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.