Ads Outside Schools to Promote Compassion for Turkeys

For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Sacramento, Calif. -- How would children feel if Fido and Fluffy were stuffed and roasted for Thanksgiving? That's what PETA is asking this holiday season with a billboard that shows an animal who's a cross between a dog and a turkey. The billboard reads, "Kids: If You Wouldn't Eat Your Dog, Why Eat a Turkey?" The group plans to run the billboard near Sacramento public schools in the hope that it will spark a dialog between kids and their parents.

"Kids love animals, and if they thought about how turkeys feel pain and fear just as dogs and cats do, they'd trade in their drumsticks for Tofurky in a heartbeat," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "This Thanksgiving, families can give all animals something to be thankful for by sticking to humane, delicious vegan meals."

Approximately 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—more than 45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 18 miles per hour. But most turkeys slated to be killed for food are crammed into filthy warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common. Turkeys are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight.

To reach kids across the nation, PETA also plans to erect its billboard in Reno, Nev., and Boise, Idaho.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.

Holiday Is Murder on Turkeys, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
November 8, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Honolulu -- Just in time for Thanksgiving, PETA's quirky "Turkey Terror" TV spot is headed to Honolulu. In the ad, which the group hopes to run on local TV stations in the weeks leading up to the holiday, a shaky voice takes over a grocery-store intercom, saying, "Do exactly as I say, and nobody gets hurt! Resist, and innocent creatures will be beaten, scalded alive, dismembered, and their throats will be slit." The scene ends when the voice is revealed to belong to a "turkey," who says, "It's your choice, but if you know what's good for you, you'll meet my one simple demand: Go vegetarian!"

"PETA's ad is a lighthearted way to point out that Thanksgiving represents immense suffering and a violent death for millions of turkeys," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Vegan meals are a delicious, healthy, and humane way to celebrate the holiday—and they give turkeys something to be thankful for, too."

Approximately 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—including more than 45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 18 miles per hour. But most turkeys slated to be killed for food are crammed into filthy warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common. Turkeys are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight.

And the terror doesn't stop there: A PETA undercover investigation of turkey factory farms documented that workers punched, threw, and kicked live birds; bludgeoned birds with pipes, pieces of wood, and tools; deliberately broke turkeys' necks and other bones; stomped on birds' heads; forcefully shoved feces into birds' mouths; held birds' heads under water; and urinated in a turkey pen.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Ads Outside Schools to Promote Compassion for Turkeys

For Immediate Release:
November 8, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Boise, Idaho -- How would children feel if Fido and Fluffy were stuffed and roasted for Thanksgiving? That's what PETA is asking this holiday season with a billboard that shows an animal who's a cross between a dog and a turkey. The billboard reads, "Kids: If You Wouldn't Eat Your Dog, Why Eat a Turkey?" The group plans to run the billboard near Boise public schools in the hope that it will spark a dialog between kids and their parents.

"Kids love animals, and if they thought about how turkeys feel pain and fear, just as dogs and cats do, they'd trade in their drumsticks for Tofurky in a heartbeat," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "This Thanksgiving, families can give all animals something to be thankful for by sticking to humane, delicious vegan meals."

Approximately 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—more than 45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 18 miles per hour. But most turkeys slated to be killed for food are crammed into filthy warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common. Turkeys are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight.

To reach kids across the nation, PETA also plans to erect its billboard in Reno, Nev., and Sacramento, Calif.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or click here.

Idea Is to Let Parents Know That the Centerpiece of Their Holiday Table Is the Corpse of a Tortured Bird

For Immediate Release:
November 9, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- Instead of a fork, PETA has a better idea about what to stick in a dead turkey at Thanksgiving: The group is offering free tombstones for kids to dig into the Thanksgiving turkey the second it hits the table. The miniature tombstones are emblazoned with the words "Here Lies the Corpse of a Tortured Bird." Kids who visit peta2.com/Tombstones and request a tombstone will get them in the mail for free. All that visitors to the site have to do is tell PETA why they don't eat turkey. Kids can also make their own stakes by downloading and cutting out the tombstone art and taping it onto a toothpick.

