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

For Immediate Release:
August 1, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Mays Landing, N.J. -- After PETA filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the physical safety and psychological well-being of two elephants with Cole Bros. Circus, the circus has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty to the USDA to settle formal charges against the circus, which is scheduled to perform in Mays Landing from August 8 to 10. The charges came after PETA pointed out that two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were hundreds of pounds underweight and had been deprived of adequate veterinary care, including for a protruding spine. They were also sent to an unlicensed exhibitor with a long history of violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The more than 10 charges that Cole Bros. settled with the USDA include failure to provide the elephants with adequate veterinary care and failure to hire personnel capable of caring for them.

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

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

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

A list of the violations named in the charges follows.

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

Elephants

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

Tigers

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

Unconscious Canine Resuscitated, Cat and Second Dog Also Saved

For Immediate Release:
August 1, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Meriden, Conn. -- On the morning of Saturday, July 28, the Meriden Fire Department responded to a fire at a house on Main Street. In addition to helping a man escape the blaze, firefighters rescued a dog who had fallen unconscious. Using a special resuscitation mask designed for animals, firefighters were able to revive the dog, who was taken to an animal hospital. A cat and a second dog who were in the house were also rescued. For their heroism and preparedness in making sure that everyone inside reached safety, the firefighters will receive a Compassionate Fire Department Award from PETA.

"Meriden's bravest are also some of Meriden's kindest and best prepared," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "We hope the firefighters' compassion and know-how will inspire others always to come to the aid of animals in need."

The fire department will receive a letter of appreciation, a framed certificate, and a box of vegan chocolates.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's Donation of Human-Like Simulators for Advanced Trauma Life Support Course Replaces Animals Nationwide

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Cairo -- In a landmark move, Egypt has completely ended the use of animals in its leading trauma training program, thanks to a donation of state-of-the-art TraumaMan human-patient simulators from PETA. The director of the Egyptian Life Support Training Center (ELSTC) in Cairo contacted PETA earlier this year to explain that participants in the Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) course felt "very uncomfortable" with the animal laboratories, in which participants injured and cut open live goats, who were later killed. The director wanted to switch to modern simulation methods, such as Simulab's TraumaMan simulator. TraumaMan has been shown to teach these lifesaving skills better than cruel animal-based training, and it's in use in 95 percent of ATLS courses in the U.S. and Canada. Now, with PETA's donation, 100 percent of ATLS courses in Egypt use these simulators.

"No more animals will be used in ATLS training in Egypt," ELSTC Director Dr. Abdelhakim T. Elkholy wrote to PETA. Furthermore, because of the simulators' portability, Dr. Elkholy stated, "With the help of PETA, now ATLS can be spread to every part in Egypt."

"This donation will provide ATLS course participants in Egypt with the best lifesaving training available and save scores of goats from being mutilated and killed," says PETA Senior Vice President of Laboratory Investigations Kathy Guillermo. "PETA invites any ATLS training facility that has yet to switch to these modern simulators to contact us immediately for assistance."

The donation was made possible by The McGrath Family Foundation of San Diego, which supports PETA's global work to replace animals in laboratories with more effective and humane non-animal methods.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Rau Om's Decadent Tofu Misozuke Pleases Californians' Palates Without Harming Birds

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Mountain View, Calif. -- Amid all the hubbub about California's recent foie gras ban, PETA is recognizing California food producer Rau Om for its acclaimed tofu misozuke, a miso-cured and aged creamy tofu that multiple food critics have likened to foie gras, is available in many shops in California as well as online and already appears on Bay Area restaurant menus. For its cruelty-free cuisine, the company will receive PETA's Better Than Foie Gras Award.

"Rau Om gives Californians a taste of the possibilities for fine dining beyond the diseased liver of an abused bird," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "PETA is confident that Rau Om's example will inspire other food producers and chefs in California and beyond to come up with creative, decadent, cruelty-free dishes that don't ruffle any feathers."

