other circuses that use animals, citing the circus's routine bullhook and other abuse.

For more information, please visit PETA's website RinglingBeatsAnimals.com. 

Students' In-Your-Face Poster Gives a New Face to Group's Vegan Campaign

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382  

Lubbock, Texas -- PETA's newest pro-vegan ad campaign comes courtesy of four students in Texas Tech University's Public and Social Service Design class, who designed the provocative, eye-catching ad for a PETA-sponsored class competition. The winning ad shows an image of two pigs, one colored stark red, and states in bold block letters, "You're Eating Shit." The ad goes on to explain, "Slaughterhouses are so filthy that more than half of all meat is contaminated with fecal bacteria."

Although none of the four students, who hail from across the notoriously meaty state, had ever tried going vegan prior to the contest, all four were moved to re-examine their eating habits after learning about the cruelty to animals, the health risks, and the environmental devastation inherent in the meat industry. All the students have begun to cut back on their meat consumption, including one student—Sharon Cadena, a native of Lytle, Texas—who has now been vegan for more than a month.

"All these students met PETA's challenge head-on and tackled the cruelty of the meat industry in strong, clever, and moving ways," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The winning designers' ad does a great job of confronting viewers with the fact that slaughterhouses are cruel and filthy—and that every time you take a bite of meat, you're putting your health at risk."

Because slaughterhouse floors and fishing boats are often contaminated with feces, blood, and vomit, a great deal of meat is tainted with dangerous intestinal bacteria by the time it reaches the family dinner table. According to a Consumer Reports survey, fully two-thirds of super-market chicken meat is tainted with campylobacter or E. coli, and more than 70 percent of meat tested by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was contaminated with E. coli.

The students are available for interviews upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Reminds Passersby That the Meat Industry Wastes Water, Produces Greenhouse Gasses

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382  

Springfield, Mo -- Naked behind a banner that reads, "Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegan! 1 lb. of Meat Equals 6 Months of Showers," two PETA beauties will shower together on a sidewalk in Springfield to let consumers know that the best way to conserve water and to help the environment is to go vegan.

When:   Monday, July 30, 12 noon

Where:  At the intersection of Robberson Avenue and Park Central, Springfield

Going vegan is an easy way to cut down on personal water usage, and it's the best thing that anyone can do to help stop animal suffering. According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off U.S. roads.

"It's impossible to 'go green' without going vegan," says PETA campaigner Matt Bruce. "Just by changing their diets, concerned people can help protect the Earth, their own health, and countless animals."

For more information, please visit PETA's website GoVeg.com.

Group to Converge on Austin Headquarters During Celebration of Cruelly Obtained and Fat-Packed Product

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382  

Austin, Texas -- Accompanied by an activist wearing a pig costume and holding signs that read, "Can the Spam: Go Vegetarian!" PETA members will protest outside the Austin headquarters of Hormel on Saturday while the company holds a celebration of the product's 75^th anniversary. PETA's piggy's point? That the egregious abuses endured by intelligent, sensitive pigs on factory farms and during a terrifying slaughter—along with the artery-choking saturated fat and cholesterol in Spam—are no cause for celebration.

When:   Saturday, July 28, 3 p.m.

Where:  1 Hormel Pl. (near the intersection of Hormel Place and 16^th Avenue), Austin

"Celebrating Spam is celebrating suffering and death—for the pigs who are killed to make it and the consumers whose arteries can be ravaged by the cholesterol and fats in it," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "PETA suggests that Spam-eaters go vegan while there's still time and celebrate life instead."

Before pigs become Spam, their tails are chopped off, their teeth are clipped with pliers, and males are castrated—all without any pain relief. In an undercover investigation into a Hormel supplier’s farm in 2008, PETA captured video footage of vicious beatings and attacks on animals with weapons ranging from metal bars and clothespins to a cane and workers' fists. A supervisor was seen ramming a cane into a pig’s vagina and admitted to shoving a metal gate rod up pigs' anuses. Abuse and mistreatment of sows and piglets appear to be standard on factory farms, whether the pigs are destined for Hormel, Smithfield, or elsewhere. Also, Spam is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol which has been linked to the cause of deadly diseases like diabetes and heart disease, so eating it can be like playing Russian roulette with your health. As part of the continuing campaign, PETA has T-shirts available that read, "Vegetarians Against Spam."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group to Converge on Austin Headquarters During Celebration of Cruelly Obtained and Fat-Packed Product

