Compassionate 8-Year-Old Says Animal Abuse 'Hurts My Heart'
For Immediate Release:
November 7, 2011
Contact:
Adam Miller 202-483-7382
Compassionate 8-Year-Old Says Animal Abuse 'Hurts My Heart'
Orleans, Mass. -- PETA's annual contests saluting the radiance and appeal of vegetarians—sexiest celebrity vegetarian, sexiest vegetarian next door, and cutest vegetarian alive—have grown in popularity every year since their inception. And the contest designed especially for young kids is no exception. After hundreds of kids' photos and bios sent in from across the country were carefully sorted through, 8-year-old Trinnu Ashlie of Orleans was selected as one of the five female finalists in PETA's fifth annual Cutest Vegetarian Kid contest. Now, visitors to PETAKids.com can cast their vote for Trinnu or any of the other finalists, and PETA will choose two winners—one girl and one boy.
"More and more Americans are going vegetarian every day, and young people—in Trinnu's case, very young—are leading the charge," says PETA Assistant Manager Emily Nash. "It's no wonder: Vegetarians are slimmer, trimmer, and healthier, on average, than meat-eaters are, so they're bound to be a lot cuter too!"
Trinnu has been vegetarian all her life. She began learning about the cruel treatment of farmed animals before she was a year old after visiting Farm Sanctuary in Watkins Glen, N.Y. She even sponsored a pig who lived there, and now she's sponsoring a goat named Zuzu. Trinnu is an outspoken activist who doesn't hesitate to speak about the plight of animals to her friends and family. While addressing her kindergarten class about the abuse of animals raised and killed for food, she said, "It hurts my heart." Last year, Trinnu proudly led the local walk for farmed animals and chanted, "Don't eat meat!"
The winners will be determined by the passion demonstrated in their submitted responses, the number of votes received from the public, the enthusiasm demonstrated by the entrants in living and promoting a vegetarian lifestyle, and PETA's assessment of the cuteness of the photo. The winners, both a boy and a girl, will be announced on November 17. They will also be announced to their hometown media, and both will receive a special prize pack filled with PETA goodies as well as the opportunity to appear in their very own PETA Kids ad.
For more information and to vote, please visit PETAKids.com.