Foie gras (fatty duck or goose liver) is produced by force-feeding ducks and geese until they fall ill with hepatic steatosis, which causes the liver to become painfully engorged. Investigations at foie gras farms have documented birds with holes in their necks from feeding-pipe injuries, and many birds have been found who were unable to walk because of painful, untreated injuries. Foie gras production is so cruel that it has been banned in more than a dozen countries, including Germany, Israel, and the U.K.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Teen Activist Leads PETA Rally in Honor of 'Elephant Awareness Day'

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382 

Los Angeles -- Led by Juliette West, the 16-year-old subject of the award-winning documentary How I Became an Elephant, and joined by an "elephant," PETA members of all ages will surround City Hall with signs that read, "Be an Ele-Friend, Ban Exotic-Animal Acts," as they urge the Los Angeles City Council to ban traveling acts that use exotic animals, including elephants. The action marks Elephant Awareness Day in Los Angeles, which the city declared in West's honor.

When:   Friday, August 3, 9 a.m. 

Where:  City Hall, 14410 Sylvan St. (near the intersection with Sylmar Avenue), Van Nuys

Circuses such as Ringling Bros., which is currently traveling throughout California, force elephants to perform tricks by using whips, electric prods, and bullhooks—devices resembling fireplace pokers with sharp steel hooks at the end. The Los Angeles County Superior Court recently declared using them to be "abusive and inappropriate." When exotic animals are not in the spotlight, they are used in traveling acts or kept chained or locked away in cages, deprived of everything that's natural and important to them.

"By banning traveling exotic-animal acts, the Los Angeles City Council could stop cruel circuses such as Ringling Bros.—which drags beaten, whipped, and chained lame elephants into the city every year—at the city limits," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "PETA is joining Angelenos of all ages in urging the city to take a firm stand against cruelty to animals."

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

Leone Says That Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing—if You're a Dog or a Cat

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Washington -- Seductively winking next to the caption "Too Much Sex Can Be a Bad Thing. Sterilize Your Dogs and Cats," Indo-Canadian Jism 2 and adult-entertainment star Sunny Leone appears in a brand-new ad (attached) for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India. Leone, who was named 2003 Penthouse Pet of the Year, wants her legions of adoring fans to know that the only way to fight the worldwide animal homelessness crisis is always to have companion animals sterilized. The stunning ad was shot by leading photographer Gaurav Sawn, and Leone's hair and makeup were done by Ayesha Wadiwala.

In an exclusive interview for PETA India, Leone says, "I believe in not buying—and adopting. And it's because there's so many dogs out there that need a home, that were left on the streets. They just need that love, and if you can rescue an animal, then that's one of the greatest gifts you can give." She further explains, "I believe that every single dog should be spayed and neutered. You don't want to continue the cycle of homeless dogs or cats. And spaying and neutering also keeps them healthy. It prevents them from having different diseases that they can get if they are not." PETA India’s exclusive broadcast-quality interview with Leone is available for download.

Six to 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 420,000 births in seven years.

Leone, who shares her home in Los Angeles with two rescued dogs, has also signed on to star in the sequel to the horror-thriller film Ragini MMS, one of the most talked about sleeper hits of 2011. The makers of Jism 2 have donated the cast's wardrobe, including sexy lingerie worn by Leone in the movie, to PETA India for auction.

For more information and to see the ad, please visit PETA.org. 

Heat-Related Deaths Were Preventable, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
August 2, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Seymour, Ind. -- Following the deaths from heat prostration of approximately 300,000 egg-laying hens at a Rose Acre Farms facility near Seymour, Ind.—which reportedly lacks the cooling devices used by other facilities, including some of its own—PETA has written to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office to ask for an investigation into the deaths and for criminal charges to be filed against all culpable parties if warranted. As PETA points out in its letter, failing to provide the chickens with relief from 100-degree temperatures appears to constitute a knowing violation of Indiana's anti-cruelty statute—especially since Rose Acre staff acknowledged that hens died under similar conditions in 1995. Chickens are no different from dogs under the law, and they have the capacity to suffer just as much.

