Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 2, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Midland, Texas — Every year, PETA receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for "backyard dogs," who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care, and it can also pose challenges for wildlife.

With snow and low temperatures predicted for your area, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience now and throughout the winter in order to help protect animals?

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.
• Don't allow your cat or dog to roam outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.
• Wipe off your dogs' or cats' legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them. You should also increase animals' food rations during the winter because they burn more calories in an effort to stay warm.
• Keep an eye out for stray animals. Take unidentified animals indoors until you can find their guardians or take them to an animal shelter. If strays are skittish or otherwise unapproachable, provide food and water and call your local humane society for assistance in trapping them and getting them indoors.
• If you see animals left outside without shelter from the elements, please notify authorities. For information on what constitutes adequate shelter, click here.
• During extreme winter weather, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Offer rations to wildlife who are caught in storms or white-outs by spreading birdseed on the ground. Provide access to liquid water by filling a heavy water bowl and breaking the surface ice twice a day. Remember to remove the food once the weather improves to encourage the animals to move on to warmer areas.

PETA's cold-weather public service announcement featuring Justin Theroux is available to link to or download here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 2, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382 

Odessa, Texas— Every year, PETA receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for "backyard dogs," who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care, and it can also pose challenges for wildlife.

With snow and low temperatures predicted for your area, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience now and throughout the winter in order to help protect animals?

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.
• Don't allow your cat or dog to roam outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.
• Wipe off your dogs' or cats' legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them. You should also increase animals' food rations during the winter because they burn more calories in an effort to stay warm.
• Keep an eye out for stray animals. Take unidentified animals indoors until you can find their guardians or take them to an animal shelter. If strays are skittish or otherwise unapproachable, provide food and water and call your local humane society for assistance in trapping them and getting them indoors.
• If you see animals left outside without shelter from the elements, please notify authorities. For information on what constitutes adequate shelter, click here.
• During extreme winter weather, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Offer rations to wildlife who are caught in storms or white-outs by spreading birdseed on the ground. Provide access to liquid water by filling a heavy water bowl and breaking the surface ice twice a day. Remember to remove the food once the weather improves to encourage the animals to move on to warmer areas.

PETA's cold-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Beauties in Green Bikinis to Give Away Free Tempeh Sandwiches 

For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Flagstaff, Ariz. -- Wearing nothing but strategically placed lettuce leaves and holding signs that read, "Turn Over a New Leaf: Go Vegan," PETA's sexy "Lettuce Ladies" will brave the cold in order to hand out delicious, free tempeh sandwiches to passersby in Flagstaff on Friday. The ladies will also give out copies of PETA's vegetarian/vegan starter kit and "Glass Walls" DVDs to help people offset holiday weight gain and resolve to do better in 2013 for their health, the well-being of the planet, and animals.

When:   Friday, January 4, 12 noon 

Where:  Northeast corner of Route 66 and S. San Francisco Street, Flagstaff

On average, vegans and vegetarians are significantly leaner than meat-eaters are. Also, the consumption of meat and other animal-derived products has been conclusively linked to heart disease, strokes, diabetes, cancer, and, of course, obesity. The meat industry is responsible for the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of billions of animals and is also a top emitter of the greenhouse gasses that contribute to climate change.

"Turning over a new leaf doesn't have to be difficult," says PETA Lettuce Lady Leila Sleiman. "With an abundance of delicious vegan choices now available, there's never been a better time to make the switch to a kinder, gentler, healthier diet."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Bills' Defensive End Wears Only His Tattoos in 'Ink, Not Mink' Ad

For Immediate Release:
January 3, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382 

Buffalo, N.Y. -- The Bills' season just ended, but Shawne Merriman's new role—as a PETA spokesmodel—has just begun. To encourage everyone to keep fur out of their winter wardrobes, the defensive end has teamed up with PETA for a brand-new ad campaign in which he shows off his tattoos—including, appropriately, the words "Heart of Gold" on his chest—next to the caption "Ink, Not Mink. Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin, and Let Animals Keep Theirs." The ad, available here, was shot by top photographer Tyler Jason.

