People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), with more than 2 million members and supporters, is the largest animal rights organization in the world. Founded in 1980, PETA is dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals. PETA operates under the simple principle that animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment.
PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs.
PETA focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of animals suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory farms, in laboratories, in the clothing trade, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel killing of beavers, birds and other "pests," and the abuse of backyard dogs.
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Articles by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - PETA
November 05, 2009
A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 43 percent of adults—and nearly 60 percent of those under 30—oppose the use of animals in experiments. A top Alzheimer's researcher explains why we would all be better off if animal experimenters stopped subjecting animals to painful and deadly experiments that are irrelevant to humans.
November 02, 2009
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." The time has come to recognize that all oppression, prejudice, violence and cruelty are wrong and must be rejected, regardless of race, regardless of sexual orientation—and regardless of species.
October 26, 2009
October is "Adopt a Shelter Dog" Month: If you're ready to provide a dog with lots of walks and belly rubs—and receive plenty of tail wags and unconditional love in return—look no further than your local animal shelter. There, you'll find loving dogs of all shapes and sizes, just waiting for a forever home.
October 16, 2009
From birth to death, animals on today's factory farms are treated like nothing more than machines. Cows on dairy farms are no exception—as PETA's latest undercover investigation reveals.
October 09, 2009
The children who eat chicken nuggets and pepperoni pizza today will likely grow up to be the obese adults and heart patients of tomorrow. Encouraging kids to eat nutritious vegetarian foods instead will give them the fuel they need to be healthy and active now—and help protect them from many debilitating diseases as they grow older.
October 02, 2009
October is national "Cut Out Dissection" Month. There are far better ways to teach biology than by killing animals, damaging the environment, and giving students a lesson in insensitivity.
September 28, 2009
Most people wouldn't dream of wearing a coat made from the skins of 120 dead minks, but what about fur trim? Even a little bit of fur adds up to a lot of suffering for rabbits and other animals on fur farms.
September 21, 2009
A new Wisconsin law begs the question: How low will hunting lobbyists go?
In an effort to revive a dying sport, states across the country are loosening hunting restrictions and putting loaded weapons into younger and younger hands. The Wisconsin law, which went into effect this month, lowers the ...
September 08, 2009
None of us would dream of drinking water tainted by sewage, pesticides, heavy metals and other contaminants, yet we'll happily eat fish who are pulled from this toxic brew. A new study, which found mercury in every single fish tested from streams across the country, provides one more reason to leave fish off our plates.
August 28, 2009
Every year between September and March, thousands of dolphins are slaughtered in the small fishing village of Taiji, Japan. A few live dolphins are sold to aquariums and performing-dolphin shows—these lucrative sales fund the deaths of all the rest.
August 20, 2009
Car dealers are breathing a sigh of relief now that the popular "cash for clunkers" program has been extended by $2 billion. With the new funding, as many as a half-million more Americans will be able to junk their gas guzzlers and buy more fuel-efficient vehicles.
I'm not impressed. If we are se...
August 17, 2009
During the "dog days" of summer, the temperature inside a parked car can climb to well above 100ºF in just a matter of minutes. Keep your canine companions safe: Never leave them alone inside a parked car.
August 06, 2009
Across the country every day, companion animals are stolen for experimentation, used for target practice or bait for dogfighting and worse after being left outside alone for "just a few minutes." Keep your feline (and canine) friends safe by keeping them indoors.
July 30, 2009
Since 1989, experimenters at the University of Wisconsin have sentenced dozens of rhesus monkeys to solitary confinement to see how starving them affects their health and longevity. Perhaps the university should turn its attention to a more pressing matter instead: Why is there such a deficit of compassion among animal experimenters?
July 27, 2009
Every year, countless people succumb to the temptation to purchase "exotic" animals such as monkeys, pythons, macaws—even tigers, lions and bears—to keep as "pets." All too often, they—and the animals—pay with their lives.
July 23, 2009
Earlier this year, PETA went undercover at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and captured Ringling workers on video as they beat and whipped elephants dozens of times. The abuse extended from Birmingham, Alabama, to Providence, Rhode Island―Ringling's venues changed, but the beatings did not.
