Oklahoma County D.A. Takes Action Following Group's Investigation

For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Oklahoma City -- The Oklahoma County District Attorney's Office has charged three pigeon-race organizers—including Karen Mae Clifton, the executive director of the American Racing Pigeon Union (AU)—with felony commercial gambling and conspiracy to violate Oklahoma's anti–commercial gambling act stemming from a November 2010 convention hosted by the AU and the Pigeon Racers of Oklahoma (PRO) in Oklahoma City. The evidence leading to the charges came from PETA's 15-month undercover investigation of some of the largest pigeon-racing operations in the country. PETA's investigators witnessed illegal betting at the convention, ultimately totaling nearly $250,000.

The other persons charged are internationally known pigeon racer Richard Wayne Mardis and James Orr Steele, president of the PRO. If convicted of commercial gambling, Clifton, Mardis, and Steele face fines of up to $25,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both.

"The police and prosecutors have made it clear that illegal gambling on pigeon racing will not be tolerated," says general counsel to PETA Jeffrey Kerr. "AU races are about thousands of dead birds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in illegal bets, and this important case has exposed those realities to the public."

In most races, more than 60 percent of the birds never make it back to their lofts or mates because of severe weather, raptors, electric lines, exhaustion, and hunters. Out of more than 1,500 baby pigeons shipped to Oklahoma City for the 2010 AU race alone, only 1,044 survived training. Only 420 of those birds made it back from Conway, Ark., by nightfall. Racers often wring the necks of birds who return but finish out of the money.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Parents Will Be Given DVDs Showing Routine Animal Beatings in Circus

For Immediate Release:
March 19, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

New York -- Armed with signs that read, "Ringling Beats Animals," PETA members will crash Ringling Bros.' "Elephant Dance Party" in DUMBO at 11 a.m. Wednesday morning and give parents DVDs of PETA's video exposé narrated by Alec Baldwin, which shows how Ringling routinely beats and torments elephants.

When:   Wednesday, March 20, 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Where:  At the intersection of Old Fulton and Water streets in DUMBO and outside the Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Ave. (near the intersection with Sixth Avenue), Brooklyn

Later that evening, a record number of protesters—including some dressed as elephants—will gather at Barclays Center to target Ringling's opening night performance. Members of PETA, In Defense of Animals, Animal Defenders International, Caring Activists Against Fur, and Long Island Orchestrating for Nature will display blown-up photos of Ringling trainers as they stretch out baby elephants, slam them to the ground, shock them with electric prods, and strike them with sharp steel-tipped bullhooks.

"Beating and whipping elephants—including babies—into submission is anything but a party," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "PETA is telling New Yorkers that if their children and grandchildren love animals, the last place that they should take them is the circus."

In late 2011, Ringling Bros. paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently opened a formal investigation into Ringling for further violations.

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

Group Thanks Singer for Speaking Out About His New Vegetarian Diet

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- Ricky Martin has started living la vida vegetariana, and PETA couldn't be prouder. Now, just in time for Meatout 2013, PETA is honoring Martin for choosing meat-free meals—and for tweeting about how "amazing" the switch has made him feel—by sponsoring a rescued chicken named Olivia in his name. Olivia was rescued by Florida's Kindred Spirits Sanctuary, where she is now thriving. She spends her days taking dust baths, roosting in trees, and basking in the sun. A copy of the certificate that PETA sent to Martin—which includes a photo of Olivia—is available here.

"PETA is delighted that Ricky is sharing with his millions of fans how increíble he feels as a vegetarian," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "He's not alone: People who go vegetarian boost their energy and cut their risk of heart disease, cancer, and obesity—and they help save animals like Olivia, too."

Not all chickens are as lucky as Olivia. Chickens raised and killed for their flesh are bred to grow so large so fast that many become crippled from the weight of their massive upper bodies. They have their throats slit while they are still conscious, and many are scalded to death in defeathering tanks.

Meatout, which began in 1985, occurs every year on March 20, the first day of spring. It encourages people to see for themselves how easy, delicious, and healthful meat-free meals can be. Many people who try eating vegetarian decide to stick with it—just as Martin has.