"Shawne Merriman is a tough opponent on the field, but it's as plain as the words on his chest that he has a heart of gold for animals," says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. "Football's a rough sport, but as PETA's undercover videos show, it has nothing on the violence of the fur industry."

PETA and Merriman want consumers to know that every year, millions of foxes, minks, and rabbits—and even cats and dogs—are beaten, electrocuted, and strangled for their pelts. Many are skinned alive. For every piece of fur—whether it's a full-length coat or a bit of trim on a collar or cuff—animals suffered immensely.

Merriman joins a growing list of top athletes—including Terrell Suggs, Willis McGahee, Chris Andersen, Chad Ochocinco,Amar'e Stoudemire, Tony Gonzalez, Aaron Curry, Michael Strahan, Gilbert Arenas, "Sugar" Shane Mosley,and Tito Ortiz—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness toward animals.

For more information or to view the ad, please visit PETA.org. Watch PETA's undercover investigation of Chinese fur farms here. 

Dog in Mortal Danger of Starvation, Exposure, and Drowning, Group Warns Officials

For Immediate Release:
January 4, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has sent an urgent letter calling for officials from the Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office, county road department, and animal shelter to work together and immediately rescue Blade, a dog who has been trapped in a 200-foot culvert, or underground drainage pipe, located along Long Branch Road near Sugarplum Lane since January 1. As PETA explains in its letter, Blade has been screaming in distress from inside the culvert, but his cries are growing weaker, and his family is frantic to retrieve him.

"Every minute that Blade spends trapped in the pipe is terrifying—and he may not have much time left," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "PETA is standing by and will do anything in our power to help Lumpkin County officials safely return Blade to his family."

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Lumpkin County officials follows.

January 4, 2013

To:      Stan Kelley, Lumpkin County Manager

Sheriff Stacy Jarrard, Lumpkin County Sheriff's Office

Ben Chitwood, Lumpkin County Road Superintendent

Eddy Harris, Manager, Lumpkin County Animal Shelter

From: Kristin Simon, Senior Cruelty Caseworker, PETA

Re:      Rescue needed for dog trapped in culvert

Your urgent attention is requested.

PETA is an international animal rights organization with more than 3 million members and supporters globally, including thousands residing in Georgia. On January 2, our headquarters was contacted by the Sears family of Dahlonega regarding their coonhound, Blade. According to Hunter, the Sears' distraught 16-year-old son, Blade was last seen running through a briar patch near a relative's home on January 1, and when the family tried to recover the dog, they were horrified to hear him screaming in distress from inside a 200-foot culvert located along Long Branch Road. We understand that officials from the county road department as well as the Sheriff's Office have visited the scene but have not yet retrieved the dog and that the family's efforts to rescue Blade have been unsuccessful. Meanwhile, Blade's tracking collar continues to transmit a signal from inside the culvert, but the dog's cries are growing weaker.

We write today to respectfully implore Lumpkin County offices to work together in order to rescue this animal before he dies of starvation, exposure, or drowning. Please know that PETA stands ready to assist in any way possible. May we hear from you soon regarding this urgent matter?

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Kristin Simon
Senior Cruelty Caseworker
Cruelty Investigations Department

Granting Cash Awards to Hunters Likely to Defeat Eradication Efforts, Says PETA and One of the Participating Government Agencies

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Tallahassee, Fla. -- PETA has fired off a letter to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) urging it to remove decapitation as an acceptable means of killing Burmese pythons in a contest dubbed the 2013 Python Challenge, which runs from January 12 through February 10 and includes cash prizes. In the letter, PETA points out that, according to Dr. Clifford Warwick, one of the world's foremost experts in reptilian biology, decapitation—followed by an attempt to destroy the snake's brain, as the challenge recommends—cannot be carried out humanely in the field, leading to prolonged suffering.