July 15, 2009
With so many high-profile stories in the news lately—the passing of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, the Gov. Sanford scandal, post-election protests in Iran—you may not have heard about the historic victories for animals that are taking place in American courtrooms. It´s worth ...
July 02, 2009
From Chesapeake Bay retrievers to Boston terriers to Alaskan malamutes, millions of dogs in the U.S. live their entire lives in chains. This Fourth of July, before we slice the watermelon and light the sparklers, let´s make it a true Independence Day for everyone—by urging friends and neighbors to unchain their dogs.
June 25, 2009
Every year, hundreds of thoroughbreds from the U.S. are sold to stables in Japan. Many of these horses will eventually end up in Japanese slaughterhouses, where they will be killed, cut apart, and turned into dog food.
June 21, 2009
What do chimpanzees, dolphins, crabs, and even flies have in common? They all have talents—and feelings—that humans are often completely unaware of. PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk makes the case for recognizing and embracing the bonds we share with animals—and acting on them.
June 11, 2009
With the news that airline passengers with "extra baggage" may have to pay for two seats, here´s a simple way for frequent flyers to shed pounds and avoid paying extra airfare: Go vegetarian.
May 28, 2009
The animals on our plates were once inquisitive individuals who valued their lives, solved problems, formed friendships and experienced fear and pain—just as we do. Just ask Molly the cow.
May 26, 2009
Big-cat photo ops, petting zoos, pony turnstiles and elephant and camel rides are staples on the state and county fair circuit. But for the animals used in these cruel displays, life is anything but fun and games.
May 14, 2009
While on-track breakdowns are dramatic, racehorses are much more likely to meet a different end. The horses who will be revered, praised and wagered on during this year´s Triple Crown races may very well end up in a slaughterhouse.
May 07, 2009
Factory farms are breeding grounds for life-threatening conditions, including swine flu, avian flu, E. coli infection and others. If we don´t want pigs, chickens and cows to be our downfall—either through animalborne illnesses or through heart disease or cancer—it´s time to reevaluate the way we eat.
April 29, 2009
It won´t happen overnight, but if we vow always to do two simple things—adopt animals from shelters or rescue groups rather than buy them from breeders or pet shops and get our animals spayed or neutered—then together, yes, we can end animal homelessness once and for all.
April 22, 2009
At 17 military bases across the country, medics are being forced to maim and kill goats and pigs in cruel and outdated trauma-training exercises. Our troops deserve the very best, so why is the military still stabbing, burning and shooting animals when it could be using the very latest equipment to train medics to save soldiers´ lives?
April 13, 2009
As you read this, tens of thousands of seals are being clubbed and shot for their fur in Canada. Killing animals for something as selfish as fur can never be justified—but the very least that we can do is end the sickening spectacle of the seal slaughter once and for all.
April 09, 2009
Here´s some advice for the millions of people who will soon be celebrating Easter: If you´re thinking of getting the kids a real bunny, please think again. Real bunnies have no place in children´s Easter baskets.
April 02, 2009
We punish criminals in our society by taking away their freedom. Yet animals in zoos, who have committed no crimes, are also denied all of their most basic needs, including the opportunity to move about and roam freely, forage, explore, play, and socialize with other animals.
March 26, 2009
According to food writer Giles Coren, using foie gras is "a lazy way for a half-competent chef to make his food seem flash." If there´s one bright spot in the current recession, it´s that foodies are beginning to give up this cruel and selfish indulgence.
March 19, 2009
Cruelty is never in style. But now more than ever, as more and more fashionistas are becoming "recessionistas," fur is as conspicuously out of place as a bailed-out banker´s private jet.
March 12, 2009
Every year, dogs die in the Iditarod—Alaska´s grueling 1,150-mile dog-sled race—and this year has proven to be no exception. The race´s participants, almost none of whom are indigenous Alaskans, are motivated by only one thing, the cash prize, and they will do almost anything to attain it.
