PETA Ruffles Feathers to Expose Cruelty to Birds in Down Production

For Immediate Release:
January 24, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Oklahoma City -- A couple will greet passersby from a bed on the sidewalk under a banner reading, "Get Down Without Down," at a busy intersection in downtown Oklahoma City on Friday. The two will be accompanied by an activist dressed as a half-plucked goose holding a sign that reads, "Plucked Alive."

When:   Friday, January 25, 12 noon

Where:  Intersection of N. Broadway Avenue and W. Main Street, Oklahoma City

The battered bird's and cuddling couple's point? Compassionate shoppers who would never think of buying fur sometimes purchase sleeping bags, jackets, gloves, pillows, or comforters filled with down because they aren't aware of the suffering of birds who are often repeatedly—and painfully—plucked alive for their feathers. Other PETA supporters will hold signs that read, "Feathers Ripped Out," which will include photos from an investigation of the down industry.

PETA encourages shoppers to check labels for synthetic down, down alternative, polyester fill, or high-tech fabrics such as PrimaLoft® and Thinsulate™—soft, washable, down-like fibers. In most cases, these are a superior option for climbers and campers, as down loses much of its insulating properties when it gets wet.

"Down is a product of cruelty to birds," says Alicia Silverstone in a new PETA video exposé. She offers a behind-the-scenes view of the down industry, showing how millions of geese and ducks are "violently plucked bloody for their feathers" while they are still alive—a traumatic and painful experience. A broadcast-quality version of PETA's video exposé featuring Silverstone can be downloaded here. Her video interview can be downloaded here.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Middle School Welcomes Modern Teaching Tools That Make Compassion a Part of Science Classes

For Immediate Release:
January 24, 2013

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

College Park, Ga. -- When students at North Clayton Middle School in College Park start learning about animal anatomy, none of them will cut into a frog, thanks to a software donation from PETA that has replaced frog dissection at the school.

The animal rights group—through its national educational grantsprogram has donated a school-wide license for Punflay's Virtual Frog Dissection Educational App software, which features 3-dimensional organ views, anatomical comparisons of human and frog organs, and dissection tools. Interactive software such as Virtual Frog has been shown to teach anatomy better than animal dissection.

"PETA's donation will help North Clayton Middle School take the lead in teaching biology with humane, modern methods," says PETA Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "Countless frogs, pigs, cats, and other animals are still killed for dissection at less progressive schools, even though non-animal methods for teaching biology are far superior."

"The software allows students to completely understand the internal biology of the frog and use the same dissection tools as they would in a lab to simulate the dissection process. The students absolutely love the alternative way of learning," says North Clayton Middle School teacher Nezetta Johnson. "You have my students' and my deepest appreciation, and I want you to know that the impact of your donation extends far into the lives of my students."

The millions of animals who are used in school dissection come from biological supply houses, which breed some animals and obtain others from animal shelters or the wild. Comparative studies have repeatedly shown that non-animal teaching methods, such as interactive computer programs, are more effective at teaching biology than crude animal-based methods. These programs also save time and money and increase student confidence and satisfaction.

The National Science Teachers Association endorses the use of modern non-animal methods as replacements for animal dissection.

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

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Hall County, Ga. -- 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 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.
• 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.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 25, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Dawson County, Ga. -- 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 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.
• 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.

Settlement Shutters Facility After Undercover Video Footage Shows Severe and Fatal Neglect of Animals

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Delhi, N.Y. -- As part of the settlement of a lawsuit by the New York State Office of the Attorney General, Angel's Gate, Inc., a self-proclaimed animal "hospice and rehabilitation center" in Delhi, run by its founder Susan Marino, has been closed. The attorney general's action followed a review of evidence from PETA's undercover investigation of Angel's Gate that revealed rampant, severe, and often fatal neglect of sick, injured, and dying animals.