PETA is proud to recognize Martin's compassion. He has joined a long list of celebrities—including Anne Hathaway, Carrie Underwood, Alicia Silverstone, Joaquin Phoenix, Jessica Chastain, and former President Bill Clinton—who enjoy healthy, humane, eco-friendly meat-free meals.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

Group Plans to Ruffle Company's Feathers by Exposing Cruelty to Birds

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Corte Madera, Calif. -- PETA has purchased stock in Corte Madera, Calif.–based home furnishings company Restoration Hardware in an effort to pressure the company to end its sale of cruelly obtained down feathers used in sofas and bedding. The action means that PETA will be able to attend annual meetings to ask questions and submit shareholder resolutions, and it plans to do both.

"Down causes birds to experience excruciating pain and severe trauma when their feathers are torn from their bodies," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "By becoming stockholders, we'll be able to take our case to end the abuse of birds directly to the people who own Restoration Hardware—namely, other shareholders."

In order to obtain down, birds are often forcefully held down by workers who rip out their feathers. Afterward, the birds lie on the floor, bleeding and paralyzed with fear. Many are seriously injured, and some die from shock or infected wounds. They are often plucked so hard that their skin rips open, leaving gaping wounds, which are crudely stitched back together without the benefit of painkillers. Alicia Silverstone narrates PETA's compelling undercover video exposé of down production.

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.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Action Would Make St. Francis—Patron Saint of Animals—Proud, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

PETA has sent a letter to newly elected Pope Francis asking him to pay homage to his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, and ban factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy products from the Vatican and serve primarily (and eventually all) meat-free meals. In the letter, PETA points out that St. Francis recognized animals as fellow beings created by the same God. PETA also reminds Pope Francis that his two immediate predecessors, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II, strongly condemned the abuse of animals.

"Today's factory farms are a living hell for chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals," says PETA Director of Communications Colleen O'Brien, a devout Roman Catholic. "Jesus would be appalled to witness the meat, egg, and dairy industries' harmful effects on animals and human health. We urge Pope Francis to make the Vatican the pinnacle of the stand against these injustices."

In today's industrialized meat and dairy industries, chickens and turkeys often have their throats cut while they are still conscious, piglets' tails and testicles are cut off without any painkillers, fish suffocate or are cut open while still alive on the decks of fishing boats, and calves are taken away from their mothers within hours of birth.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Pope Francis follows.

His Holiness, Pope Francis I
The Vatican

Your Holiness:

Congratulations on your election to pope this week. As a lifelong Catholic, I watched with bated breath as the historic announcement was made and was thrilled to see you take the revered name of St. Francis as your papal title, in homage to St. Francis of Assisi. My colleagues at PETA and I have always been inspired by St. Francis' lifelong devotion to compassionate service. He is, of course, well known for his reverence for animals. You expressed this beautifully yesterday when you said that following our God-given call as "protectors" means "protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God's creatures and respecting the environment in which we live." That is why I am writing to encourage you to take steps to veganize the Vatican by making sure that no factory-farmed meat, eggs, and dairy products are served there. This change would set a wonderful, important, and humane example of true compassion for all God's creatures.

As you know well, there is a long precedent for treating animals with respect in the Catholic faith, from St. Francis to Christ's message in the Sermon on the Mount: "Blessed are the merciful." In today's factory-farming industry, in which chickens are crammed together with thousands of others inside dark sheds reeking of ammonia, fish suffer excruciating decompression when pulled from the water and separated from their oxygen source, and cows and pigs are routinely mutilated without painkillers, there is nothing merciful about the ways in which animals are killed for food. Your last two predecessors both spoke out strongly against cruelty to animals. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, as promulgated by Pope John Paul II, states, "Animals are God's creatures. … Thus men owe them kindness. We should recall the gentleness with which saints like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Philip Neri treated animals. … It is contrary to human dignity to cause animals to suffer or die needlessly." Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI echoed this sentiment, saying, "[W]e cannot just do whatever we want with [animals]. Animals, too, are God's creatures …. Certainly, a sort of industrial use of creatures [wherein] hens live so packed together that they become just caricatures of birds … seems to me in fact to contradict the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible." By banning factory-farmed animal products and having as many meat-free meals as possible, you will be sending a strong message to Christ's followers around the world: We must be the hands of our Lord and His loving heart, feeding the poor and showing compassion and mercy to all God's creatures. Thank you, Holy Father, for considering this plea.