"Kids love animals, and once they realize that turkeys feel pain and fear just as dogs and cats do, they want to switch out those drumsticks for Tofurky," says peta2's Marta Holmberg, associate director of Youth Outreach and Campaigns. "This Thanksgiving, families can give turkeys something to be thankful for by choosing delicious vegan meals."

Approximately 250 million turkeys are killed in the U.S. every year—more than 45 million for Thanksgiving dinners alone. In nature, turkeys are protective and loving parents as well as spirited explorers who can climb trees and run as fast as 25 miles per hour. But most turkeys slated to be killed for food are crammed into filthy warehouses, where disease, smothering, and heart attacks are common. Turkeys are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies that their legs often become crippled under the weight.

For more information, please click here.

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

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Cape Coral, Fla. -- 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 Cape Coral from November 19 to 21. 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). Cole Bros. has settled more than 10 charges with the USDA, including 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. Even so, Cole Bros. continues to use other elephants in old-fashioned circus acts. It now uses an elephant act supplied by Carson & Barnes. The act includes elephant trainer Tim Frisco, who was caught on camera viciously beating terrified elephants and shocking them with electric prods. Carson & Barnes also just paid a fine for 10 violations of the AWA, including for allowing an elephant to get loose and leaving animals unattended during elephant rides at Cole Bros. performances. In one instance, a handler left six children on an elephant and walked away to talk on his cell phone.

"The USDA's actions against Cole Bros. and Carson & Barnes should put 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. "Since children love animals, the last place that parents and grandparents should take them is the circus."

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 supply 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 meet 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 Will Give Students a Feel for Intensive Confinement That May Have Them Going Vegan 

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Santa Cruz, Calif. -- Most students at the University of California–Santa Cruz (UC–Santa Cruz) have probably never been to a factory farm, so peta2—PETA's youth division—is bringing factory farms to them. As part of a national college tour, the group will set up a 20-foot-by-30-foot inflatable tent, inside of which students can confine themselves to sow gestation crates—which are so small that pregnant pigs can't even turn around or take two steps—and watch "Glass Walls," a video exposé of the meat industry narrated by PETA pal Paul McCartney, who famously said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian." Students will also receive samples of vegan foods and free vegetarian/vegan starter kits with recipes and tips for helping the Earth, animals, and their own arteries by going meat- and dairy-free.

When:   Tuesday, November 13, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Where:  Founder's Glen, UC–Santa Cruz campus

"College is the time to consider new ideas, and peta2's factory-farm display gives students an idea of how much suffering goes into a chicken nugget or a beef burger," says peta2 Associate Director Marta Holmberg. "Once students see what cows, chickens, and other animals go through on factory farms, in transit, and in slaughterhouses, they'll want to load up their cafeteria trays with humane vegan selections."

Pigs, chickens, fish, and cows feel pain and fear just as intensely as do the animals who share our homes with us, yet they are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs and cats were the victims. Chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets are castrated and have their tails cut off without being given any painkillers, and calves raised for their milk have their horns burned out of their skulls. On the decks of fishing boats, fish suffocate or are cut open while they're still alive.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.

Shareholder Resolution Asks Pizza Chain to Work With Suppliers to End Painful Dehorning

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- PETA is campaigning to end "dehorning"—a process in which calves on dairy farms have their horns or horn tissue burned or gouged out of their heads with searing-hot irons, caustic chemicals, blades, or handsaws—by filing a shareholder resolution calling on Domino's to require its dairy suppliers to phase out dehorning by selecting for naturally polled, or hornless, cattle.

"Because of awareness campaigns like PETA's, consumers are learning that cows on dairy farms often have their horns and sensitive horn tissue cut or burned from their skulls in painful procedures," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "If Domino's requires its suppliers to phase out dehorning, the company will stop immense unnecessary suffering."