Angel's Gate and Marino acknowledged that they had knowingly failed to account for donations since June 2007 in violation of New York law. The settlement prohibits Marino from caring for or harboring any animals other than her own "pets" and from being an officer or a director of an organization that holds charitable funds for 10 years. Additionally, Marino was banned from owning any animals for six months by order of Kortright Town Justice Yvonne Pagillo on November 7, 2012. That ruling came as a result of cruelty-to-animals charges against Marino—also prompted by PETA's findings.

"This ruling means that people will no longer unwittingly relinquish their animals or their money to that hell on Earth formerly known as Angel's Gate," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "It's also a wakeup call to keep your eyes wide open if you are considering passing your animal on to an outfit that sounds good but is anything but."

PETA's evidence shows that Marino kept animals in crowded conditions that led to fights and injuries, which were then left untreated; denied animals medical treatment and medications for pain, seizures, tumors, open wounds, and infections; left paraplegic dogs to drag themselves around and sustain open wounds, despite the availability of wheelchair carts; and left diapers on animals who needed to have their bladders emptied, until they finally urinated on themselves and sustained urine scald. In one case, a miniature horse named Mimi was denied veterinary care for severe respiratory distress, until she finally died. Months after Mimi's death, Marino was still soliciting donations for the horse's care on Angel's Gate's website. Please click here to view PETA's video footage.

For more information, please visit PETA's website.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Boise, Idaho -- 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 low temperatures and snow 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.
• 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.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Twin Falls County, Idaho -- 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 28, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Union County, Ore. -- 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.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Baker County, Ore. -- 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.

Knockouts in Stripes Will Throw a Flag on Meat-Eaters for Unsportsmanlike Conduct Against Chickens on Super Bowl Sunday

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Baltimore -- Wearing sexy NFL referee outfits and holding football-shaped signs that read, "Bench Cruelty: Go Vegan!" two PETA beauties will hand out vegan hot wings on Tuesday in Baltimore. Their goal? To persuade Super Bowl viewers to give healthy and delicious vegan food a try during the big game this year—it might just help them to be around for many more Super Bowls to come. The only things missing are the cruelty and cholesterol.

When:   Tuesday, January 29, 12 noon

Where:  Southeast corner of Light and E. Pratt streets, Baltimore

"With all the delicious vegan options available, everyone should throw a flag on meat—and that includes football fans," says sexy referee Leila Sleiman. "No matter which team you place your money on to win the Super Bowl, going vegan is always a safe bet."

In addition to avoiding animal suffering, vegans are less prone to heart disease, strokes, and cancer than meat-eaters are, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. And researchers at the University of Chicago have determined that switching to a vegan diet is more effective in countering climate change than switching from a standard car to a hybrid vehicle.

Your coverage is invited. Please RSVP to Sophia Charchuk at 323-210-2275 or SophiaC@peta.org.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Plans Ear-Splitting 'Welcome' for Atlanta Conventioneers

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Atlanta --  Wearing chicken costumes while banging on pots and pans and holding signs that read, "Cluck Off, IPE!" and "We Are Not Nuggets!" 10 PETA members will converge outside the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta on Tuesday—opening day of the International Poultry Expo (IPE). The rackety birds' point? That chickens used in the poultry and egg industries are abused in ways that would land producers in jail if their victims were cats or dogs.

When:   Tuesday, January 29, 12 noon 

Where:  Outside the Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd. N.W., near the intersection with Philips Drive, Atlanta

"PETA's 'chickens' are sending a wake-up call—a loud one—to everyone who profits from the misery and suffering of these widely abused birds," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "Just like dogs and cats, chickens are sensitive, living beings, and they deserve far better than to be caged, mutilated, and killed."

When chickens are only days old, their sensitive beaks are cut off with hot

blades. Egg-laying hens then spend an average of two years crammed together with four to 10 other hens in cages so small that they can't even spread their wings. When their worn-out bodies can no longer produce enough eggs, the hens are slaughtered. Chickens raised for their flesh are bred to grow so quickly that their legs often can't support their weight. At slaughterhouses, they are slammed upside down into shackles so roughly that their bones often break. Millions are scalded to death.