Respectfully yours, 

Colleen O'Brien
Senior Director of Communications
PETA 

Group Calls on Philadelphians to Mark Holiday by Going Vegan

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Philadelphia -- Today, PETA sent a letter to Michael E. Harris, executive director of the South Street Headhouse District, seeking permission to allow PETA's pro-vegan mobile billboard to take part in the district's Easter Parade on March 31. The billboard shows a pig peering through a window of a livestock-transport truck bound for the slaughterhouse next to the caption "Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? For Christ's Sake, Go Vegan." PETA's point? That Jesus asked his followers to have mercy for the meekest among us. And no species on Earth are in need of that mercy more than the pigs, chickens, cows, and other animals routinely abused on factory farms and sent to a painful and terrifying death to feed humans.

"Today's factory farms are a living hell for pigs, chickens, cows, and other animals," says PETA Director of Communications Colleen O'Brien, a devout Roman Catholic. "Jesus would be appalled to witness the meat, egg, and dairy industries' harmful effects on animals, human health, and the Earth. Easter is about rebirth—so it's the perfect time to go vegan."

PETA is encouraging everyone to celebrate the holiday with a delicious vegan brunch. And paradegoers might want to check out the popular vegetarian restaurants along or near the parade route, including The Vegan Tree (742 South St.) and Maoz Vegetarian (248 South St.)—or Hot Diggity (630 South St.), which offers veggie dogs.

Factory farms confine pigs and other animals to filthy, cramped cages, stalls, and sheds, where a steady diet of drugs keeps them alive long enough to be prodded to the slaughterhouse. Pigs' tails are cut off, and they are castrated—and chickens used for eggs have their sensitive beaks sliced off—all without any pain relief.

For more information, please visit PETA's blog.

PETA's letter to the South Street Headhouse District follows.

March 20, 2013

Michael E. Harris
Executive Director
South Street Headhouse District

Dear Mr. Harris,

I am writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters worldwide, including thousands in Pennsylvania, for permission to include our pro-vegan mobile billboard in this year's Easter Promenade. The ad shows a pig on his way to slaughter and reads, "Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me? For Christ's Sake, Go Vegan. PETA."

Jesus' message was one of compassion and mercy, yet animals raised for food are abused in ways that shock the conscience of all kind people. Thus, a growing number of Christians and non-Christians alike are going vegan to protect piglets from having their tails and testicles cut off without painkillers on factory farms; to keep terrified, still conscious chickens from having their throats slit in slaughterhouses; and to stop fish from being painfully suffocated on fishing boats.

At this time when we celebrate rebirth, our ad would inspire parade attendees to begin a new, kinder way of eating. And what better place to decide to make the switch to delicious vegan food than on South Street, which, as your website notes, includes two all-vegetarian restaurants and is also home to another restaurant that serves veggie dogs?

Thank you very much for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Colleen O'Brien
Senior Director of Communications

Giving First Responders a Heads-Up Can Be the Difference Between Life and Death for Companion Animals

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382 

Detroit -- In the wake of the death of a dog who was trapped in a house fire on the Detroit-Hamtramck border on Wednesday,  PETA is giving away door stickers, which alert firefighters to the presence of companion animals, to the first 1,000 Detroit-area residents who request one this month. The 4½"x6" bright-yellow stickers—which read, "In Case of Emergency, Please Save Our Animals"—picture a dog, a bird, a cat, and fish and include space to write in the number of each species living in the home.

Residents interested in receiving a free sticker should e-mail Info@peta.org to file a request.

People living outside the area can purchase the stickers at PETA.org or make their own. PETA suggests laminating homemade stickers if they'll be exposed to weather.

"Many animals have died in house fires because firefighters were unaware that they were trapped inside," says PETA Associate Director Lindsay Rajt. "Simply alerting first responders to the presence of animals can mean that all family members survive a fire."

PETA routinely receives accounts of firefighters who have bravely rescued cats, dogs, and other animals from homes in the midst of a blaze. Even if the animals are unconscious from inhaling smoke, specially made oxygen masks have been used successfully to revive them.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA Submits Complaint to D.A., Calls On PETCO to End Animal Sales in Flood-Prone Stores Nationwide

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Johnson City, N.Y. -- After 16 months of Freedom of Information Law requests, PETA has obtained Johnson City Police Department records related to the drowning deaths of up to 100 animals—including ferrets, birds, snakes, and others—in the flooded Johnson City PETCO store in September 2011. The records reveal that four PETCO managers knew that the store might flood before they closed it hours earlier than normal on September 7, knowingly abandoning hundreds of animals caged inside, despite a federal warning that creeks like the one behind the store were likely to flood rapidly. Even when at least one manager knew that the store had been ordered to be evacuated and a senior manager was told that the animals "might be under water," no action was taken to render aid to them.