As shown in PETA's dehorning video exposé, narrated by Academy Award nominee Casey Affleck, workers on dairy farms burn searing-hot irons into calves' heads to destroy horn tissue or use sharp instruments or other tools to saw, gouge, or cut out the horn and sometimes the surrounding tissue. Cows and calves struggle desperately during these procedures, which are routinely performed without giving the animals any painkillers. By breeding for polled cattle—which causes at least half the calves to be born hornless, as the polled gene is dominant—dairy farmers can eliminate the need for this cruel, costly, and labor-intensive procedure.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA Members Converge on Baltimore to Expose Cruel Industry

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
Sophia Charchuk 202-483-7382

Baltimore -- Accompanied by an activist dressed as a half-plucked goose and holding signs that read, "Plucked Alive," with graphic imagery, PETA supporters will congregate outside the Harborplace & The Gallery mall in Baltimore on Tuesday. The battered bird's point? That shoppers who would never think of buying fur often purchase jackets, gloves, pillows, or comforters filled with down because they aren't aware of the hideous suffering of birds who are often repeatedly—and painfully—plucked alive for down.

When:   Tuesday, November 13, 12 noon

Where:  Outside the Harborplace & The Gallery mall, at the intersection of E. Pratt and S. Calvert streets, Baltimore

"PETA wants shoppers to know that buying down products is every bit as cruel as purchasing fur, exotic skins, leather, or wool," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "The rule of thumb is easy to remember: If a product came from an animal, the chance that abuse and suffering were involved is roughly 100 percent."

To obtain down, the feathers are often ripped out of restrained, frightened, screaming birds. Warm, animal-friendly bedding and winter clothing are available everywhere. 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 alternatives are superior to down, which loses much of its insulating properties when it gets wet.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Christian Serratos Urges Fans to 'Respect Life' by Going Vegetarian

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
Wendy Wegner 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- Wearing a corset and calaveras-inspired makeup and standing in a fog-filled graveyard, Twilight star Christian Serratos—known to fans of the series as Bella's friend Angela—is featured in a Día de los Muertos–inspired ad for PETA that reads, "Respect Life. Go Vegetarian." The ad, which was shot by top celebrity photographer Robert Sebree goes on to say, "Factory farms are hell for animals, and their death is slow and painful. Help animals by not eating them." A high-resolution version of the ad is available here.

"When I stopped eating meat, I noticed that it was easier for me to focus, and I was really proud of myself for being green also. … I had a plethora of reasons for going vegetarian," says Serratos in an exclusive PETA video interview. "I was eating meat and didn't know how it affected my health …. I just felt better and brighter and lighter, and I had more energy …. It was a big deal to me, being an animal lover, that I realized what I was eating, and I didn't separate myself from, say, my animals, my pets."

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

Serratos' work with PETA began when she was 14-years-old and includes her distinction as the youngest person to star in the group's "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" campaign. She joins a long list of celebrities—including Twilight costars Kellan Lutz and Booboo Stewart as well as Lea Michele,Justin Bieber, Penélope Cruz, Alicia Silverstone, and Eva Mendes, among many others—who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals.

For more information, please visitPETA.org. A broadcast-quality version of Serratos' PETA interview can be downloaded here.

The Lincolns—Spreading the Word About the Cruelty of Crating and Caging Dogs

For Immediate Release:
November 12, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Longtime dog trainers and behavior specialists Ray and Emma Lincoln could no longer ignore the fact that they were spending much of their training time trying to undo behavioral problems caused by crating—an increasingly common trend in the U.S. The Lincolns—who have been educated in psychology and biology—had written two books on dog behavior and training before publishing their most controversial work, Dogs Hate Crates: How Abusive Crate Training Hurts Dogs, Families & Society. Now, the Lincolns have just released their latest book, Dog in a Box, which is a riveting hour-by-hour account of a day in the life of two versions of a fictitious dog, Free Champ and Crated Champ.