The group also points out that turning the python-eradication effort into a bounty hunt—prizes range up to $1,500—defeats its purpose. A report prepared by the U.S. Geological Survey—which is listed among "participating organizations" on the challenge website—concluded that "[b]ounties have never been used successfully with invasive reptiles" and that "any feature that adds value to an invasive species … creates economic pressure to assure the population's continuation."

"This bounty hunt is misguided in the first place, but allowing hunters to decapitate pythons—who remain alive and in agony and who will writhe for an hour even after their heads have been cut off—is despicably cruel," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Many of these animals were once someone's 'pets,' who have since been thrown out like garbage, and the FWC has an obligation to ensure that they don't suffer any more than they already have."

PETA is calling on the commission to limit the recommended method of killing the pythons to immediate destruction of the brain by gunshot or captive-bolt gun. PETA has also requested that the commission remove its endorsement of unspecified "other methods" that will "result in immediate loss of consciousness and destruction of the … brain," with no further guidance provided. These methods as well as decapitation could result in violations of Florida's cruelty-to-animals statute.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Bob Barker Narrates New Video Exposé of Chief Saunooke Bear Park

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Cherokee, N.C. -- A PETA undercover investigation has documented systemic neglect, deprivation, and abuse of bears as well as an employee who called Native Americans "long-distance corn niggers" and the facility's manager, who admitted to a secret policy against hiring Native Americans. Add to that drug use by one employee, sexual harassment by another, and employees being paid cash under the table in violation of federal law, and you've got the picture at Chief Saunooke Bear Park (CSBP).

PETA documented that staff were deliberately depriving bears of food and denying them proper veterinary care. In addition, bears are so stressed by their constant confinement in small, virtually barren concrete pits that they turn in tight circles, pace endlessly, repetitively bob and weave, and gnaw at metal cage bars, breaking their teeth—all well-recognized signs of suffering.

PETA has submitted its evidence to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and TV icon and animal activist Bob Barker, who has narrated new video footage (available here), is joining PETA in calling for CSBP's bears to be confiscated and relocated to an accredited sanctuary without delay. In the video, a CSBP bear keeper was caught threatening to "knock out" a USDA veterinarian and saying that he would "like to just smack the living dogs**t out of" her. The same bear keeper reports that it took "20 shots … in the head" to kill a bear who attacked a worker—and that he ate the bear afterward.

"CSBP has denied these bears the opportunity to express every natural behavior, from resting in a proper den to foraging and roaming," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "PETA stands ready to assist the USDA in getting these miserable animals out of the cement pits and to a sanctuary, where they will finally get to be bears."

Last summer, the USDA charged CSBP with 14 violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The agency is seeking revocation or suspension of CSBP's license. PETA is also filing formal complaints with other agencies regarding discriminatory hiring practices, failure to pay workers minimum wage, sexual harassment, and more.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Spokane, Wash. -- Every year, PETA receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for "backyard dogs," who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care, and it can also pose challenges for wildlife.

With snow and low temperatures predicted for your area, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience now and throughout the winter in order to help protect animals?

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.
• Don't allow your cat or dog to roam outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.
• Wipe off your dogs' or cats' legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them. You should also increase animals' food rations during the winter because they burn more calories in an effort to stay warm.
• Keep an eye out for stray animals. Take unidentified animals indoors until you can find their guardians or take them to an animal shelter. If strays are skittish or otherwise unapproachable, provide food and water and call your local humane society for assistance in trapping them and getting them indoors.
• If you see animals left outside without shelter from the elements, please notify authorities. For information on what constitutes adequate shelter, click here.
• During extreme winter weather, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Offer rations to wildlife who are caught in storms or white-outs by spreading birdseed on the ground. Provide access to liquid water by filling a heavy water bowl and breaking the surface ice twice a day. Remember to remove the food once the weather improves to encourage the animals to move on to warmer areas.

For TV:PETA's cold-weather public service announcement featuring Justin Theroux is available to link to or download here. For Print: PETA's cold-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here. For Radio: PETA's cold-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Sexy Activists Will Hit City Urging 'Bare Skin—Don't Wear Skin!'