"This isn't the first time that Rose Acre Farms essentially sentenced hens to a slow, painful death," says PETA Senior Vice President of Cruelty Investigations Daphna Nachminovitch. "PETA would like the Sheriff's Office to ensure that those responsible for these hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths recognize that birds are covered under Indiana's cruelty-to-animals law." 

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA's letter to the Jackson County Sheriff's Office follows.

August 2, 2012

Sheriff Mike Carothers
Jackson County Sheriff's Office

Dear Sheriff Carothers:

We hope this letter finds you well. This communication serves as a request for your office to investigate and, as appropriate, bring criminal charges against Rose Acre Farms, Inc. (hereinafter, "Rose Acre"), and those responsible for reportedly depriving approximately 300,000 egg-laying hens this summer of proper care, leaving the animals to die of apparent heat stress. The animals evidently died over the course of three days at Rose Acre's Cort Acres facility, 4887 E. County Rd. 800 N., outside Seymour. The facility apparently lacks the cooling mechanisms that Rose Acre's operations in warmer climates reportedly include.

All this appears to violate IC 35-46-3-7, which provides that one who recklessly or knowingly abandons or neglects any vertebrate animal—such as a chicken—commits cruelty to an animal. See also, Reynolds v. State of Ind., 569 N.E.2d 680, 682 (Ind. Ct. App. 1991), which held that a jury could properly find that a defendant neglected animals—including dogs, cats, rabbits, foxes, tarantulas, and snakes—by keeping them in an inhumanely hot environment. Given Rose Acre Chief Operating Officer Tony Wesner's reported acknowledgment that many of the company's hens died in similar conditions 17 years ago, Rose Acre could not have reasonably believed that hens were capable of surviving this year's heat without further provisions and thus are not due the defense to prosecution afforded by IC 35-46-3-7 (b).

Though Indiana law does not define the acceptable farm management practices that IC 35-46-3-5 (5) exempts from prosecution as cruelty to animals, Rose Acre's reported omission falls outside its industry's  practices, established by the United Egg Producers (UEP). UEP's Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks 2010 Edition (attached) states that hen housing should be constructed and maintained to provide protection from environmental extremes and that environmental conditions within sheds should allow hens to maintain their normal body temperature. Please note that Rose Acre advertises its eggs as UEP-certified on its website.

Thank you for your time and consideration. 

Sincerely,

Dan Paden
Senior Research Associate
Cruelty Investigations Department

PETA Activists Will Bare All During Midwest Tour to Expose Cruelty in the Leather Industry

For Immediate Release:
August 6, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Cincinnati -- Lying "bloodied" and nearly naked in a human-size shoebox, two PETA beauties will protest against the cruel leather industry outside Saks Fifth Avenue in Cincinnati on Tuesday. Other PETA supporters will hold signs that read, "Leather Is Murder on Cows," and "Wear Your Own Skin—Let Animals Keep Theirs." PETA's point? That with all the fashionable and durable vegan shoes, jackets, belts, and purses now available, there's no excuse for killing animals for their skin. The action will kick off a series of similar protests throughout the Midwest.

When:   Tuesday, August 7, 12 noon

Where:  Outside Saks Fifth Avenue at the intersection of W. Fifth and Race streets, Cincinnati

"There's nothing fashionable about tormenting cows and other animals on factory farms and skinning them alive in slaughterhouses," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "With today's chic and comfortable synthetics and faux leather, it's easy for fashionistas with a shoe fetish to kick the leather habit."

In the U.S., most of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—often without any painkillers. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats cut and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious. Also, the toxic chemicals used by tanneries are extremely harmful to workers, and they foul the environment.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

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

For Immediate Release:
August 6, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Oceanport, N.J. — After PETA filed two complaints with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regarding the physical safety and psychological well-being of two elephants with Cole Bros. Circus, the circus has agreed to pay a $15,000 penalty to the USDA to settle formal charges against the circus, which is scheduled to perform in Oceanport from August 13 to 15. The charges came after PETA pointed out that two elephants, Tina and Jewel, were hundreds of pounds underweight and had been deprived of adequate veterinary care, including for a protruding spine. They were also sent to an unlicensed exhibitor with a long history of violating the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). The more than 10 charges that Cole Bros. settled with the USDA include failure to provide the elephants with adequate veterinary care and failure to hire personnel capable of caring for them.