In light of this information, PETA has filed a complaint with Broome County District Attorney Gerald Mollen alleging violations of New York's animal-protection laws and asking him to press cruelty-to-animals charges, as appropriate, before the statute of limitations expires in September. The PETCO managers involved with the case still work at the store. PETA is also calling on PETCO to stop selling animals in all its flood-prone stores, as it did on reopening the Johnson City store in April 2012.

"PETCO must be held accountable for the suffering and death that its managers caused when they left hundreds of caged animals trapped in the store, waiting helplessly for assistance that never came," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch.

PETA found that the flooding of Johnson City was the subject of at least 15 National Weather Service watches, warnings, and forecasts starting 36 hours before PETCO management staff abandoned the animals. Staff left the animals behind 30 minutes after officials had forecast flooding of "record severity" just upstream of the village.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Feds Settle With Chronic Violator Despite Dozens of Charges—PETA Calls for Investigation Into 'Slap on the Wrist'

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Davenport, Fla. -- Following years of complaints by PETA, Davenport-based circus-operator Hugo Liebel has been ordered to pay the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) a civil penalty of $7,500 and to cease and desist from violating the federal Animal Welfare Act. Liebel had been facing nearly three dozenformal charges, including repeatedly chaining an elephant named Nosey so tightly that she could barely move and denying her adequate veterinary care.

Liebel has an egregious history of animal neglect and abuse and previously paid $2,885 to the USDA in 2005 for similar violations and also paid a fine in Florida for allowing a monkey to escape and run loose, reportedly for more than five weeks, in 2009.

Liebel faced a maximum penalty of $330,000 as well as possible revocation of his USDA license. PETA is calling on the USDA inspector general to investigate the settlement of Liebel's 33 serious charges. Multiple audits have concluded that the USDA's stipulated penalties are so nominal that abusers simply consider them a cost of doing business.

"Hugo Liebel has repeatedly flouted animal welfare laws, and paltry fines have not stopped him from doing so," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Instead of coddling chronic violators, the USDA must impose meaningful fines, seize animals in trouble, and revoke abusers' licenses."

PETA continues to call on the USDA to confiscate Nosey, who suffers from a severe, chronic skin condition. According to a veterinarian with more than 30 years of experience caring for and treating elephants, photographs of Nosey taken last month reveal that her condition continues to deteriorate and that she is in pain and suffering as a result.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

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

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Victoria -- Naked behind a banner that reads, "Clean Your Conscience: Go Vegan! 1 kg. of Meat Equals 1 Year of Showers," two PETA beauties will shower together on a sidewalk in Victoria in honour of World Water Day and to let consumers know that the best way to conserve water and help the environment is to go vegan.

When:   Friday, March 22, 12 noon 

Where:  In front of The Bay Centre, 1150 Douglas St., between Fort and View streets, Victoria, B.C.

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 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.

"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 beauty Emily Lavender. "PETA wants Americans to know that each of us can personally fight climate change—and save animals—simply by going vegan."

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

Racers Chase Prize Money While Dogs Pay the Ultimate Price, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Anchorage, Alaska -- Today, PETA sent a letter to executives at ExxonMobil, Alaska Airlines, Wells Fargo, and all 26 other Iditarod sponsors urging them to pull out of the race permanently. PETA's letter comes in the wake of the 2013 race, in which a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow at a drop checkpoint and another named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. In the letter, PETA points out that just since 2005, at least 21 dogs have died in the race, including 3-year-old Kate, who was allegedly beaten and kicked by her musher because she sat down and refused to get up. In the Iditarod's sordid 41-year history, more than 140 dogs have died and countless others have been seriously injured—including from outright abuse.

"The proof is in 41 years of suffering and death: The only way to make the Iditarod safe for dogs is to cancel it permanently," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "While mushers are consumed with chasing sponsorship money and the cash prize, it's the dogs who pay the ultimate price."

The Iditarod's course of more than 1,000 miles means that dogs run about 100 miles a day for 10 days straight. The official Iditarod rules require that the dogs be given only 40 hours of rest—in total. Dogs are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, subzero temperatures, and falls through treacherous ice into frigid water. Their feet become bruised, bloodied, cut by ice, and just plain worn-out because of the vast distances that they cover. Many dogs pull muscles or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers.