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Jackson, Miss. -- Wearing nothing but little panties, two PETA beauties will stand behind a banner that reads, "Bare Skin—Don't Wear Skin," in downtown Jackson on Tuesday.

When:   Tuesday, January 8, 12 noon

Where:  Corner of S. Congress and E. Capitol streets, Jackson

"By showing some of our own skin, we hope that people will consider letting animals keep theirs," says PETA beauty Hayley Ray, who will lead the traffic-stopping demonstration.

Why all the fuss over what to wear? Fashion guru Tim Gunn lays it on the line in PETA's video short, which shows how animals who are killed for their fur are electrocuted, poisoned, or gassed or have their necks broken. Cows who are slated to be killed for their skins endure painful mutilations and physical abuse on factory farms and cruel treatment during transport and slaughter. Snakes have hoses rammed into their mouths and are pumped full of water so that workers can more easily cut off their tightened skin while they're still alive.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Meat-Free Meals Can Help Concerned Canadians Reduce Their Carbon Footprints, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Calgary -- Wearing green bikinis and bodypaint, sporting green hair, and holding signs that read, "Go Green, Go Vegan," two PETA members will distribute PETA's "Meat's Not Green" leaflets and "Glass Walls" DVDs to lunchtime shoppers in downtown Calgary on Tuesday. The bodypainted beauties' point? Canadians can help the environment by chucking meat, eggs, and dairy products and going vegan.

When:   Tuesday, January 8, 12 noon sharp 

Where:  Northwest corner of Stephen Avenue S.W. and Second Street S.W., Calgary

"Between polluting the soil, water, and air and gobbling up our natural resources, the meat industry is as toxic to the Earth as it is to human health," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA wants Canadians to know that each of us can personally fight climate change—and save animals—simply by going vegan."

According to the United Nations, raising animals for food is "a top contributor to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." In its report, the U.N. found that the meat industry causes local and global environmental problems even beyond climate change. It said that the meat industry should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity. In addition, vegans are, on average, trimmer than meat-eaters, and they're less prone to suffering from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. And, of course, every vegan spares the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of more than 100 animals every year.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Gospel Singer Says Dogs Belong Indoors With Their Families, Not Chained Outside

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Atlanta -- Celebrated gospel artist DeWayne Woods sings a message of mercy and love to congregations of thousands every week—and now, in a brand-new PETA campaign, he's encouraging everyone to show that mercy to all of God's creatures, particularly during the cold winter months. The new campaign, which features Woods and his two dogs, Bailey and Brach, quotes Proverbs 12:10—"The righteous care for the needs of their animals"—and urges, "Make your dogs a part of the family. Let them live indoors where it's safe and warm, and never keep them chained." A high-resolution version of the ad is available here.

In an exclusive PETA interview, Woods explains his interpretation of what it means for humanity to have "dominion" over animals: "I think it's just showing them the way, showing them that you love them and that you're concerned about them—you want to watch them grow up and be the best animals that they could possibly be." He also stresses the importance of spaying and neutering and of choosing kind forms of family entertainment—which means staying away from circuses that use animals.

Dogs who spend their lives at the end of a chain ache for companionship and suffer from all weather extremes—including frightening thunderstorms, bitter cold, and summer heat—and are often deprived of basic veterinary care. Living day after day in isolation causes these highly social pack animals to become lonely and distressed. Dogs on chains easily become agitated, are perpetually frustrated when they realize that they are unable to flee from perceived threats, and grow aggressively protective of their tiny territories. Hundreds of people—mostly children—have been mauled and even killed after wandering within reach of chained dogs or encountering dogs who had broken free from chains.