Based on the authors' extensive experience working with family dogs who are relegated to small wire cages for 18 to 23 hours per day and those who have free run of the house, the book paints a stark contrast between the two animals: Free Champ's day is marked by joy, playfulness, problem solving, physical activity, and love, while Crated Champ's is one of deprivation, boredom, trauma, pain, and loneliness. The following are examples of how stress can take a terrible toll on a crated dog:

• Intense fear—especially of anything new—because the dog was never introduced to the world in a normal manner
• Lack of self-control because there's a total lack of free will inside the dog's tiny, barren world
• Excessive barking, licking, and even self-mutilation because of the frustration of being denied everything that's natural to these highly intelligent animals

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Will Give Students a Feel for Intensive Confinement That May Have Them Going Vegan 

For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

San Diego -- Most students at the University of California–San Diego (UC–San Diego) have probably never been to a factory farm, so peta2—PETA's youth division—is bringing factory farms to them. As part of a national college tour, the group will set up a 20-foot-by-30-foot inflatable tent, inside of which students can confine themselves to sow gestation crates—which are so small that pregnant pigs can't even turn around or take two steps—and watch "Glass Walls," a video exposé of the meat industry narrated by PETA pal Paul McCartney, who famously said, "If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian." Students will also receive samples of vegan foods and free vegetarian/vegan starter kits with recipes and tips for helping the Earth, animals, and their own arteries by going meat- and dairy-free.

When:   Wednesday, November 14, and Thursday, November 15, 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Where:  Sun God Lawn, UC–San Diego campus, San Diego

"College is the time to consider new ideas, and peta2's factory-farm display gives students an idea of how much suffering goes into a chicken nugget or a beef burger," says peta2 Associate Director Marta Holmberg. "Once students see what cows, chickens, and other animals go through on factory farms, in transit, and in slaughterhouses, they'll want to load up their cafeteria trays with humane vegan selections."

Pigs, chickens, fish, and cows feel pain and fear just as intensely as do the animals who share our homes with us, yet they are abused in ways that would be illegal if dogs and cats were the victims. Chickens and turkeys have their throats cut while they're still conscious, piglets are castrated and have their tails cut off without being given any painkillers, and calves raised for their milk have their horns burned out of their skulls. On the decks of fishing boats, fish suffocate or are cut open while they're still alive.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.

Cover Photos Glorify Killing, Desensitize Children to Suffering, Says Group

For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Newark, N.J.  -- This morning, PETA sent a letter to Joseph DiDomizio, CEO of East Rutherford–based Hudson News, asking him to direct the company's outlets to keep hunting magazines out of the view and reach of children by displaying them as they would adult magazines, such as Playboy and Penthouse,and refusing to sell them to minors under 18. In its letter, PETA points out that hunting can cause target animals to starve during winter, disrupt their migration patterns, and result in wounds that cause animals to die slowly in agony. It also explains the dangers of desensitizing young people to the suffering of others. Many of the school shooters who have opened fire on their classmates have also previously hunted animals.

"If kids are too young to view nude photos and sex acts, then they're too young to be exposed to the maiming and killing of animals whose strongest desire is to survive," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman, who is also a mother. "Children in their formative years need to be taught lessons in kindness, not killing—to choose friendship over firepower—lessons that translate into respect for all life."

For more information, please visit PETA.org. 

PETA's letter to Hudson News CEO Joseph DiDomizio follows.

November 13, 2012

Joseph DiDomizio
President and CEO
Hudson Group

Dear Mr. DiDomizio,

On behalf of PETA and our more than 3 million members and supporters, I am writing to ask you to keep hunting magazines sold at your stores out of the reach and view of minors by displaying them alongside adult publications such as Playboy and Penthouse. We also urge you to refuse to sell these magazines to anyone under 18 years of age. Hunting magazines present killing as fun and exciting and encourage violent behavior in young people.

These publications recklessly promote killing without explaining the devastating consequences. The stress that hunted animals suffer from being pursued compromises their natural feeding habits, making it hard for them to store the fat and energy that they need to survive the winter. Hunting also disrupts migration and hibernation patterns. For animals like wolves, who mate for life and live in close-knit family units, hunting can devastate not only entire families but entire communities. And many animals who are shot with a bullet or an arrow flee injured—only to die slow, agonizing deaths from blood loss, shock, starvation, gangrene, or attacks by predators.