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

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

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

A list of the violations named in the charges follows.

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

Elephants

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

Tigers

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

Group Weighs In on Abortion Debate With Pro-Vegan Billboard

For Immediate Release:
August 6, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Phoenix -- With the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granting a preliminary injunction last Wednesday that blocks implementation of Arizona's new law that bans abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, PETA wants to give parties on both sides of the debate some food for thought. That's why the group is currently negotiating with Phoenix-area outdoor advertisers to display a billboard that shows an innocent, curious baby chick and reads, "Killed at 7 Weeks. Choose Life: Go Vegan." PETA's point? Proponents of the new law cited evidence that fetuses can allegedly feel pain at 20 weeks. PETA wants all Arizonans to know that the chickens killed for buckets and boxes are sentient beings who definitely feel pain—and are sent to a terrifying death in a slaughterhouse when they are 6 to 7 weeks old.

"We all hold the power to save a life or take a life every time we choose what to eat," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "We are asking people to try to relate to who's on that plate and to choose life by eating vegetarian or vegan meals."

On average, turkeys used for food are only 6 months old when their throats are cut. The average age at which pigs are killed and dismembered—often while they're still conscious—is only 6 months. Calves used for veal—who are traumatically torn away from their mothers within hours of birth—are dragged from their veal crates and killed when they are just 20 to 22 weeks old.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA Activists Will Bare All to Expose Cruelty in the Leather Industry

For Immediate Release:
August 7, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuck 202-483-7382 

Toledo, Ohio  -- Lying "bloodied" and nearly naked in a human-size shoebox, two PETA beauties will protest the cruel leather industry in Toledo on Wednesday. Other PETA supporters will hold signs that read, "Leather Is Murder on Cows," and "Wear Your Own Skin—Let Animals Keep Theirs." PETA's point? That with all the fashionable and durable vegan shoes, jackets, belts, and purses now available, there's no excuse for killing animals for their skin.

When:   Wednesday, August 8, 12 noon

Where:  Intersection of Madison Avenue and N. Michigan Street, Toledo

There's nothing fashionable about tormenting cows and other animals on factory farms and skinning them alive in slaughterhouses," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "With today's chic and comfortable synthetics and faux leather, it's easy for fashionistas with a shoe fetish to kick the leather habit."

In the U.S., most of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—often without any painkillers. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats cut and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious. Also, the toxic chemicals used by tanneries are extremely harmful to workers, and they foul the environment.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Beleaguered 'Bird' Sets Sights on Greensboro to Expose Factory-Farm Abuses

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382 

Greensboro, N.C. -- Holding a sign reading, "Broken Wings and Legs," a giant "crippled chicken" will repeatedly cross the road in front of the Grandover Resort to lead a protest against the North Carolina Poultry Federation, which will be holding its 45^th annual meeting inside. The action will focus on the abusive treatment of billions of chickens raised and killed by the industry every year.

When:   Thursday, August 9, 3:30 p.m.

Where:  Outside the Grandover Resort, 1000 Club Rd. (at the intersection of Grand Resort Circle and Grandover Parkway), Greensboro

Chickens raised and killed by the poultry industry suffer from abuse that would result in felony cruelty-to-animals charges if other animals were the victims. They are bred to grow so large 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.

"Chickens are probably the most abused animal on the planet," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "If the members of the North Carolina Poultry Federation abused cats or dogs the way that they abuse chickens, they could be thrown in jail."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

More Than Three-Quarters of NATO Allies Use Simulators, Other Non-Animal Models

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Norfolk, Va. — A new study published in the August 2012 issue of Military Medicine, the journal of the Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S., reveals that 22 of 28 NATO nations do not use animal laboratories for military medical training.