Dogs have been strangled by tow lines, trampled by moose, frozen to death, and hit by snowmobiles and sleds. On average, more than half the dogs who start the race don't make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 81 percent of those who do finish have lung damage.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Mushers Chase Prize Money While Dogs Pay the Ultimate Price, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

Dallas, Texas -- Today, PETA sent a letter to ExxonMobil Chair and CEO Rex Tillerson urging him to permanently pull the company's sponsorship of the cruel and deadly Iditarod race in Alaska. PETA's letter comes in the wake of the 2013 race, in which a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow and another named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. In the letter, PETA points out that just since 2005, at least 21 dogs have died in the race, including a dog named Kate, who died of injuries after she was allegedly beaten by her musher. In the Iditarod's sordid 41-year history, more than 140 dogs have died and countless others have been seriously injured.

"The proof is in 41 years of suffering and death: The only way to make the Iditarod safe for dogs is to cancel it permanently," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "While mushers are consumed with chasing the cash prize and ExxonMobil and other sponsors' money, it's the dogs who pay the ultimate price."

Dogs forced to run the grueling Iditarod commonly endure bloodied paws, lung damage, and bleeding ulcers, among other conditions. Because of its inherent cruelty, the Iditarod has steadily lost sponsors over the years, including Nestlé, Rite Aid, Panasonic, Safeway, Maxwell House, True Value Hardware, BP, Sherwin-Williams, Upjohn, Tropicana, Pizza Hut, Costco, and Pfizer.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to ExxonMobil Chair and CEO Rex Tillerson follows.

March 21, 2013

Rex Tillerson, Chair and CEO
ExxonMobil

Dear Mr. Tillerson,

We are writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters to ask you to discontinue your sponsorship of the Iditarod. Supporting an event in which dogs routinely suffer and die cannot be justified. 

The Iditarod's 1,000-plus-mile course means that dogs run about 100 miles a day for 10 days straight. The official Iditarod rules require that the dogs be provided with only 40 hours of rest—during the entire race. Dogs are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, and falls through treacherous ice into frigid water. Their feet become bruised, bloodied, and just plain worn out because of the vast distances they cover. Many dogs pull muscles, or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers. "Overdriving" or "overworking" an animal is considered a violation of cruelty-to-animals laws in most states—but not in Alaska.

Just last week, a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow at a drop checkpoint. A dog named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. At least 21 dogs have died just since 2005, including 3-year-old Kate, who was allegedly beaten and kicked by her musher because she sat down and refused to get up; Thong, a 3-year-old male, who apparently died of acute pneumonia; and Snickers, a 6-year-old female, who died from an acute hemorrhage caused by a gastric ulcer. Rule 42 of the official Iditarod rules blithely dismisses some deaths as "unpreventable."

On average, more than half the dogs who start the race don't make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 81 percent of those who do finish have lung damage.

We hope you'll agree that ExxonMobil should not be supporting a race in which dogs are put at risk and routinely pay with their lives. May we hear that you've decided to make the ethical business decision to pull your sponsorship as many other companies have already done? Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

David Byer
Senior Corporate Liaison

Mushers Chase Prize Money While Dogs Pay the Ultimate Price, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

Today, PETA sent a letter to Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden urging him to permanently pull the company's sponsorship of the cruel and deadly Iditarod race in Alaska. PETA's letter comes in the wake of the 2013 race, in which a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow and another named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. In the letter, PETA points out that just since 2005, at least 21 dogs have died in the race, including a dog named Kate, who died of injuries after she was allegedly beaten by her musher. In the Iditarod's sordid 41-year history, more than 140 dogs have died and countless others have been seriously injured.

"The proof is in 41 years of suffering and death: The only way to make the Iditarod safe for dogs is to cancel it permanently," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "While mushers are consumed with chasing the cash prize and Alaska Airlines and other sponsors' money, it's the dogs who pay the ultimate price."

Dogs forced to run the grueling Iditarod commonly endure bloodied paws, lung damage, and bleeding ulcers, among other conditions. Because of its inherent cruelty, the Iditarod has steadily lost sponsors over the years, including Nestlé, Rite Aid, Panasonic, Safeway, Maxwell House, True Value Hardware, BP, Sherwin-Williams, Upjohn, Tropicana, Pizza Hut, Costco, and Pfizer.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden follows.

March 21, 2013

Brad Tilden, President
Alaska Airlines

Dear Mr. Tilden,

We are writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters to ask you to discontinue your sponsorship of the Iditarod. Supporting an event in which dogs routinely suffer and die cannot be justified. 