March 04, 2009
It´s time for lenders to take a look at what their money supports. Investing in drug companies that use and kill millions of animals every year represents neither good ethics nor good business sense.
February 19, 2009
Charles Darwin once said, "Animals, whom we have made our slaves, we do not like to consider our equal." Nearly two centuries after Darwin´s words, not much has changed—we continue to imprison animals in zoos and circuses, intentionally hurt them in painful and invasive experiments, and subject billions of them to hideously cruel lives and deaths to feed ourselves.
February 10, 2009
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and other dog shows are little more than overblown beauty pageants. But as trivial as dog shows may seem, they have serious repercussions, including the promotion of dangerous and unhealthy breeding standards that result in one out of four dogs being born with physical problems ranging from allergies to epilepsy.
February 04, 2009
No animal deserves to be kept in a tiny tank or boiled alive. The best way to extend compassion to crustaceans—and other sentient beings——is to stop eating them.
January 28, 2009
America is a melting pot—the people of the United States can be described by talking about the people of Uganda, Uruguay or Utah. But in the ways that truly count, we are all simply residents of this planet with the potential to be kind and compassionate toward all beings, animals included.
January 22, 2009
Officials in the U.S. and Canada should follow Victoria, Australia´s progressive lead by banning glue traps. Glue traps are one of the slowest, cruelest methods of killing animals that exist today and they should have been banned a long time ago.
January 16, 2009
In the coming year, the NIH will disperse $15 billion of our tax money to animal experimenters—many of whom are conducting experiments that are redundant, painful or just plain useless. It´s time for these cruel experiments to end.
January 07, 2009
While 2008 was tough for almost everyone, surprisingly, it was a great year for animals. Amidst all the chaos—from economic meltdowns to global food shortages—people´s attitudes toward animals were changing.
December 31, 2008
The wonderful new movie Marley and Me shows that animals are a part of the family, for better or for worse, and when we bring them into our homes, we are making a lifetime commitment. This is a reminder that we all need to hear.
December 23, 2008
Today´s crowded streets and mall parking lots are no place for horse-drawn carriages. Horses and humans alike have been seriously hurt—some fatally—when horses used for holiday carriage rides have spooked and run amok.
December 18, 2008
Americans gobble up an extra 600 calories per day during the holiday season. If you want to avoid the holiday spread, here´s a tip: Put down the turkey drumstick and back away from the baked brie. Avoiding animal foods is the easiest way to whittle your wattle.
December 12, 2008
PETA´s new exposé of rabbit fur farms shows workers pulling rabbits from cages by their ears and shooting them in the head with electric stun guns—often multiple times—while the terrified animals kick and scream. Consumers can help stop this cruelty simply by shunning real fur, including fur trim, forever.
December 04, 2008
Rhino, the pint-size hamster sidekick in Disney´s new movie, Bolt, is getting the big-screen star treatment, but his real-life cousins are all too often treated like trash. All those "Rhinos" you see for sale in pet shops come from massive breeding warehouses, where small animals live in deplorable conditions and routinely go without fresh food, clean water or veterinary care.
November 26, 2008
We all know the health risks associated with smoking, but did you know that smoking hurts animals too? Mice, rats, ferrets, dogs and primates continue to be mutilated, pumped full of nicotine and forced to inhale smoke in cruel, archaic smoking experiments.
November 21, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama and PETA President Ingrid E. Newkirk share a resolute belief: Change can happen. Together, we can achieve the dream of liberation from oppression, not just for human beings but for all beings, regardless of race or gender—or species.
November 12, 2008
The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus has much to answer for, including elephants beaten bloody, babies torn from their mothers and animals forced to perform under the threat of punishment. It´s time for Ringling to replace its real elephants with state-of-the art, high-tech animatronics.
November 07, 2008
Last month, several candy companies found themselves caught up in China´s tainted-milk scandal. But even if it were contaminant-free, cow´s milk would still have problems.
October 31, 2008
In laboratories across the country, researchers are busy infecting healthy mice and rats with breast cancer even though such experiments hold little promise for human patients. True medical progress will not come until we stop relying on outdated animal models.