For Immediate Release:
July 27, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382  

Austin, Minn. -- Accompanied by an activist wearing a pig costume and holding signs that read, "Can the Spam: Go Vegetarian!" PETA members will protest outside the Austin headquarters of Hormel on Saturday while the company holds a celebration of the product's 75^th anniversary. PETA's piggy's point? That the egregious abuses endured by intelligent, sensitive pigs on factory farms and during a terrifying slaughter—along with the artery-choking saturated fat and cholesterol in Spam—are no cause for celebration.

When:   Saturday, July 28, 3 p.m.

Where:  1 Hormel Pl. (near the intersection of Hormel Place and 16^th Avenue), Austin

"Celebrating Spam is celebrating suffering and death—for the pigs who are killed to make it and the consumers whose arteries can be ravaged by the cholesterol and fats in it," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "PETA suggests that Spam-eaters go vegan while there's still time and celebrate life instead."

Before pigs become Spam, their tails are chopped off, their teeth are clipped with pliers, and males are castrated—all without any pain relief. In an undercover investigation into a Hormel supplier’s farm in 2008, PETA captured video footage of vicious beatings and attacks on animals with weapons ranging from metal bars and clothespins to a cane and workers' fists. A supervisor was seen ramming a cane into a pig’s vagina and admitted to shoving a metal gate rod up pigs' anuses. Abuse and mistreatment of sows and piglets appear to be standard on factory farms, whether the pigs are destined for Hormel, Smithfield, or elsewhere. Also, Spam is loaded with saturated fat and cholesterol which has been linked to the cause of deadly diseases like diabetes and heart disease, so eating it can be like playing Russian roulette with your health. As part of the continuing campaign, PETA has T-shirts available that read, "Vegetarians Against Spam."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Evidence Provided by PETA of Physical and Psychological Threats to Two Elephants Leads to Government Action

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Manville, N.J. -- After PETA filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the physical safety and psychological well-being of two elephants with Cole Bros. Circus, the circus has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty to the USDA to settle formal charges against the circus, which is scheduled to perform in Manville on August 2 and 3. The charges came after PETA pointed out that two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were hundreds of pounds underweight and had been deprived of adequate veterinary care, including for a protruding spine. They were also sent to an unlicensed exhibitor with a long history of violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The more than 10 charges that Cole Bros. settled with the USDA include failure to provide the elephants with adequate veterinary care and failure to hire personnel capable of caring for them.

In 2009, the USDA felt that the case was so serious that the agency confiscated Jewel and also removed Tina. However, Cole Bros. continues to use other elephants in old-fashioned circus acts, and PETA sent the USDA alarming video footage taken at Cole Bros. Circus in Lanesboro, Mass., on June 17, 2011, that shows a handler who repeatedly struck an elephant using a bullhook (a rod with a solid, steel-pointed end that resembles a fireplace poker), including forcefully hitting the animal twice in the face. Also in June of last year, the USDA cited an elephant exhibitor with Cole Bros. for multiple violations of the AWA, including the use of "excessive force while tugging at" an elephant by digging a bullhook into her flesh. Elephant trainer Tim Frisco, who was caught on camera viciously beating terrified elephants and shocking them with electric prods, just joined Cole Bros.

"We hope that the USDA's action against Cole Bros. puts all animal circuses on notice that, sooner or later, they must pay for animal abuse," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "We are appealing to parents and grandparents not to take children to animal circuses because every ticket purchased supports suffering."

The USDA's original complaint—filed after the USDA was contacted by PETA as well as by In Defense of Animals—and the settlement agreement are available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

A list of the violations named in the charges follows.