A stage actor and gospel singer, DeWayne Woods is the recipient of four Stellar Awards. He joins a long list of musicians and other celebrities—including Simon Cowell, Taraji P. Henson, Paul McCartney, Angela Simmons, Russell Simmons, Wendy Williams, and many more—who have teamed up with PETA to promote compassion for animals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Jane's Addiction Guitarist Takes Animals' Place in Graphic Anti–Cosmetics Testing Campaign

For Immediate Release:
January 7, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- Dave Navarro is putting a face—and a body—to the hundreds of thousands of animals worldwide who are poisoned, blinded, and killed every year in tests for the cosmetics industry. In the edgy new PETA campaign, which was shot by top celebrity photographer Joseph Cultice, a nude Navarro appears bleeding from his eyes and from abraded patches of skin on his bare legs and torso next to the words "Animal Testing Kills: Choose Cruelty-Free." A high-resolution version of the ad is available here.

"They're not taking a bunny rabbit and putting mascara on it. They're injecting a chemical directly into its eye to see what kind of adverse reaction happens to it," Navarro stressed in an on-set PETA interview. "In many cases, parts of their body are ripped open. They're all alive, and they're all aware. It's torture for the animal, it's terrifying and painful and probably one of the cruelest things done in the name of vanity."

To test cosmetics, household cleaners, and other consumer products, rats, mice, guinea pigs, rabbits, and other animals are force-fed chemicals or have harsh substances dripped into their eyes or rubbed onto their raw, abraded skin—even though the results of animal tests are not applicable to humans. While these tests are required in China and some other countries, they are not required by law in the U.S. and have been banned in the European Union and Israel. Fortunately, many companies—including LUSH, Urban Decay, Paul Mitchell Systems, The Body Shop, Seventh Generation, and more—have signed PETA's statement of assurance that they use only modern, non-animal methods to test their products and ingredients. PETA's global list of cruelty-free cosmetics and household-product companies is available here.
 
This is Navarro's second ad campaign with PETA. He first posed in PETA's famous "Ink, Not Mink" series, in which he bared all but his tattoos to protest the cruel fur industry.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Meat-Free Meals Can Help Concerned Canadians Reduce Their Carbon Footprints, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Edmonton -- Wearing green bikinis and bodypaint, sporting green hair, and holding signs that read, "Go Green, Go Vegan," two PETA members will distribute PETA's "Meat's Not Green" leaflets and "Glass Walls" DVDs to lunchtime shoppers in downtown Edmonton on Wednesday. The bodypainted beauties' point? Canadians can help the environment by chucking meat, eggs, and dairy products and going vegan.

When:   Wednesday, January 9, 12 noon sharp

Where:  Edmonton City Centre, northwest corner of 102 Avenue N.W. and 100 Street N.W., Edmonton

"Between polluting the soil, water, and air and gobbling up our natural resources, the meat industry is as toxic to the Earth as it is to human health," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA wants Canadians to know that each of us can personally fight climate change—and save animals—simply by going vegan."

According to the United Nations, raising animals for food is "a top contributor to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." In its report, the U.N. found that the meat industry causes local and global environmental problems even beyond climate change. It said that the meat industry should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity. In addition, vegans are, on average, trimmer than meat-eaters, and they're less prone to suffering from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. And, of course, every vegan saves more than 100 animals every year from daily suffering and a terrifying death.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Pro-Vegan Demonstration Will Mimic Meat Packages

For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Montgomery, Ala. -- Covered with clear plastic and lying nearly naked on large trays in front of signs that read, "All Animals Have the Same Parts," PETA members will mimic meat packages on Wednesday. Other PETA members will distribute leaflets to passersby and Dreamland Bar-B-Que patrons. The activists aim to demonstrate that all animals—not just humans—are made of flesh, blood, and bone and also have the same senses and range of emotions that humans do. The packages will contain oversized price stickers that warn, "Billions of Animals Are Abused and Violently Killed Because You Eat Meat. Get Help! Visit PETA.org."

When:   Wednesday, January 9, 12 noon

Where:  Dreamland Bar-B-Que, 101 Tallapoosa St., Montgomery

Chickens, fish, cows, and pigs feel pain and fear just as intensely as the animals who share our homes with us do, yet they are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs and cats were the victims. On today's factory farms, chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets are castrated and have their tails cut off without being given any painkillers, and cows are hung upside down and often skinned while they're still able to feel pain. On the decks of fishing boats, fish suffocate or are cut open while they're still alive.