October 22, 2008
In the animal sheltering community, cute animal movies such as Beverly Hills Chihuahua are not something to look forward to. When moviegoers rush out to buy a dog like the ones they saw in a movie, dogs in shelters—whose lives depend on being adopted—lose a chance at finding a forever home.
October 16, 2008
For more than three months, PETA went undercover at an Iowa pig factory farm that supplies piglets who are raised and killed for Hormel products. The rampant cruelty that we documented should be enough to make anyone think twice before buying sausage, ham or bacon.
October 08, 2008
In his groundbreaking article "Consider the Lobster," the late writer David Foster Wallace asked readers, "Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?" Short answer: no.
October 02, 2008
Ducks are curious animals who have a zest for life that rivals that of any toddler or puppy. So why are hunters taking aim at these beautiful birds?
September 25, 2008
If we needed any more proof that fur-loving fashionistas are out of touch with the rest of the population, Fendi´s new $100,000 "gold fur" coat is it. By now, most of us know that there is no kind way to rip the skin off animals´ backs, and we´re not buying it—at any price.
September 17, 2008
All parents want their children to have healthy choices in the school cafeteria, but it can be frustrating if you live in a school district that flunks lunch. By serving vegetarian meals instead of animal products, schools can help set kids up for a lifetime of good health.
September 11, 2008
A man is suing a Chicago restaurant after, he says, he acquired a 9-foot-long tapeworm from an undercooked salmon salad. While tapeworms are gross, they won´t kill you—but some of the other substances in fish just might.
September 04, 2008
It´s time for designers and celebrities to stop treating dogs as fashion accessories, interchangeable with the latest "It" bag. Unlike a purse that you can toss in the closet when you grow tired of it, dogs are living, feeling beings who require a lifetime of love and care.
August 27, 2008
The state- and county-fair circuit is rife with exploitative animal displays—from elephant rides to photo sessions with tiger cubs. But life for these animals is anything but fun and games.
August 22, 2008
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, chained dogs are nearly three times more likely to attack than dogs who are not tethered. For the sake of dogs and everyone´s safety, it´s time to ban chaining.
August 13, 2008
Researchers have given Rubik´s Cubes to 25 octopuses in Europe to determine if they, like humans, have a dominant "arm." We know that octopuses are intelligent, have excellent memories, play (just like dolphins and dogs), and can learn by watching others—so why do we keep imprisoning them in aquariums and killing them for sushi?
August 08, 2008
Using live animals in trauma-training exercises is outdated and unethical—and your tax dollars are funding it. Our soldiers deserve better.
July 31, 2008
When the Spanish parliament recently voted to extend basic rights to great apes, it sparked debate around the world. In light of all we know about great apes´ complex mental and emotional lives, extending rights and protections to these animals is both a logical and a moral imperative.
July 24, 2008
Giving overweight children cholesterol-lowering drugs, as the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests, is not the best way to prevent them from becoming tomorrow´s heart patients. A better solution is to teach kids to eat healthful vegetarian foods.
July 17, 2008
While millions of people around the world do not have enough to eat, a billion more—many of them Americans—are overweight. Our addiction to meat is largely to blame for both problems.
July 10, 2008
More than two dozen people—and counting—have been injured during this year´s Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Many tourists do not realize that the bulls suffer, too: All of the bulls who are stampeded through the streets during the day are slaughtered in the bullfighting ring at night.
July 02, 2008
Animals of the sea inhabit vast, fascinating and complex worlds—but for the countless fish, dolphins, whales, sea lions and other animals confined to aquariums and marine mammal parks, their world has been reduced to a chlorinated tank. Families who care about marine animals can help keep them in the oceans where they belong by refusing to patronize aquariums and marine mammal theme parks when hitting the road this summer.
June 25, 2008
With hundreds of companies now refusing to test their products on animals, there´s no reason for others to continue blinding and poisoning animals in cruel and crude tests that are relics of the 1920s. Modern, sophisticated testing techniques are accurate and fast—and no one gets hurt.
