PETA Offers Dr. Seuss' Widow Its 'Meat's Not Green' Chicken Sculpture to Sit In for Stolen Lorax
For Immediate Release:
March 30, 2012
Contact:
Shakira Croce 202-483-7382
San Diego, Calif. -- PETA has sent a letter to Audrey Geisel, widow of beloved author Dr. Seuss, with an offer the group hopes she'll take to heart. PETA will send its crippled chicken statue, emblazoned with the words "Meat's Not Green," to Ms. Geisel for her to display until the statue of the Lorax, which was stolen from her home last weekend, is recovered. In its letter, PETA explains that in addition to causing animal suffering on a massive scale, the meat industry is a leading source of water pollution, land degradation, and greenhouse-gas emissions—topics that the environmentally conscious Lorax, who "speaks for the trees," would certainly take to heart.
"Just as lumber barons often see vital forests as nothing more than a lucrative source of wood, chicken processors see these inquisitive and sensitive birds as nothing more than a money-making source of flesh," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "Until the Lorax statue is recovered, PETA's 'Meat's Not Green' crippled chicken statue would send a message that would help save animals' lives, protect human health, and pay the planet the respect it deserves."
For more information, please visit PETA.org.
PETA's letter to Ms. Geisel follows.
March 30, 2012
Audrey Geisel, President
Dr. Seuss Enterprises, L.P.
Dear Ms. Geisel:
I am writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 3 million members and supporters, including many thousands in California, with an offer that we hope will help lift your spirits following the loss—hopefully temporary—of your beloved Lorax statue: In its place, PETA would like to offer our "Meat's Not Green" chicken sculpture.
Designed by Harry Bliss, an award-winning author and a cartoonist for The New Yorker, the sculpture (image attached) illustrates the fact that the industrialized chicken industry is one of the top reasons why we're tiptoeing dangerously close to making our planet a real-life Thneed-Ville. A major United Nations report concluded that animal agriculture should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, climate change, air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity.
This sculpture will not only draw attention to the environmental issues so close to the Lorax's heart but also save lives. Chickens are smart little animals with complex social structures, great mothering abilities, adept communication skills, and distinct personalities. Forced to live on filthy, crowded factory farms, they are drugged and bred to grow such unnaturally large upper bodies for breast meat that the bones in their legs often splinter under the weight. They are also often still conscious when their throats are slit and they are dragged through scalding-hot water. We have much more information on our website Meat.org.
I hope you'll agree to use PETA's "Meat's Not Green" crippled chicken sculpture as a placeholder for your missing statue, in the true spirit of the Lorax. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Lindsay Rajt
Associate Director
Vegan Campaigns