Researchers from PETA, in collaboration with current and former military medical personnel, surveyed officials in all 28 NATO nations during 2010 and 2011. Twenty-two NATO countries—including Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey—confirmed that they do not use animals in military medical training. Officials reported that they use exclusively non-animal methods—such as lifelike human simulators in realistic battlefield scenarios—for various reasons, including legal prohibitions against animal use and the superiority of simulation technology.

Six NATO countries—Canada, Denmark, Norway, Poland, the U.K., and the U.S.—reported using animals in invasive and often deadly procedures.

"The overwhelming majority of NATO allies have moved beyond stabbing and dismembering animals in crude and cruel training exercises," says coauthor of the study and PETA Associate Director Justin Goodman. "Our military's regulations require using non-animal methods whenever they are available—and PETA's report illustrates that modern trauma-training technology is widely available around the world."

Each year, the U.S. military and its contractors shoot, stab, mutilate, and kill more than 10,000 live animals in cruel trauma-training exercises, even though modern simulators that breathe and bleed have been shown to better prepare doctors and medics to treat injured better than animal laboratories.

To learn more, visit PETA.org/Trauma. 

Nonviolence Can Start on Our Plates, Says Group 

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Denver -- As debates over gun control and mental-health care sweep the nation in the wake of the July 20 shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colo., PETA is urging everyone to take the first step toward making the world less violent simply by choosing meat-free meals. To initiate this positive trend, PETA has sent a letter to Arapahoe County Sheriff Grayson Robinson urging him to place James Holmes—who has been charged in the shooting deaths of 12 people and the wounding of 58 others—on an all-vegetarian diet for the remainder of his stay at the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office Detention Facility in Centennial.

"There are many forms of random, senseless violence that we can do nothing about—but each of us can help stop the routine slaughter of animals simply by not eating them," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "PETA is asking Sheriff Robinson to lead the way by placing James Holmes on a humane and cost-effective vegetarian diet, which will save lives and public funds."

PETA has offered to provide all Arapahoe County inmates with vegetarian meals for a full day at no cost to the county.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA’s letter to Arapaho County Sheriff Grayson Robinson follows

August 8, 2012

Sheriff Grayson Robinson
Arapahoe County

Dear Sheriff Robinson,

On behalf of PETA's more than 3 million members and supporters—including thousands across Colorado who were horrified by the carnage in Aurora—I am writing about suspected murderer James Holmes. With all due respect, we ask that you help make the world a less violent place by providing him with exclusively vegetarian meals while he is in your custody.

The senseless killings that Holmes is charged with carrying out have caused many of us to debate how gun control and mental-health care might help prevent future outbreaks of such violence. Although many acts of random and senseless violence occur that we can do nothing about, all of us can help stop the routine slaughter of animals—all we have to do is stop eating them. On factory farms, living, feeling beings—who experience pain and fear just as we do—are regularly castrated, debeaked, and dehorned without painkillers. They are transported to slaughterhouses in all weather extremes, with many collapsing from heat exhaustion in hot weather and some freezing to the sides of the trucks in cold weather. At the slaughterhouse, they are hung upside down, and their throats are slit, often while they are still conscious.

Nonviolence can start on our plates. There are other benefits, too: Vegetarian meals are easy to prepare and typically less expensive than meat-based meals. We would be happy to help you set up institutional meat-free meal plans and also to give, at no cost to Arapahoe County, vegetarian meals to all your inmates on a day of your choosing.

Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
PETA

Group Joins Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety in Effort to Bring Person Who Shot Cat With Arrow to Justice

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Blackman Charter Township, Mich. -- A family's cat, Baby, was found lying in their backyard, shot between the eyes with an arrow on the morning of August 5. It is believed that Baby was intentionally targeted. Police have yet to make any arrests in connection with the attack on Baby. That's why PETA is offering up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for this violent crime.

"Animal abusers are cowards," says PETA Director Martin Mersereau. "They take their issues out on the most defenseless beings available to them. Area residents have good reason to be concerned. According to law-enforcement agencies and leading mental-health professionals, perpetrators of violent acts against animals are often repeat offenders who pose a serious threat to all animals—including humans."