June 20, 2008
By going vegan for 21 days, TV talk show queen Oprah Winfrey is setting a great example for her legions of fans. Even if only a fraction of her admirers are motivated to try a vegan diet, it will make a world of difference—for their health, for the environment and of course, for animals.
June 13, 2008
As the recent terrifying string of natural disasters shows, emergencies can strike anytime and anywhere. It´s vital to make emergency plans now to protect all members of our families—including our animals.
June 05, 2008
After the tragic breakdown of Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby, PETA heard from dozens of trainers and track employees about horses being injected with strong anti-inflammatories, painkillers and muscle relaxants to make injured, sore animals run when they should be recovering. Is this what happened to Eight Belles—and to the hundreds of other horses who´ve died on tracks in the last year?
May 29, 2008
Illnesses, injuries and even deaths at slaughterhouses are shockingly routine. What´s even more shocking? If you eat meat, you are funding the daily exploitation of slaughterhouse workers.
May 23, 2008
Chimpanzee "actors"—like the young chimpanzee who plays Chim Chim in the new Speed Racer movie—are forcibly taken from their mothers when they are still infants and beaten into submission. It´s time to put the brakes on the use of great apes in the entertainment industry.
May 16, 2008
Eight Belles´ breakdown and euthanasia at the Kentucky Derby on May 3 has put the spotlight on an industry that values speed and profit first and leaves the horses in last place. It´s time to stop pretending that there´s anything majestic about the "sport of kings" and recognize it as the cruelty that it is.
May 12, 2008
At first, the idea of eating meat that is grown in a test tube may make some people—especially vegans like me—a bit squeamish, but when you consider the current method of meat production and its devastating impact on the planet, you´ll likely agree that in-vitro meat is an appetizi...
May 09, 2008
Last year while racing at California´s Bay Meadows track, 4-year-old gelding Imperial Eyes took a wrong step and broke down in the deep stretch. Jockey Russell Baze, the winningest jockey in thoroughbred racing history, whipped the stricken horse to a second-place finish. Imperial Eyes had suf...
May 01, 2008
Opossums don´t get any respect. The Rodney Dangerfields of the wildlife world were recently featured in a Wall Street Journal article that touted the pelts of New Zealand opossums as "eco-fur" because opossums are allegedly overpopulated in Kiwi country. Ironically, opossums´ bad rap has...
April 30, 2008
Many Americans got their first shocking look at puppy mills earlier this month, thanks to an investigation conducted by The Oprah Winfrey Show. Anyone moved by this heartbreaking exposé can make a difference by adopting animals from local shelters—never buying them from pet stores or breeders—and always having animals spayed or neutered.
April 18, 2008
A recently released study found that rats can be trained to use tools and to understand the tools´ functions. Now it´s time for experimenters to act on the mounting evidence that rats can think, learn, laugh and feel—and stop hurting them in laboratories.
April 09, 2008
Everyone who is appalled by Canada´s annual seal slaughter needs to take action to stop it. We can start by making sure that there is no demand for fur—not seal fur, not rabbit fur, not any fur.
April 03, 2008
If you don´t want to spend your retirement fund on growing food bills, invest in a vegan diet. Vegan staples such as beans, rice and vegetables cost relatively little compared to animal products—and if you factor in all the money you´ll save on doctor´s bills by avoiding unhealthy animal foods, a vegan diet is downright economical.
March 21, 2008
South Africa recently announced a proposal to kill thousands of wild elephants—highly social, intelligent animals who experience joy, anger, grief and sympathy, just as we do. The zoo community should be leading the charge to halt this cruel and misguided plan.
March 11, 2008
What can we as individuals do to help the families whose worlds have been turned upside-down by foreclosure? We can give their animals a "lifeline"—by spaying or neutering our own cats and dogs.
March 07, 2008
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show may seem like good, clean family fun, but its promotion of purebred dogs helps fuel the animal overpopulation crisis. It´s time for a Westmuttster dog show instead, featuring homeless dogs up for adoption at local animal shelters.