Heart disease, diabetes, strokes, and cancer have been conclusively linked to the consumption of meat and other animal-derived products—all risks that can be reduced through lifestyle changes, such as adopting a low-fat vegan diet.

"We are challenging people to really think about what 'meat' is," says PETA campaigner Matt Bruce. "When you eat flesh, you're eating the corpse of an abused animal who did not want to die. We're encouraging kind consumers to give veganism a try."

For more information, please visit GoVeg.com.

Decision Means No Major Commercial North American Airline Will Ship Monkeys to Their Deaths in Experiments

For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2013

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Chicago -- Following a vigorous yearlong PETA campaign that included public protests and more than 100,000 e-mails and social-media messages, United Airlines told PETA yesterday that it has banned the transport of primates to laboratories. The new policy reads, "We do not book, accept or transport primates to or from medical research facilities."

Because Air Canada is in the process of implementing a similar ban, PETA's United victory means that not a single major airline based in North America will deliver monkeys to laboratories, where they are caged, poisoned, addicted to drugs, mutilated, and killed.

"It will be much harder for cruel experimenters to get their hands on monkeys to abuse now that United has joined every other commercial airline in North America in refusing to deliver primates to certain suffering and death in laboratories," says PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "PETA will continue to pressure the few overseas airlines—now numbering only four—that continue this inhumane practice."

PETA's United campaign began in 2011, when the airline—which had previously banned shipping primates for experiments—began to finalize its merger with Continental Airlines and adopted Continental's cargo policies, which allowed for the practice. United received more than 130,000 protest e-mails from PETA supporters, and thousands of dedicated activists flooded United's Facebook wall with messages and photos of primates locked in laboratories. PETA demonstrated against the airline at its offices around the world, including its Chicago headquarters, and purchased stock in the company with the intention of introducing a shareholder resolution later this year.

Air France, China Eastern Airlines, Philippine Airlines, and Vietnam Airlines are the only remaining major airlines that transport primates destined for experiments.

For more information, please visit www.PETA.org.  

Pablo Azar Appears in New PETA Campaign, Speaks Up for Animals Abused in Entertainment

For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Miami -- Star of the mega-hit Telemundo series Corazón Valiente, actor Pablo Azar is featured in a PETA public service announcement (PSA) that urges families to set a good example for their children by steering clear of "entertainment" that hurts or kills animals, including circuses and bullfights. He also appears in a new PETA ad, shackled in chains, below the words "Boycott the Circus." A high-resolution version of the ad is available here, and a broadcast-quality version of the video PSA can be downloaded here (Spanish) and here (English).

In the video, Azar explains how bulls are beaten and drugged even before they enter the bullring, where men on blindfolded horses drive lances and banderillas into the bulls' backs and necks to weaken them further before matadors attempt to kill them. "[W]hat are we teaching our kids when they watch people on TV cheering and screaming when a bull is tortured and is slowly dying?" asks Azar. "People have to start to understand that if we really want to set a good example, if we want to have a better world, we can't start from a base of abuse."

Azar joins a long list of celebrities—including Kate del Castillo, Charo, Paola Rey, Wilmer Valderrama, and Roselyn Sánchez—who have teamed up with PETA to speak out against abusing and killing animals for entertainment.

An award-winning painter, Azar has also donated a painting to PETA to help raise awareness for animals in need. For more information about his campaign or to enter for a chance to win his painting, please visit PETALatino.com.

Stand-Up Comic Asks City to Follow the Lead of His Native Portsmouth

For Immediate Release:
January 8, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Newport News, VA -- On behalf of PETA, comedian, actor, and Portsmouth native Patton Oswalt has sent a letter to Newport News Mayor McKinley L. Price and to each of the city's council members urging them to follow the lead of more than 100 jurisdictions—including neighboring Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Portsmouth, and Hampton—and enact legislation that bans or significantly restricts the continuous chaining of dogs. In the letter, Oswalt points out that chaining dogs is not only cruel but also dangerous—chained dogs have been known to accidentally hang themselves, and, because chaining also leads to aggression, they are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who are not chained.