The Iditarod's 1,000-plus-mile course means that dogs run about 100 miles a day for 10 days straight. The official Iditarod rules require that the dogs be provided with only 40 hours of rest—during the entire race. Dogs are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, and falls through treacherous ice into frigid water. Their feet become bruised, bloodied, and just plain worn out because of the vast distances they cover. Many dogs pull muscles, or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers. "Overdriving" or "overworking" an animal is considered a violation of cruelty-to-animals laws in most states—but not in Alaska.

Just last week, a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow at a drop checkpoint. A dog named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. At least 21 dogs have died just since 2005, including 3-year-old Kate, who was allegedly beaten and kicked by her musher because she sat down and refused to get up; Thong, a 3-year-old male, who apparently died of acute pneumonia; and Snickers, a 6-year-old female, who died from an acute hemorrhage caused by a gastric ulcer. Rule 42 of the official Iditarod rules blithely dismisses some deaths as "unpreventable."

On average, more than half the dogs who start the race don't make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 81 percent of those who do finish have lung damage.

We hope you'll agree that Alaska Airlines should not be supporting a race in which dogs are put at risk and routinely pay with their lives. May we hear that you've decided to make the ethical business decision to pull your sponsorship as many other companies have already done? Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

David Byer
Senior Corporate Liaison

Mushers Chase Prize Money While Dogs Pay the Ultimate Price, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 21, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

San Francisco -- Today, PETA sent a letter to Wells Fargo President and COO Dave Kvamme urging him to permanently pull the company's sponsorship of the cruel and deadly Iditarod race in Alaska. PETA's letter comes in the wake of the 2013 race, in which a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow and another named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. In the letter, PETA points out that just since 2005, at least 21 dogs have died in the race, including a dog named Kate, who died of injuries after she was allegedly beaten by her musher. In the Iditarod's sordid 41-year history, more than 140 dogs have died and countless others have been seriously injured.

"The proof is in 41 years of suffering and death: The only way to make the Iditarod safe for dogs is to cancel it permanently," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "While mushers are consumed with chasing the cash prize and Wells Fargo and other sponsors' money, it's the dogs who pay the ultimate price."

Dogs forced to run the grueling Iditarod commonly endure bloodied paws, lung damage, and bleeding ulcers, among other conditions. Because of its inherent cruelty, the Iditarod has steadily lost sponsors over the years, including Nestlé, Rite Aid, Panasonic, Safeway, Maxwell House, True Value Hardware, BP, Sherwin-Williams, Upjohn, Tropicana, Pizza Hut, Costco, and Pfizer.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Wells Fargo President and COO Dave Kvamme follows.

March 21, 2013

Dave Kvamme, President and COO
Wells Fargo

Dear Mr. Kvamme,

We are writing on behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters to ask you to discontinue your sponsorship of the Iditarod. Supporting an event in which dogs routinely suffer and die cannot be justified. 

The Iditarod's 1,000-plus-mile course means that dogs run about 100 miles a day for 10 days straight. The official Iditarod rules require that the dogs be provided with only 40 hours of rest—during the entire race. Dogs are subjected to biting winds, blinding snowstorms, and falls through treacherous ice into frigid water. Their feet become bruised, bloodied, and just plain worn out because of the vast distances they cover. Many dogs pull muscles, or become sick with diarrhea, dehydration, intestinal viruses, or bleeding stomach ulcers. "Overdriving" or "overworking" an animal is considered a violation of cruelty-to-animals laws in most states—but not in Alaska.

Just last week, a dog named Dorado suffocated after being buried in snow at a drop checkpoint. A dog named May was lost on the trail and missing for six days. At least 21 dogs have died just since 2005, including 3-year-old Kate, who was allegedly beaten and kicked by her musher because she sat down and refused to get up; Thong, a 3-year-old male, who apparently died of acute pneumonia; and Snickers, a 6-year-old female, who died from an acute hemorrhage caused by a gastric ulcer. Rule 42 of the official Iditarod rules blithely dismisses some deaths as "unpreventable."

On average, more than half the dogs who start the race don't make it across the finish line. According to a report published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 81 percent of those who do finish have lung damage.

We hope you'll agree that Wells Fargo should not be supporting a race in which dogs are put at risk and routinely pay with their lives. May we hear that you've decided to make the ethical business decision to pull your sponsorship as many other companies have already done? Thank you for your time.