February 28, 2008
As a recent New York Times investigation shows, fish is anything but "health food." With every single bite, you could be ingesting a toxic brew of mercury, bacteria, contaminants—and cruelty.
February 22, 2008
The FDA recently declared that meat from cloned animals is as safe as conventional meat—which is little comfort considering that animal foods are loaded with saturated fat, cholesterol and contaminants. The only truly safe meats are mock meats.
February 15, 2008
Some furriers are trying to convince consumers that killing small animals and turning them into tacky coats is on par with recycling and calculating your carbon footprint. This is greenwashing at its worst.
February 07, 2008
New Jersey recently became the second state in the U.S. to pass a law that prohibits product tests on animals when a federally approved alternative exists. Now it´s time for every other state to follow suit.
January 29, 2008
Dog crates may be convenient devices for busy humans—but they´re not good for dogs. If you´re in doubt, try this simple experiment: Lock yourself inside a crate for awhile and see what you think.
January 17, 2008
It´s time to say "out with the old and in with the new"—habits, that is. The New Year is the perfect time to make a resolution to be kinder toward our four-legged and finned friends.
January 09, 2008
By Carla Bennett
Wondering what to buy the urban hipster who has everything? How about a stuffed-and-mounted pheasant? Or perhaps a traditional mounted deer head? If your friend is game, you might even consider a full-size moose.
Taxidermy chic, once confined to trophy rooms and hunting lodge...
December 21, 2007
By Lisa Towell
Nothing’s more fun than surprising someone with just the right holiday gift. But when the gift is an animal, the story doesn’t always have a happy ending.
I’ve been a volunteer at my local animal shelter for almost nine years. I always read the little cards on the front of eac...
December 14, 2007
By Lindsay Pollard-Post
For most of us, spending time with visitors we’d rather avoid is an inescapable part of the holidays. While there isn’t much you can do about nosy Aunt Louise, your nit-picking in-laws or your crazy cousin who insists on reciting the same embarrassing story about you every...
December 07, 2007
By Paula Moore
Angelina Jolie’s wardrobe malfunction at the London premiere of Beowulf earlier this month may have caused some fashionistas to think twice about adding “skintight leather pants” to their holiday wish lists. (Actually, anyone who doesn’t look like Jolie should think twice about ski...
December 04, 2007
By Kim Sturla
This time of year is supposed to be joyous, but it fills me with sorrow. As the cofounder of Animal Place, a sanctuary for rescued farmed animals, I’m mindful that tens of millions of turkeys are tortured and killed for the Thanksgiving table alone. The holidays are a time for us to...
November 29, 2007
By Heather Moore
As if we didn’t have enough to worry about, now comes the alarming news that killer bugs have made the leap from hospitals and nursing homes to playgrounds and locker rooms. According to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), MRSA, an antibiotic-resi...
November 21, 2007
By Debra Durham, Ph.D.
Recently, we mourned the loss of an icon¯Washoe. She was one of the few chimpanzees people are likely to know by name¯in large part because she learned to use American Sign Language. She famously taught it to fellow chimpanzees, and the people who know her best shared stor...
November 15, 2007
By Kathy Guillermo
Are worms gay? If they are, what does that mean for humans? Such questions may sound entirely irrelevant to anything in our lives, but some scientists, including Erik Jorgensen at the University of Utah, have apparently received money to study these questions. The worms—nemato...
November 08, 2007
By Lindsay Pollard-Post
Every evening around twilight, as the last traces of gold melt from the sky, the air above my backyard comes alive with small black flying creatures. They flutter a drunken loop from the shed, over the deck, above my neighbor’s roof and back again. Sometimes they torpedo e...
November 02, 2007
By Matt Prescott
The Nobel committee has made a powerful statement by awarding this year’s Peace Prize to former vice president Al Gore and the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. As Achim Steiner, executive director of the U.N.’s Environment Program, says, we now know “tha...
October 29, 2007
By Christina Matthies
During the second episode of the reality show Kid Nation, a warning flashed on the screen that the scene to follow, which involved butchering chickens, might be “too intense” for kids. Not to worry, my 8-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son were in their rooms doing their ho...