"There is no worse punishment for a dog than a life sentence at the end of a chain," writes Oswalt, who played Spencer Olchin in the sitcom The King of Queens and was the voice of the lead animated character Remy in the 2007 Academy Award–winning film Ratatouille. "Forcing man's best friend to exist in the same barren patch 24/7 deprives these highly social pack animals of proper socialization and the opportunity to move around and explore."

Dogs who are chained outdoors are forced to endure all weather extremes, and they spend their entire lives eating, sleeping, and eliminating in the same few square feet of space. Chained dogs are also defenseless, which makes them easy targets for thieves, dogfighters, and neighbors who are annoyed by the dogs' barking.

PETA's letter to Newport News Mayor McKinley L. Price and the City Council is available here. More information is available at PETA.org. 

Meat-Free Meals Can Help Concerned Canadians Reduce Their Carbon Footprints, Says PETA

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Saskatoon -- Wearing green bikinis and bodypaint, sporting green hair, and holding signs that read, "Go Green, Go Vegan," two PETA members will distribute PETA's "Meat's Not Green" leaflets and "Glass Walls" DVDs to lunchtime shoppers in downtown Saskatoon on Thursday. The bodypainted beauties' point? Canadians can help the environment by chucking meat, eggs, and dairy products and going vegan.

When:   Thursday, January 10, 12 noon sharp 

Where:  Midtown Plaza Shopping Mall, at the intersection of 21^st Street E. and 1 Avenue S., Saskatoon

"Between polluting the soil, water, and air and gobbling up our natural resources, the meat industry is as toxic to the Earth as it is to human health," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA wants Canadians to know that each of us can personally fight climate change—and save animals—simply by going vegan."

According to the United Nations, raising animals for food is "a top contributor to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global." In its report, the U.N. found that the meat industry causes local and global environmental problems even beyond climate change. It said that the meat industry should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity. In addition, vegans are, on average, trimmer than meat-eaters, and they're less prone to suffering from heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, and cancer. And, of course, every vegan spares the daily suffering and terrifying deaths of more than 100 animals every year.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Offers to Hold Presentation on Eggs' Cholesterol and Cruelty for Winners of 'Be a Good Egg' Contest

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2013

Contact:   
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Dallas, Ga. -- Burnt Hickory Elementary School has just been named a winner of Discovery Education's "Be a Good Egg" Contest, a program offered in partnership with the American Egg Board. And to counter the one-sided promotion from the egg industry, PETA has written to administrators at the school with a request to supply students with further information about egg production, including its cruelty to the hens who spend their lives confined to tiny cages and the health risk inherent in the high cholesterol levels of eggs.

"If kids knew how chickens on egg farms suffer their whole lives in cramped battery cages, they'd realize that no egg is a 'good egg,'" says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA is eager to help Burnt Hickory Elementary School ensure that its students get all the facts about food production—and not just what the egg industry wants them to hear."

In addition to being loaded with artery-clogging cholesterol, some eggs are tainted with salmonella. What's more, chickens on factory farms spend their entire lives crammed into cages, stacked one on top of the other—and because male chicks don't produce eggs, they are discarded at birth, sometimes thrown into garbage cans or grinders while they are still alive.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Principal Joy Viness follows.

January 8, 2013

Joy Viness
Principal
Burnt Hickory Elementary School

Via e-mail

Dear Principal Viness,

Because your students are participating in Discovery Education's "Be a Good Egg" contest, we'd like to suggest that they receive a balanced perspective, with information from PETA as well as the egg trade. I'm sure you will agree that young people should be aware of all aspects of food production, including the truth about the welfare of chickens used for their eggs, which Discovery Education has neglected to present. Please consider a few of the reasons why cultural icons ranging from Carrie Underwood to Bill Clinton to Russell Simmons are urging young people to consider the benefits of an egg-free vegan diet.