Like other forms of casual or thrill violence, hunting spawns a dangerous desensitization to the suffering of others. According to published reports, many of the young people who have opened fire on their schoolmates—including 16-year-old Andrew Golden who, along with an accomplice, killed five people at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro, Ark., and 17-year-old T.J. Lane, who killed three people at Chardon High School in Cleveland earlier this year, had first expressed their bloodlust by hunting animals. Not every hunter will kill a human, of course, but in this era of escalating violence, it is irresponsible and downright dangerous to allow kids access to magazines that promote killing for "fun."

Your British counterpart, W.H. Smith, has already implemented an age restriction on the sale of hunting magazines, and we urge you to follow suit. Please protect animals and impressionable children by keeping hunting magazines out of young people's reach and sight—just as you would with pornography. Thank you. I look forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President 

PETA Believes Negligence Caused Death of Trainer at Bozeman Exhibitor's Compound

For Immediate Release:
November 13, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Bozeman, Mont. -- PETA has sent a formal complaint to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) calling on the agency to investigate the fatal November 4 bear mauling of a young trainer at Bozeman-based Animals of Montana, an exhibitor that rents out big cats, bears, and other animals for photo ops and entertainment venues. According to reports, 24-year-old Benjamin Cloutier died after being mauled by two grizzly bears owned by his boss, Troy Hyde, while he was cleaning the bear enclosure. One of the bears was shot to death by an Animals of Montana trainer who was retrieving Cloutier from the enclosure. Hyde previously had his Animal Welfare Act exhibitor's license suspended for two years for illegal trafficking in endangered tigers.

In the letter, PETA points out that Hyde likely violated the Occupational Safety and Health Act by ignoring obvious, serious risks to those who work with dangerous animals. PETA also urges OSHA to cite Hyde and assess him the maximum civil penalties allowed by law for his willful and intentional violations of the act if he is found to have been negligent.

"Exhibitors like this one deny animals everything that's natural and important to them, and they can also put human lives at risk," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "The time has come to stop keeping captive bears as living props and risking lives in the process."

By law, Hyde is required to furnish employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards "that are causing, or likely to cause, death or serious physical harm." Animals of Montana uses a dangerous and outmoded system of keeping animals called "free contact." The industry standard, called "protected contact," ensures that workers never enter an enclosure with a wild animal. Protected contact requires that bears be moved from enclosures before workers enter and that protective barriers be maintained between workers and bears at all times. OSHA has the authority to investigate and cite Animals of Montana and to order it to adopt protected contact to prevent any such future tragedies.

For more information, please visit PETA's blog.

Cosmetics Giant Is Latest to Turn Its Back on Lucrative Chinese Market, Where Tests on Animals Are Required

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
Tasgola Bruner 202-483-7382

Los Angeles -- NYX Cosmetics has put compassion ahead of profits by publicly refusing to sell its products in China, where companies are required to have their products dripped into rabbits' eyes and force-fed to mice and rats in archaic product tests.

For this bold move, PETA is presenting NYX Cosmetics with its Courage in Commerce Award.

The Los Angeles–based NYX, which sells its products in beauty supply stores and department stores around the world, joins a growing list of beauty-industry leaders—including Urban Decay and Paul Mitchell Systems—that have refused to sell in the Chinese market. In July, Paul Mitchell, whose products have never been tested on animals anywhere in the world, became the first company to stop selling in China in order to prevent cruel animal tests.

"NYX is a hero for animals and for millions of consumers who want beauty products that come without a death toll," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "NYX's decision helps PETA send a strong message to the Chinese government and to the beauty industry that poisoning and killing animals for archaic cosmetics tests is never acceptable."

Not all companies are as dedicated to being cruelty-free as NYX is. Mary Kay, Avon, and Estée Lauder, which were on PETA's list of companies that don't test on animals for decades, recently began paying for poisoning tests on animals in order to market their products in China. Consumers can find out whether a company tests on animals by checking PETA's lists here.