Yours truly,

David Byer
Senior Corporate Liaison

Circus Forces Arthritic Elephants to Perform in Violation of District Cruelty-to-Animals Laws, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
March 20, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Washington -- Holding signs that read, "Let Me Pack My Trunk & Go," two crippled "elephants"—representing Karen and Nicole, two lame elephants forced to perform in the Ringling Bros. circus—will lead PETA protesters outside the Verizon Center on Thursday, Ringling's opening night. The protesters will also display photos taken inside Ringling's training center, which expose how baby elephants are stretched out, slammed to the ground, gouged with steel-tipped bullhooks, and shocked with electric prods in abusive training sessions that go on for several hours. In addition, they will screen Alec Baldwin's video exposé revealing how Ringling routinely beats and torments elephants.

When:   Thursday, March 21, 6:30 p.m. 

Where:  Verizon Center, 601 F St. N.W. (near the intersection with Seventh Street N.W.), Washington

The group's action comes on the heels of its requests to Mayor Vincent Gray to enforce the district's animal-protection laws. For years during Ringling's visits to D.C., officials have failed to enforce the laws that prohibit restrictively chaining elephants and forcing crippled elephants like Karen and Nicole to perform tricks.

"PETA is telling parents that if their families love animals, the last place that they should go is the circus," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "Baby elephants are torn away from their mothers and beaten into submission—and older, arthritic elephants, such as Nicole and Karen, are still unlawfully forced to perform painful contortions."

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

Actor Poses in Sexy Faux Leather to Promote Cruelty-Free Fashion

For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2013

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382 

Los Angeles -- There's a new revolution in town: the wardrobe revolution. As NBC's hit show heads back to the airwaves tonight, series star Daniella Alonso is launching a new PETA campaign in which she appears dressed in a midriff-baring faux-leather bustier and miniskirt next to the words "Pleather Yourself. Revolutionize Your Wardrobe: Spare Cows and Exotic Animals a Miserable Life and an Agonizing Death." The ad, available here, was shot by top celebrity photographer Robert Sebree.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to wear the skin of an animal [who's] been tortured and abused," says Alonso in an on-set PETA interview. "If you want that look of leather, then you can absolutely find that in pleather or faux leather."

For every piece of leather, animals endure the cruelty of factory farming, including extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—often without being given any painkillers. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats cut and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious. Exotic animals used for their skins fare no better: Snakes, for example, have hoses crammed in their mouths and are pumped full of water to loosen their skin before it is ripped off their bodies. And the toxic chemicals used by tanneries are extremely harmful to both workers and the environment.

Alonso is part of a long list of celebrities—including Eva Mendes, Olivia Munn, Roselyn Sánchez,Penélope Cruz, and Charlize Theron—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kinder wardrobe choices.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Just in Time for Spring Cleaning, Group Encourages Website Visitors to Give Fur-Flaunting Friends and Family a Crash Course in Compassion

For Immediate Release:
March 25, 2013

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Norfolk, Va. -- As households across the nation face the annual chore of spring cleaning, fur-wearing family members could be getting an in-your-face message to rid their closets of cruelty. That's because the folks at PETA have come up with a printable hanger "sale" tag that shows a caged rabbit and reads, "100%Skinned Off!" It goes on to explain, "Animals raised for their fur are beaten, electrocuted, and sometimes even skinned alive. Don't like it? Don't buy fur." The tags can be viewed and printed here.

"No one should die so that their skin can be worn by someone else—and that includes the millions of foxes, rabbits, minks, and other animals abused and slaughtered for their fur every year," says Action Team Director Marta Holmberg. "Our new fur 'sale' tags will remind friends and family members that there's nothing fashionable about a lifetime of suffering and a painful and terrifying death."

Every year, humans kill millions of animals for fashion. Foxes on fur farms are kept in cages so small that they go insane. Snakes are commonly nailed to trees and skinned alive. In the U.S., most animals whose skin is turned into leather endure all the horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and confinement, deprivation, castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—all without being given any painkillers. In China—where there are no penalties for abusing animals on fur farms—millions of cats and dogs are strangled or bled to death for their fur, which is often intentionally mislabeled as that of other animals.

A PETA video exposé narrated by The Newsroom star Olivia Munn was recently released with new footage revealing the brutality on Chinese fur farms captured by PETA undercover investigators. Animals trapped for fur endure excruciating pain before their chests are stomped on or their necks are broken by trappers. In Canada, seal pups are shot or have their heads bashed in while other babies watch in fear and try in vain to escape.

For more information, please visit PETA's Action Centeror PETA.org.