To view video footage taken inside factory egg farms, click here. For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

Faux Chicken Wings Are the Only Thing Juicier Than the Story of a Faux Girlfriend

For Immediate Release:
January 28, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

New Orleans — Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o might be embarrassed after his Internet girlfriend was exposed as a hoax, but PETA has found the ordeal to be downright inspirational. The group is currently negotiating with New Orleans outdoor advertisers to display a brand-new billboard ad that shows Te'o next to the caption "Sometimes Faking It Is Better" and directs viewers to PETA's website to score faux-chicken Super Bowl recipes. PETA's point? That with tasty vegan wings available at supermarkets across the country and the Superdome itself serving veggie gyros, now is the time to try a delicious, healthy, animal-friendly vegan meal for the Super Bowl.

"PETA thinks it's great to fake it—especially when it means saving chickens from abuses that would be illegal if the victims were cats or dogs," says PETA Vegetarian Campaign Specialist (and NFL fan) Ashley Byrne. "We're asking fans to tackle cruelty by digging into a hearty vegan meal for the big game—and beyond."

Faux chicken from brands such as Gardein, MorningStar Farms, and Boca is full of flavor and packed with protein but contains none of the saturated animal fat or cholesterol found in birds' wings. Mock chicken also saves birds from suffering on factory farms, where they are crammed into dark, filthy sheds. They are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight. At slaughterhouses, chickens' throats are cut while they are still conscious and millions of birds are scalded to death in defeathering tanks every year. Additionally, raising animals for food is a leading cause of water pollution, land degradation, and the greenhouses gasses responsible for climate change.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. To check out PETA's vegan recipes for a dynamite Super Bowl party, click here.

Group Warns Against Leaving Animals Outside in Freezing Temperatures

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Elko County, Nev. -- 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.

Consumers Deceived As bebe Supports the Electrocution of Rabbits, Then Tells Customers the Fur Is Fake

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

San Francisco -- National retail chain bebe may go from the mall to the courthouse if the company continues to mislead shoppers by falsely assuring them that the realanimal fur in its stores is fake. PETA's attorneys have sent a "cease-and-desist" advisory to Steve Birkhold, CEO of San Francisco–based women's apparel retailer bebe, demanding that bebe either stop lying or make the statement true by no longer selling items made with real fur. In the letter, PETA points out that bebe is misleading customers and engaging in false advertising, a violation of both state and federal laws.

"bebe is unethical on two counts: by supporting the hideous fur industry and by lying about it," says PETA Foundation Director of Litigation Martina Bernstein.

Even though bebe currently sells rabbit and chinchilla fur in some of its stores, callers to bebe's customer service line are being told that it doesn't sell fur.

In China—one of the countries from which bebe obtains rabbit fur—workers pull rabbits out of cages by their ears and stun the screaming animals with electrical devices. Rabbits watch as other animals have their throats cut and their heads and paws cut off with knives before the skin is peeled off their bodies. In other countries, animals killed for their fur spend their entire lives in tiny, filthy cages amid their own waste. To kill rabbits, fur farmers break their necks or smash their skulls before stringing them up by their legs and slitting their throats.

For more information,  please visit PETA.org.

Group Offers Free Spaying for Dog Saved From Freezing Cold

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Newark, N.J. -- According to news reports, last Thursday, January 24, Twitter users alerted Newark MayorCory Booker to a shivering young dog who had been left out in the freezing cold in the front yard of a Newark home. Soon, Booker himself reported to the scene, retrieved the dog—later identified as a young mother named Cha Cha—and carried her to a police car, saying, "This is brutal weather. This dog is shaking really bad and you can't just leave your dogs out here on a day like this and go away and expect them to be OK."

To thank the vegetarian mayor for his rescue efforts, PETA sent him a box of vegan chocolates and a faux-silk, dog-print PETA tie. The group has also offered to spay Cha Cha free of charge to prevent more puppies from being born into a world that has no room for them.

"Mayor Booker's efforts to protect all of his city's residents—human and nonhuman alike—set an example of kindness for the whole country," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA cautions animal guardians in New Jersey and elsewhere to keep their furry companions indoors when cold weather hits—and to prevent future hardship by always spaying and neutering."