Anyone with information about this case is encouraged to contact the Blackman-Leoni Township Department of Public Safety at 517-788-4223. PETA is urging residents not to leave their animals outside unattended.

For more information, please visit PETA.org. To view PETA's anti-violence public service announcement featuring Inglourious Basterds star and Hostel director Eli Roth, please visit http://www.petatv.com/tvpopup/Prefs.asp?video=eli_roth_violence_link_psa_peta.

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

For Immediate Release:
August 7, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Oakland, Calif. -- 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, August 8, 12 noon

Where:  Intersection of Broadway and 12^th Street, Oakland

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

Late last year, Ringling paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The East Bay SPCA, the San Francisco SPCA, and the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA have joined 12 other California humane societies to urge Californians to boycott Ringling Bros. and all other circuses that use animals, citing the circus's routine bullhook and other abuse.

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

Group Will Screen Gruesome Video Footage Narrated by Paul McCartney Showing Illegal Cruelty on Iowa Factory Farms

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Des Moines — PETA has been granted a space at this year's Iowa State Fair (opening August 9) to screen video footage narrated by Paul McCartney in a thought-provoking twist on the traditional 4-H booth. Although 4-H teaches young people positive values in other programs, its support of the cruel meat industry teaches a different moral lesson: betrayal of those who depend on you and adherence to an unhealthy, inhumane, and environmentally destructive diet. So PETA's four H's stand for "hellish for animals," "hazardous to the environment," "linked to heart attacks," and "hypocritical for teaching kids to care about only certain animals and to disrespect others." In the wake of Iowa's controversial new law to thwart the public's right to know exactly what goes on inside factory farms, the booth will screen McCartney's "Glass Walls," including video footage from PETA's 2008 investigation of an Iowa pig farm, which documented that supervisors and workers beat pigs with metal rods, jabbed clothespins into the animals' eyes, and even sexually abused a pig with a cane—all evidence that led to convictions for cruelty to animals.

When:   Beginning Thursday, August 9, 9 a.m.–9 p.m.

Where:  Iowa State Fair, 3000 E. Grand Ave., East Grandstand Exhibit Hall, Space 5, Des Moines

"By trying to prevent people from documenting the criminal abuse of animals on farms, Iowa is protecting criminal behavior," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Anyone who buys meat from Iowa should have the right to know what animals went through on their way from shed to sandwich so that they can make informed decisions—but Iowa legislators are way too scared to allow that."

The following are just some of the abuses that PETA's investigator documented:

• A supervisor shoved a cane into a sow's vagina, struck her on the back about 17 times, and then struck another sow.
• Multiple pigs were beaten with metal gate rods, and lacerations were found on more than 30 sows.
• A worker hit a young pig in the face four times with the edge of a herding board. The investigator witnessed dozens of similar incidents.
• A supervisor kicked a young pig in the face, abdomen, and genitals to make her move and told PETA's investigator, "You gotta beat on the bitch."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA Complaint Leads Law-Enforcement Officers to Seize Animals From Bunny Magic 'Rescue' After Sick, Dying Rabbits Found in Cramped, Filthy Cages

For Immediate Release:
August 8, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Prince Frederick, Md. -- Today, Calvert County law-enforcement officials are removing sick and injured rabbits from Bunny Magic Wildlife & Rabbit Rescue Inc., in Lusby, Md., after reviewing a complaint filed by PETA. Following a whistleblower report, PETA had entered the facility and found systemic and sometimes fatal neglect of animals there, including rabbits kept in crowded, stacked cages in their own waste in a garage reeking of ammonia and a dark shed. Photos are available here.

After receiving the whistleblower's request for help, PETA documented that rabbits were being denied veterinary care for serious medical conditions, including a rabbit with a long-term infection that had filled his throat with pus. Another rabbit was so afflicted by disease that her neck was twisted nearly 180 degrees, leaving her struggling to stand. Bunny Magic operator Carole Van Wie simply left the rabbit to die. PETA submitted evidence to county officials and the office of State's Attorney Laura Martin, which opened a criminal investigation.