The violations of the Animal Welfare Act for which Cole Bros. Circus was ordered to pay a $15,000 penalty include the following:

Elephants

• Failure to provide adequate veterinary care to two underweight elephants, including one with a prominent spine and sunken body image
• Failure to have records for vet exams and tuberculosis tests
• Failure to handle an elephant in a way that minimizes the risk of harm to the public and the elephant
• Failure to employ personnel capable of caring for elephants
• Failure to house elephants at a facility that could provide for their needs
• Failure to follow recommendations of an elephant specialist
• Failure to store medications properly
• Transporting elephants to another person who was not equipped to care for them against the recommendation of an elephant specialist
• Inadequate enclosures
• Handlers who lacked training and knowledge and weren't regularly on site   

Tigers

• Employing a handler who lacked training, knowledge, and experience
• Selling tigers without a dealer license

Evidence Provided by PETA of Physical and Psychological Threats to Two Elephants Leads to Government Action

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Ocean County, N.J. -- After PETA filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the physical safety and psychological well-being of two elephants with Cole Bros. Circus, the circus has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty to the USDA to settle formal charges against the circus, which is scheduled to perform in Forked River on August 4 and 5 and in Seaside Heights on August 6 and 7. The charges came after PETA pointed out that two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were hundreds of pounds underweight and had been deprived of adequate veterinary care, including for a protruding spine. They were also sent to an unlicensed exhibitor with a long history of violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The more than 10 charges that Cole Bros. settled with the USDA include failure to provide the elephants with adequate veterinary care and failure to hire personnel capable of caring for them.

In 2009, the USDA felt that the case was so serious that the agency confiscated Jewel and also removed Tina. However, Cole Bros. continues to use other elephants in old-fashioned circus acts, and PETA sent the USDA alarming video footage taken at Cole Bros. Circus in Lanesboro, Mass., on June 17, 2011, that shows a handler who repeatedly struck an elephant using a bullhook (a rod with a solid, steel-pointed end that resembles a fireplace poker), including forcefully hitting the animal twice in the face. Also in June of last year, the USDA cited an elephant exhibitor with Cole Bros. for multiple violations of the AWA, including the use of "excessive force while tugging at" an elephant by digging a bullhook into her flesh. Elephant trainer Tim Frisco, who was caught on camera viciously beating terrified elephants and shocking them with electric prods, just joined Cole Bros.

"We hope that the USDA's action against Cole Bros. puts all animal circuses on notice that, sooner or later, they must pay for animal abuse," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "We are appealing to parents and grandparents not to take children to animal circuses because every ticket purchased supports suffering."

The USDA's original complaint—filed after the USDA was contacted by PETA as well as by In Defense of Animals—and the settlement agreement are available upon request. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

A list of the violations named in the charges follows.

The violations of the Animal Welfare Act for which Cole Bros. Circus was ordered to pay a $15,000 penalty include the following:

Elephants

• Failure to provide adequate veterinary care to two underweight elephants, including one with a prominent spine and sunken body image
• Failure to have records for vet exams and tuberculosis tests
• Failure to handle an elephant in a way that minimizes the risk of harm to the public and the elephant
• Failure to employ personnel capable of caring for elephants
• Failure to house elephants at a facility that could provide for their needs
• Failure to follow recommendations of an elephant specialist
• Failure to store medications properly
• Transporting elephants to another person who was not equipped to care for them against the recommendation of an elephant specialist
• Inadequate enclosures
• Handlers who lacked training and knowledge and weren't regularly on site   

Tigers

• Employing a handler who lacked training, knowledge, and experience
• Selling tigers without a dealer license

Group Asks Mall to Place 'Too Hot for Spot' Advisories on Parking Spots

For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Spokane, Washington -- In the wake of last week's lucky rescue of a basset hound who had been left in a hot car parked outside the Spokane Valley Mall, PETA has fired off a letter to mall officials with a lifesaving suggestion: Paint PETA's "Too Hot for Spot" advisory, which features a cartoon drawing of a dog locked in a parked car and warns, "In Hot Weather, Leave Dogs at Home!" on the mall's parking spaces. As PETA explains in the letter, leaving a dog in a parked car—even for a short period of time, in the shade, with the windows cracked—can have fatal consequences.

"PETA wants to help the Spokane Valley Mall turn what was very nearly a tragic incident into an educational opportunity for the whole community," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The rule is simple: When the weather turns warm, never leave your dog in the car."

TV: PETA's new public service announcement starring Elisabetta Canalis, which shows the dangers of leaving dogs in hot cars, is available upon request. Print: PETA's warm-weather public service announcements featuring Laura Bell Bundy are available to link to or download here (for print) and here (for online). Radio: PETA's warm-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's letter to Daryl Rheingans, general manager of the Spokane Valley Mall, follows.