Scientists funded in part by PETA are currently working with the Chinese government to accept non-animal tests for cosmetics ingredients.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Group Cites Danger to Neighbors, Sworn Eyewitness Account of Beatings, Filthy Conditions, and Throwing Hot Water on Animals

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Enterprise, Nev. -- PETA has sent an urgent letter to the Clark County Board of Commissioners asking all members to vote on November 21 to deny a special zoning permit to Clark County resident Stacy Jones to allow her tenant, notorious animal exhibitor James "Mike" Casey, to keep four chimpanzees and a capuchin monkey on the residential premises.

According to sworn eyewitness testimony and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspection reports, Casey has a history of physically abusing chimpanzees, confining them in dark and squalid conditions, and depriving them of adequate enrichment. In its letter, PETA points out that in addition to Casey's abuse of animals, he is also placing his neighbors at risk because chimpanzees are extremely powerful and often dangerous animals—especially when they are abused and denied everything that's natural and important to them. PETA also cites a sworn affidavit by a man who witnessed Casey kicking and punching the chimpanzees, striking them with sticks, and dousing them with hot water. A USDA inspector verified that Casey used his fist to strike one of the chimpanzees, Kenzy, and threw hot water from a cup of tea at either Kenzy or one of the other chimpanzees. The USDA recently issued Casey an official warning for denying proper care to Bently, a juvenile chimpanzee.

"Zoning laws that prohibit keeping wild and dangerous animals in residential communities were created specifically to stop situations like this one from happening," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders. "By denying this zoning permit, the Clark County commissioners can protect these primates from routine abuse and protect the neighbors from potentially fatal attacks at the same time."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

PETA Members to Converge on Boston to Expose Cruel Industry

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Boston -- Accompanied by an activist dressed as a half-plucked goose and holding signs that read, "Plucked Alive," with graphic imagery, PETA supporters will congregate in Boston on Thursday. The battered bird's point? That shoppers who would never think of buying fur often purchase jackets, gloves, pillows, or comforters filled with down because they aren't aware of the hideous suffering of birds who are often repeatedly—and painfully—plucked alive for down.

When:   Thursday, November 15, 12 noon 

Where:  Southeast corner of Washington Street and Temple Place, Boston

"PETA wants shoppers to know that buying down products is every bit as cruel as purchasing fur, exotic skins, leather, or wool," says PETA Associate Director of Campaigns Lindsay Rajt. "The rule of thumb is easy to remember: If a product came from an animal, the chance that abuse and suffering were involved is roughly 100 percent."

To obtain down, the feathers are often ripped out of restrained, frightened, screaming birds. Warm, animal-friendly bedding and winter clothing are available everywhere. 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 alternatives are superior to down, which loses much of its insulating properties when it gets wet.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Psychological Damage Shown in Crated Dogs No Doubt Applies to All Living Beings, PETA Tells District Attorney

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
Kaitlynn Kelly 202-483-7382

Tulsa, Okla. -- As William Todd Lewallen—who was arrested on charges of felony child neglect after police found his 18-month-old daughter locked in a metal crate in his home and his naked 4-year-old toddler locked outside the house—heads to his first court appearance on November 19, PETA is rushing a copy of Dog in a Box to Tulsa County District Attorney Tim Harris. The book will provide Harris' office with new and perhaps surprising information about the physical damage, such as muscle atrophy, as well as the psychological damage that crating inflicts on dogs who are confined all day for their guardians' convenience.

"There's no doubt that children, like dogs, would suffer from being confined to a crate, and Dog in a Box offers an in-depth look at the trauma, deprivation, pain, and loneliness that crating inflicts on dogs," says PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk. "Insight into the cruelty of crating will help the D.A.'s office with its case and may wake up a few casual dog craters, too."

Written by longtime dog trainers and behavior specialists Emma and Ray Lincoln, Dog in a Box shows how dogs who are crated commonly develop eating disorders and anti-social—even aggressive—behavior. These dogs may exhibit intense fear—especially of anything new—because they were never introduced to the world in a normal manner. They may also lack self-control because there is no opportunity to exercise free will inside a tiny barren cage. The implications for a child kept in the same conditions are clear.