"Well-meaning people often do not see what goes on in these kinds of 'too-good-to-be-true' places, and many of these facilities turn out to be hoarders' lairs," says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "PETA urges everyone to speak up when they see animal abuse and neglect: If not for a whistleblower, these rabbits would still be lying there, helpless and dying. We thank law enforcement and the state's attorney for taking action."

PETA also found that Bunny Magic had no paid help to care for all the rabbits, whose basic care would require more than 35 hours of labor daily, according to professional standards. Some of the rabbits were found with abscesses, one as large as an egg; head tilt because of likely infection, disease, and/or trauma; painfully overgrown nails; and eyes sealed shut by discharge. Dead rabbits were found crammed into a freezer.

PETA is also submitting formal complaints to various Maryland officials as well as to the Internal Revenue Service that request that Van Wie be investigated.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Doctor and TV Host Unveils New PETA Campaign: 'Cure Animal Homelessness'

For Immediate Release:
August 9, 2012

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- Celebrated host of Loveline and HLN's Dr. Drew and experienced addiction specialist Dr. Drew Pinsky knows that too much sex can be a bad thing—especially for dogs and cats. To call attention to the homeless-animal overpopulation crisis, the doctor unveiled his brand-new PETA campaign outside the Dr. Drew studios in Los Angeles on Wednesday. In the ad (available here), Dr. Drew relaxes with his dogs, Daisy and Lulu, next to the words, "Cure Animal Homelessness: Always Spay and Neuter." At the unveiling, The Sam Simon Foundation—which provides free and low-cost sterilization surgeries for dogs and cats in the Los Angeles area—distributed vouchers for free spay and neuter surgeries. Photos of the unveiling are available here. Video footage from the unveiling is available here.

Dr. Drew's campaign also includes a video spot in which the Celebrity Rehab star explains why spaying and neutering is so important. "Every year, millions of dogs and cats are born into a world that doesn't want them, and they end up in crowded animal shelters from which only about half of them are lucky enough to be adopted," says Dr. Drew. "Save lives by having your dogs and cats spayed or neutered. It's the right thing to do."

In an exclusive PETA interview, Dr. Drew opened up about Daisy and Lulu ("They are members of our family") and stressed that all of us must take responsibility for the homeless-animal overpopulation crisis. "If you even have a passing interest in animals or you live with animals under any circumstances," says Dr. Drew, "I think it takes just a little bit of attention to be responsible, and you can have a dramatic impact on this crisis." 

Dr. Drew joins a long list of celebrities, including Jane Lynch, Bill Maher, Simon Cowell, Carrie Ann Inaba, Mickey Rourke, Cloris Leachman, Charlize Theron, and John McEnroe, who have teamed up with PETA to promote spaying and neutering.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA Activists Will Bare All to Expose Cruelty in the Leather Industry

For Immediate Release:
August 9, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382 

St. Louis, Mo. -- Lying "bloodied" and nearly naked in a giant shoebox, two PETA beauties will protest against the cruel leather industry outside Hermann Oak Leather Company in St. Louis on Friday. Other PETA supporters will hold signs that read, "Leather Is Murder on Cows," and "Wear Your Own Skin—Let Animals Keep Theirs." PETA's point? That with all the fashionable and durable vegan shoes, jackets, belts, and purses available, there's no excuse for killing animals for their skin.

When:   Friday, August 10, 12 noon

Where:  Outside Hermann Oak Leather Company, 4050 N. First St. (near the intersection of Angelica and N. First streets), St. Louis

"There's nothing fashionable about tormenting cows and other animals on factory farms and skinning them alive in slaughterhouses," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "With today's chic and comfortable synthetics and faux leather, it's easy for fashionistas with a shoe fetish to kick the leather habit."

In the U.S., most of the millions of cows and other animals who are killed for their skin endure the horrors of factory farming, including extreme crowding and deprivation as well as castration, branding, tail-docking, and dehorning—often without any painkillers. At slaughterhouses, animals routinely have their throats cut and are skinned and dismembered while they are still conscious. Also, the toxic chemicals used by tanneries are extremely harmful to workers, and they foul the environment.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.