Secretly Taped, Horse Hauler Admits to Using Invalid Health Documents—PETA Files Complaints With State Agencies

For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Kalona, Iowa -- A PETA undercover investigator has documented evidence of serious violations involving apparent fraudulent veterinary health forms in the transport of horses across state lines from Iowa into Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Twice last year, a PETA investigator rode along with a "kill buyer"—someone who purchases horses and transports them to slaughterhouses or feedlots—as he moved horses from the Kalona Sales Barn to feedlots in Oklahoma and Texas. The kill buyer was caught on tape admitting that the test forms he carried "certifying" that the horses in his trailer were free of equine infectious anemia (EIA)—a potentially fatal viral disease with no known cure or preventive vaccine—were actually those of other horses, not those of the horses on board his truck, and that his veterinarian had taught him how to falsify the EIA forms.

Although the Texas Animal Health Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry had been made aware that the kill buyer, by his own admission, was bringing horses into the states without valid EIA paperwork—and unloading potentially infected horses onto crowded feedlots, risking the health of hundreds of other horses—the agencies have taken no action. PETA is now calling on officials to investigate this failure to act and has posted action alerts on its popular website urging its supporters to do the same.

"Agency inaction means that potentially infected horses traveling from Iowa to Texas may have spread this deadly disease from the Oklahoma and Texas feedlots to entire states," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "While agencies look the other way, kill buyers like this one are still transporting horses today."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Secretly Taped, Horse Hauler Admits to Using Invalid Health Documents—PETA Files Complaint With State Agency

For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2013

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Morton, Texas -- PETA is calling on the Texas Animal Health Commission (TAHC) to investigate immediately why state officials have failed to act on evidence of serious violations involving apparent fraudulent veterinary health forms in the transport of horses across state lines from Iowa into Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. Last year, a PETA investigator rode along with a "kill buyer," someone who purchases horses and transports them to slaughterhouses or feedlots. The kill buyer was caught on tape admitting that the test forms he carried "certifying" that the horses in his trailer were free of equine infectious anemia (EIA)—a potentially fatal viral disease with no known cure or preventive vaccine—were actually those of different horses. So potentially infected horses were unloaded onto crowded feedlots in Morton, risking the health of hundreds of other horses. Although the TAHC had been made aware that the kill buyer, by his own admission, was planning to bring horses into the state without valid EIA paperwork, the agency has taken no action.

"Agency inaction means that potentially infected horses traveling from Iowa to Texas may have spread this deadly disease from the Texas feedlot to the entire state," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "While agencies look the other way, kill buyers like this one are still transporting horses to Texas today."

The group has also submitted a complaint to the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry regarding its failure to prevent the same kill buyer from bringing horses with fraudulent EIA test forms to Oklahoma. En route to Oklahoma, he admitted that he uses forms for horses other than those on board his truck and that his veterinarian had taught him how to falsify EIA forms. PETA has also posted an action alert on its popular website urging its supporters to call on the TAHC to protect horses.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

For Immediate Release:
March 26, 2013

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

Chicago -- PETA has just sent a letter to U.S. Marshal Edwin D. Sloane about Jesse Jackson Jr.'s fur coats, which Jackson admitted were purchased illegally with campaign funds and which will reportedly be seized after his trial on June 28. In the letter, PETA asks that Sloane make a point about "need vs. greed"—and give back to the Illinois community—by donating Jackson's fur coats to the homeless, rather than auctioning them.

PETA runs "fur kitchens" throughout the U.S. for the homeless, who can't afford to buy a winter coat and can't be choosy when it comes to their clothing. These are donated by former fur-wearers who had a change of heart after learning how animals are beaten, electrocuted, and skinned alive for their fur. Donated coats are subtly marked to prevent resale.

PETA's letter to the U.S. marshal appears below.

Edwin D. Sloane
United States Marshal

Dear Marshal Sloane,

Greetings from PETA. After reading about how the fur coats that Jesse Jackson bought illegally with campaign funds will become the responsibility of the U.S. Marshal, I'm writing to ask that you please donate them to the homeless instead of putting them up for auction.

We hope you'll recognize that the true victims are the animals who are beaten, electrocuted, and even skinned alive by the fur industry. By donating the coats to the homeless, you'd be able to highlight the difference between need and greed while giving back to the community in the state of Illinois.

Although we can't give the animals their lives back, these coats can help the destitute. I look forward to hearing that you will make this compassionate donation. Thank you for your consideration.

Best regards,

Dan Mathews
Senior Vice President
PETA