July 30, 2012

Daryl Rheingans
General Manager
Spokane Valley Mall

Dear Mr. Rheingans:

I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters—including thousands across Washington—with a suggestion that could save many lives. Following last week's lucky rescue of a basset hound trapped inside an overheated car in your parking lot, we have a lifesaving suggestion: Will you please stencil our "Too Hot for Spot" public service advisory on parking spots in the Spokane Valley Mall lot?

PETA receives dozens of reports every summer of dogs who have suffered and died in parked cars. Even cracking the windows or parking in the shade does not usually prevent dogs from rapidly becoming severely overheated. On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to between 100 and 120 degrees in just minutes. On a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 160 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Because dogs do not sweat through their skin, dogs can succumb to heatstroke in just 15 minutes, resulting in brain damage or death. For example, two police dogs in San Antonio died just last week. Our stenciled advisory can serve as a last-minute reminder to shoppers not to leave their dogs in the car.

I look forward to working with you.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely yours,

Stephanie Bell
Associate Director
Cruelty Investigations Department

Nude Activists Painted With Butcher's Diagram Bare Skin in Tulsa

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382  

Tulsa -- Stripping down to nothing but panties and paint markings that mimic a butcher's diagram of body parts, two PETA members will protest against the meat industry behind a poster that reads, "All Animals Have the Same Parts—Go Vegan." PETA's point? Factory-farmed animals are made of flesh, blood, and bone, just as humans are. They have the same bodily organs, the same five senses, and the same range of emotions. And, of course, we all feel fear and pain, and none of us wants to die violently.

When:   Tuesday, July 31, 12 noon

Where:  Corner of S. Boston Avenue and E. Fifth Street, Tulsa 

"It's appalling to think about butchering, cooking, and eating a human being," says PETA campaigner Matt Bruce. "Animals aren't 'breasts' or 'thighs' or 'flanks.' They think, feel, and want to live, just as you and I do. The best way to prevent the kind of horrific animal abuse that takes place on factory farms and in slaughterhouses is simply to stop eating animals."         

Every year, billions of animals have their bodies chopped up, labeled as this or that cut, and wrapped in cellophane for the supermarket meat case. PETA is encouraging people to view animals as more than walking entrées, noting that animals raised for their flesh have personalities and feelings and form families and friendships when given the chance. Factory farms deny animals everything that is natural and important to them, confining them to filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds—where only a steady diet of drugs keeps them alive long enough to be prodded into the slaughterhouse. Chickens, pigs, lamb, and cows routinely undergo debeaking, tail-docking, or castration—mostly without any pain relief.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Counters New England Lobster Festival With Engraved Brick Encouraging Bostonians to Let Lobsters Live in Peace

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382  

Boston -- As the Maine Lobster Festival comes to New England, PETA is unveiling the hidden lobster rights message that it snuck into Fenway Park through the purchase of one of the commemorative bricks that the stadium offered for sale, inscription, and permanent display in honor of its 100^th anniversary. Fenway Park is now home to a brick that reads, "Lead Our Bo Sox To Early Runs! Late Inning Blasts! Easy Routs! A Trophy In Our Name!"—the initial letters of each word spell out "LOBSTER LIBERATION." PETA hopes its message will encourage Boston residents to skip cruelly produced lobster dishes in favor of vegetarian meals, such as the veggie dogs and meatless burritos available at Fenway's concession stands. PETA's brick has been placed in the concourse Gate C, Jim Rice Section 7.

"PETA's brick is designed to remind everyone that lobsters feel pain and suffer when they're boiled alive," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "By sticking to veggie burgers—or mock lobster—Red Sox fans can give all animals something to cheer about."

According to Dr. Jaren G. Horsley, Ph. D., an invertebrate zoologist, lobsters have a "sophisticated nervous system" and feel "a great deal of pain" when they are cut open. When dropped into scalding water, they whip their bodies wildly and scrape the sides of the pot in a desperate attempt to escape. And because lobsters do not enter a state of shock when they are hurt, they are believed to feel every moment of their slow, painful deaths when they are cooked alive—a practice that researcher Gordon Gunter described in the journal Science as "torture."