PETA supports humane, interactive dog training, which promotes and teaches guardians effective ways to communicate with their animal companions. Committed caretakers who complete training and continue to work with their dogs have no reason to imprison their well-behaved companions while they are away. And for long absences, they can hire a dog walker, leave a dog with someone who is at home, take a dog to doggie daycare, or get a "doggie door."

For more information, please visit PETA.org.

Dogs Kept Outside Can Suffer From Frostbite or Die When Left in Cold

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Newport News, Va. -- As temperatures continue to drop, PETA will be out giving away free straw for use as doghouse bedding for dogs who are kept outside. While PETA strongly encourages people to keep their dogs and other animal companions indoors—especially at this time of year—in order to protect the animals' health and ensure their well-being and safety, reports of shivering dogs and last-minute calls for help have prompted the giveaway:

Date:   Saturday, November 17

Time:   Starting at 10 a.m. and continuing until all the straw is given away

Place: Downing-Gross Cultural Center, 2410 Wickham Ave., Newport News

Newport News Animal Services will also offer free rabies vaccinations to dogs and cats who are 12 weeks of age and older.

"All dogs deserve to live inside a 'real' house, safe and dry, as part of the family," says PETA Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. "But because that isn't always the case, we hope that people will come and fetch free straw so that dogs who are left outside have at least some small comfort on freezing winter nights."

For more information, please visitPETA.org. 

PETA 'Pachyderm' to Hand Out Activity Books Following Exposé of Ringling's Violent Treatment of Baby Elephants 

For Immediate Release:
November 14, 2012

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Chicago -- An "elephant" with a bloody bandage wrapped around a head wound will greet students as they leave Ogden Elementary School today. The elephant will hand out activity booklets and explain to kids and their parents that elephants used by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus—which will open in Chicago tonight—are jabbed with spiked metal bullhooks and beaten to make them perform tricks that are difficult, confusing, and sometimes painful.

When:   Wednesday, November 14, 3:15 p.m.

Where:  Ogden Elementary School, 24 W. Walton St. (at the intersection of W. Walton Street and N. Dearborn Parkway), Chicago

"If children knew how animals suffer behind the scenes, their smiles would quickly turn to frowns," says PETA Foundation Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Delcianna Winders.

PETA will share compelling photos with parents, which were taken inside Ringling's training center and 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.

Late last year, Ringling paid the largest fine in circus history—$270,000—for violations of the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In addition, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently opened a formal investigation into Ringling for further violations of the AWA.

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

Mongolian Seitan, Exquisite Vegan Desserts Put University Over the Top to Clinch Victory in peta2 Contest

For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2012

Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382

Middletown, Conn. -- Historically, college campuses are hotbeds for social change, and that includes one of the fastest-growing trends among young people in the U.S.: going vegan. And nobody is meeting that demand better than Wesleyan University,which has just captured the title of Most Vegan-Friendly College in America in the small-school category of the annual contest sponsored by peta2—PETA's youth division. After thousands of people cast their votes to help peta2 decide who it should crown, UCSD beat out some formidable challengers, such as Cornell University, the University of California–Berkeley, and the University of California–Los Angeles. Wesleyan will receive peta2 certificates, which can be hung up around campus, recognizing it as the nation's most vegan-friendly college.

"With delicious dishes such as Mongolian seitan and vegan apple crisp, Wesleyan University's vegan-friendly menu puts it at the top of its class," says peta2 Associate Director Marta Holmberg. "Every year, peta2 meets more and more students across the country who are protecting animals, the planet, and their own health by joining the vegan revolution."

Topping the favorites list at Wesleyan is the Mongolian seitan with wild rice salad and cranberries. Other popular entrées include vegan fettuccine Alfredo and aloo gobi. And when it's time for dessert, meat-, dairy-, and egg-shunning students are in for a real treat because some of the chefs specialize in creative and out-of-this-world vegan desserts, including the vegan apple crisp made with vegan butter, oatmeal, and spices.

There were 32 large schools and 32 small schools in this year's competition.. This year's winner in the large-school category is the University of California–San Diego.

For more information, please visit peta2.com.