October 18, 2007
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
It should go without saying that dogfighting is a cowardly, despicable business. Yet, read blog comments and letters to the editor or talk to folks gathered at the bus stop and you will hear a smattering of remarks from people who show not a hint of embarrassment in demandin...
October 12, 2007
By Lisa Wathne
One of the zoo world’s grandes dames, the Alaska Zoo’s 27-year-old African elephant, Maggie, is being sent to a sanctuary in California to live out her days in peace. I could not be happier: Female elephants are highly social animals, but Maggie has been living alone since 1997, wh...
October 08, 2007
By Kathy Guillermo
The passing of the parrot Alex, who spent 30 years in a laboratory learning to speak and understand many English words, has prompted a discussion about one point that Alex raised repeatedly: These experiments are boring. It is said that when the parrot got tired of identifying...
September 27, 2007
By Jennifer O’Connor
Homecoming, Hail Marys and bowl games: The energy and exuberance of college football exemplifies school spirit. But how do tigers, lions and bears fit into the playbook?
Louisiana State University (LSU) recently found itself embroiled in controversy when it replaced its d...
September 21, 2007
By Paula Moore
When I was growing up, I idolized my Aunt Dixie. She was different from the other adult women I knew—less Laura Petrie, more Barbara Stanwyck. Dixie was a fiery redhead who wore fashionable dresses and high heels—not Capri pants and Keds like most of the moms in my neighborhood. S...
September 13, 2007
By Alisa Mullins
Here’s a pop quiz: Who is responsible for the deaths of more dogs—Paris Hilton or Michael Vick, who recently pleaded guilty to federal dogfighting charges? It may seem like a no-brainer, but the air-headed heiress may actually edge out the err-apparent quarterback if the scope o...
September 06, 2007
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
It is hard for those of us whose jobs have long been to pick up the remains of abused animals—beaten, burned, raped, chained to the point of madness—to think kindly of Michael Vick.
We think of his now well-publicized role in the crude electrocution of trusting dogs, and ...
August 28, 2007
By Christina Matthies
As a woman who loves animals—and a mother who loves her kids—I frequently have to steer my son and daughter away from pet stores, especially the hermit crab section. With the lure of sparkly painted rainbow shells—not to mention the SpongeBob shells with crazy glued-on wigg...
August 22, 2007
By Jennifer O’Connor
Animals who are caged, chained and beaten for our “amusement” are starting to fight back. Last month, in between news reports about the Michael Vick dogfighting indictment, you may have seen video footage of elephants wandering the streets in Newmarket, Ontario. They were on ...
August 15, 2007
By Jessica Sandler and Kate Willett, Ph.D.
Is there any adult in America who is unaware that exposure to asbestos is linked to certain cancers and respiratory diseases? The cause and effect has been conclusively documented, yet our government is now proposing to spend hundreds of thousands of ta...
August 07, 2007
By Matt Prescott
If you have a strong stomach—or maybe just a blind eye—Uncle Sam wants you. According to the Partnership for Public Service, in a report released last month, the federal government will hire 193,000 new workers over the next two years. Many of these “mission critical” jobs will ...
August 01, 2007
By Daphna Nachminovitch
It’s time for Michael Vick to hang up his Falcons jersey. He should be immediately suspended from the NFL and, if convicted of dogfighting, thrown in the slammer. People who abuse animals belong in prison, not on the playing field. Anyone who is capable of the heinous crue...
July 24, 2007
By Robyn Wesley
Ratatouille is the big cheese at the box office, and I could not be more delighted. Disney’s hit movie about a plucky rat named Remy, who dreams of becoming a gourmet chef, is showing audiences what I’ve known for some time: Rats are friendly and affectionate animals who can charm...
July 19, 2007
By Paula Moore
Childhood obesity is getting a Shaq attack. In his new reality TV show, Shaq’s Big Challenge, NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal sets out to transform six overweight middle school students—ranging in age from 11 to 14 and in weight from 182 to 285 pounds—into fit, active kids. He has his ...