Diners seeking vegetarian meals at Fenway Park have a lot to choose from. In addition to veggie dogs and burritos, Fenway's concession stands offer veggie burgers, veggie tacos, vegetarian sushi, hummus, fresh fruits and vegetables, smoothies, French fries, salads, popcorn, nuts, and more.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

Protesters Take to the Streets Against Chicken Chain for Ignoring Animal Suffering and Funding Anti-Gay Initiatives

For Immediate Release:

July 31, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382   

Los Angeles -- Holding signs that read, "Don't Eat Chickens OR Cows: Go Vegan!" and "Chick-fil-A Is Anti-Gay!" members of PETA and the LGBT community will converge on a Los Angeles Chick-fil-A on Wednesday to protest the company's support of the egregious abuse of millions of chickens killed for its menu and its donations of millions of dollars to anti-gay organizations.

When:   Wednesday, August 1, 12 noon

Where:  Outside Chick-fil-A, 6750 Sunset Blvd. (near the intersection with N. Highland Avenue), Los Angeles

"Chick-fil-A customers should deny this company their business as long as it denies gay people respect and chickens protection from blatant cruelty," says PETA campaigner Virginia Fort. "Being a homophobe and continuing to buy chickens from suppliers who sometimes scald birds to death don't fly in the 21^st century."

Chickens are inquisitive animals with complex social structures. Their cognitive abilities are in some cases more advanced than those of cats, dogs, and even some primates. But chickens raised and killed for Chick-fil-A are confined by the thousands to filthy sheds and are killed using an archaic slaughter method that causes the animals to sustain broken bones, have their throats cut while they're still conscious, and be scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Airline Will No Longer Transport Monkeys to Be Cut Up, Poisoned, and Killed in Cruel Experiments

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

New York -- Following a vigorous PETA campaign that included complaints to the government, thousands of e-mails and phone calls, and public protests, Air China has confirmed to PETA that it is joining China Southern Airlines, China Airlines, and dozens of other leading companies in the cargo and passenger airline industry worldwide in refusing to transport monkeys to laboratories. In an e-mail sent today to PETA, Air China's cargo manager, Jason Wang, wrote, "[Air China has] stopped conducting this business." The airline's decision comes less than 24 hours after PETA asked its Facebook and Twitter followers to call Air China Cargo's main office at John F. Kennedy airport and demand that the airline stop shipping primates to laboratories—a move that led to thousands of phone calls to the company.

"China is the source of more than 70 percent of monkeys imported to the U.S. for use in cruel experiments—and now that Air China is no longer participating in this bloody trade, U.S. experimenters will find it harder to get their hands on more victims," says PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "PETA will continue to pressure airlines worldwide to follow Air China's lead and stop delivering primates to certain suffering and death."

PETA's complaints to the U.S. Department of Agriculture regarding Air China's unsafe handling of laboratory-bound monkeys resulted in citations against the airline for violating federal law. An action alert posted on PETA's website last week prompted more than 23,000 people to e-mail Air China.

Nearly every major domestic and international airline—including American, Delta, Lufthansa, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, Air India, and dozens of others—refuses to transport primates to laboratories, where they are caged, tormented in painful experiments, and then killed. Only a small handful of airlines—including Air France, China Eastern Airlines, United Airlines subsidiary Continental Cargo, Philippine Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines—continue this practice.

For more information, please visit PETA.org/AirCruelty.

PETA Warns That Ringling Illegally Forces Crippled Elephants to Perform Stunts

For Immediate Release:
July 31, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Dallas --  An "elephant" on crutches wearing a "bloody" bandage around the head will lead PETA's contingent of protesters on Wednesday as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus prepares for its opening show at the American Airlines Center. Ringling routinely forces sick and arthritic elephants to perform difficult tricks in its shows. Additionally, PETA will screen its new video exposé of the Ringling Bros. circus narrated by Alec Baldwin.

When:   Wednesday, August 1, 12 noon 

Where:  Corner of N. Akard and Main streets, Dallas

"Forcing elephants to perform painful contortions despite ill health is cruel—and it could be a death sentence," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "We're telling families that if their children or grandchildren love animals, the last place they should go is this kind of circus."

Late last year, Ringling paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.

For more information, please visit PETA's website RinglingBeatsAnimals.com.