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.

Every year, 6 to 8 million animals are turned over to animal shelters, and roughly half of them are euthanized for lack of good homes. Thousands of other unwanted dogs and cats live on the streets, where they often fall victim to traffic, abuse from unkind people, attacks by other animals, disease, or starvation. Much of this suffering can be prevented by simply spaying and neutering.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Action Against Chief Saunooke Bear Park's Cruelty, Neglect of Bears Exhibited in Concrete Pits Follows PETA Complaints

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Cherokee, N.C. -- The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released an order that suspends Chief Saunooke Bear Park's exhibitor license and fines the facility $20,000. This action comes just a few months after multiple complaints from PETA and after the USDA charged Chief Saunooke with more than a dozen violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA) for, among other abuses, failing to provide the bears with adequate housing, food, and veterinary care. According to the settlement, Chief Saunooke's license will remain suspended until it's able to demonstrate full compliance with the AWA—if it ever can.

"Suspending Chief Saunooke Bear Park's license and slapping it with a fine is a good step—and the next one should be to close down this lawbreaking and abusive exhibitor completely," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "PETA stands by to help the park transfer these neglected animals to a reputable sanctuary where they'll have the veterinary care, food, and other essentials that they have been denied for years."

The USDA's action followed PETA's formal complaints, PETA's meetings with the USDA and members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, and PETA's 62-page report from ursine experts who visited the bear park and noted many apparent violations of the AWA, several of which were cited in the USDA's complaint. These include repeated failure to maintain an adequate barrier between bears and the public, leading to at least two attacks on park visitors; failure to supply food for public feeding that meets bears' nutritional needs (visitors have been encouraged to feed the bears Lucky Charms); and repeated failure to provide adequate veterinary care, among other abuses.

The USDA's action comes less than a month after PETA released footage from its undercover investigation into Chief Saunooke that revealed ongoing cruelty to animals, racism, drug use, apparent wage-law violations, and more. PETA documented that staff members deliberately deprived bears of food and that the animals are so stressed by their constant confinement to small concrete pits that they pace repeatedly, gnaw at the metal cage bars, and exhibit other signs of suffering.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Unwanted Offspring Die by the Millions in Animal Shelters and on the Streets, Says Group 

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Allentown, Penn. -- Holding signs that read, "Condoms Won't Work: Fix Your Dog/Cat!" two PETA members dressed as giant condoms—one pink and one blue—will hand out leaflets on animal birth control at a busy intersection in Allentown on Wednesday. Their point? That the only way to get a handle on the cat and dog overpopulation crisis is always to have your animals spayed or neutered. 

When:   Wednesday, January 30, 12 noon

Where:  Intersection of N. 15^th and W. Tilghman streets, Allentown

"If cats and dogs could wear condoms, millions of animals would be spared suffering and death," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "But they can't—so it's up to their guardians to take responsibility for spaying and neutering."

Between 6 and 8 million unwanted cats and dogs enter animal shelters every year in the U.S., and roughly half of them are euthanized because there simply aren't enough good homes for them. Millions 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 370,000 births in seven years.

For more information, please visitPETA.org.

Protesters Will Spotlight Ringling's Violent Treatment of Baby Elephants 

For Immediate Release:
January 29, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Charlotte, N.C. -- A large inflatable elephant will lead PETA members in a protest against the arrival of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Wednesday. 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.

When:   Wednesday, January 30, 12 noon

Where:  Time Warner Cable Arena, in front of the box office on the east side of E. Trade Street between S. Brevard and N. College streets, Charlotte

"Charlotte 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. "Since children love animals, the last place that parents and grandparents should take them to is the circus."

In late 2011, 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.

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

For Immediate Release:
January 30, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Macon, Ga. -- A giant inflatable elephant will lead PETA members in a protest against the arrival of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on Thursday. 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.

When:   Thursday, January 31, 12 noon

Where:  In front of the Macon Centreplex box office, on the west side of Coliseum Drive across from Lake City Street, Macon

"Macon-area 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 to is the circus."

In late 2011, 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.