Virtually all hens used by the egg industry are confined to filthy sheds containing row upon row of tiny, multitiered wire cages. Between five and 11 birds are crammed into a single cage—each bird lives in a space that is smaller than a letter-sized sheet of paper. They never get to breathe fresh air, feel the warmth of the sun on their backs, or engage in any natural behavior.

Under the cages, pits full of urine and feces saturate the air with the stench of ammonia and burn the birds' skin. To prevent the birds from pecking at one another out of stress and boredom, farmers cut a portion of each hen's sensitive beak off with a hot blade—without using any painkillers. Male birds—who are useless to hatcheries because they don't produce eggs and are too small to be profitably used for their flesh—are ground up alive or tossed into trash bags to slowly suffocate to death. When hens are "spent," at about 2 years of age, they're shipped to the slaughterhouse, where they have their throats cut while they're still conscious.

More and more people, especially young people, are rejecting such cruelty and adopting a vegan diet (one that's free of eggs, meat, and dairy products). This is not only a humane choice but also a healthy one.

Just one average-size egg contains about 213 milligrams of cholesterol—more than the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee's recommended limit for an entire day. The human body manufactures all the cholesterol it needs, and each additional 100 milligrams of cholesterol that you consume by eating meat, eggs, or dairy products—the only dietary sources of cholesterol—adds roughly five points to your cholesterol level, which increases your risk for a heart attack.

About 70 percent of the calories in eggs are from fat, and most of that fat is saturated fat, which raises your risk for heart disease, strokes, and other diseases. Tofu, soy milk, beans, nuts, whole grains, broccoli, and other vegan foods have plenty of protein without the health risks of eggs. I would like to remind your students why eating wholesome plant-based foods instead of eggs and other animal-derived foods is a healthy, humane, and environmentally friendly option.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

Nina Kahn
TeachKind
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 9, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Vernal, Utah -- Every year, PETA receives thousands of complaints about people who leave dogs outside in the cold. Although they are equipped with fur coats, dogs and other animals can still suffer from frostbite and exposure, and they can become dehydrated when water sources freeze. Cold weather spells extra hardship for "backyard dogs," who often go without adequate food, water, shelter, or veterinary care, and it can also pose challenges for wildlife.

With snow and low temperatures predicted for your area, will you please consider sharing the following information with your audience now and throughout the winter in order to help protect animals?

• Keep animals indoors. This is absolutely critical when it comes to puppies and kittens, elderly animals, small animals, and dogs with short hair, including pointers, beagles, pit bulls, Rottweilers, and Doberman pinschers. Short-haired animals will also benefit from a warm sweater or a coat on walks.
• Don't allow your cat or dog to roam outdoors. During winter, cats sometimes climb under the hoods of cars to be near warm engines and are badly injured or killed when the car is started.
• Wipe off your dogs' or cats' legs, feet, and stomachs after they come in from the snow. Salt and other chemicals can make your animals sick if they ingest them. You should also increase animals' food rations during the winter because they burn more calories in an effort to stay warm.
• Keep an eye out for stray animals. Take unidentified animals indoors until you can find their guardians or take them to an animal shelter. If strays are skittish or otherwise unapproachable, provide food and water and call your local humane society for assistance in trapping them and getting them indoors.
• If you see animals left outside without shelter from the elements, please notify authorities. For information on what constitutes adequate shelter, click here.
• During extreme winter weather, birds and other animals may have trouble finding food and water. Offer rations to wildlife who are caught in storms or white-outs by spreading birdseed on the ground. Provide access to liquid water by filling a heavy water bowl and breaking the surface ice twice a day. Remember to remove the food once the weather improves to encourage the animals to move on to warmer areas.

For TV:PETA's cold-weather public service announcement featuring Justin Theroux is available to link to or download here. For Print: PETA's cold-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here. For Radio: PETA's cold-weather public service announcement is available to link to or download here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.