July 13, 2007
By Christina Matthies
Last year, the city of Chicago passed a landmark ban on the sale of foie gras, making it the first city in the U.S. to take a stand against the cruelty inherent in the production of the indelicate “delicacy.” That ban is now in jeopardy, largely because of political chest-th...
July 06, 2007
By Paula Moore
If your summer vacation plans have you buying tickets to a marine mammal park or a “swim with the dolphins” program, be forewarned: You could be helping to finance the slaughter of dolphins in the wild. This is the captive-animal industry’s dirty little secret. Every year, thousand...
June 30, 2007
By Alisa Mullins
On July Fourth, Americans from sea to shining sea will commemorate the signing of the Declaration of Independence more than 200 years ago. As we celebrate the colonists' determination to be free from British rule by setting off fireworks and hosting backyard barbecues, how many o...
June 19, 2007
By Bruce Wieland
Bob Barker said his final goodbye on The Price Is Right the same way he always did, with the gentle reminder, “Help control the pet population. Have your pets spayed or neutered.”
The beloved game-show host, who just retired after 50 years on television—35 of those spent as t...
May 30, 2007
By Paula Moore
Who says television isn’t educational? For the past five years, TV has been helping me get dressed in the morning. When I go shopping for clothes, one simple phrase guides me: “What would Lorelai wear?” I mean Lorelai Gilmore, the fast-talking single mom from the recently canceled ...
May 11, 2007
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
Reports that millions of chickens were fed pet food tainted with the chemical melamine and then slaughtered and sold to consumers have raised questions about food safety. In response, the Food and Drug Administration has appointed a food safety czar and promised to come up wi...
May 01, 2007
By Debbie Leahy
Spring has arrived and with it comes the zoo industry’s most powerful marketing tool: babies. Zoos know that nothing brings paying customers through their gates faster than newborn animals. But breeding programs, often operating under the guise of species preservation, inevitably...
April 20, 2007
By Heather Moore
If you plan on celebrating this Earth Day, April 22, by taking a short shower, wearing a “Save Our Oceans” T-shirt, riding a bus or a bike instead of driving a car, collecting recyclable cans, and chowing down on fried chicken or cheeseburgers—such as I used to do—you may be doin...
April 14, 2007
By Alka Chandna, Ph.D.
When dogs and cats began to sicken and die after eating certain brands of commercial food, the public had the right to expect swift action from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to resolve the situation. That’s not what we got. Instead, FDA officials have dithered, hem...
April 02, 2007
By Jennifer O’Connor
Now that the last dog has crossed the finish line, Iditarod organizers are rushing to patch up “The Last Great Race’s” tattered reputation after three dogs died and a veteran musher, Ramy Brooks, was disqualified from this year’s race. Witnesses caught Brooks beating his dog...
March 21, 2007
By Ingrid Newkirk
The opening scene of the movie Amazing Grace, which chronicles 18th and 19th century abolitionist William Wilberforce’s battle to stop the British slave trade, portrays a true event in Wilberforce’s life in which he intervened when he saw a coach driver beating and kicking a fal...
March 09, 2007
By Paula Moore -
Al Gore didn’t mention the giant squid during his appearance at the Academy Awards, but he certainly could have. Experts say that the rare colossal squid recently caught by a New Zealand fishing party may not be unusual in coming years. Thanks to rising temperatures, squid and ...
March 01, 2007
By Alisa Mullins
As a springer spaniel named Felicity’s Diamond Jim pranced to victory at the recent Westminster Kennel Club dog show at New York’s Madison Square Gardens, I was thinking of another springer spaniel named Minnie whose life is quite different from the champ’s. Minnie, along with a...
February 22, 2007
By Bruce Friedrich
Despite the wave of frigid air that swept in with the new year, 2006 was the warmest year on record in the United States. The United Nation’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), a scientific panel that met recently to discuss global warming, reported that climate ...
February 09, 2007
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
China, emerging as a major player in world trade and politics, has earned an enormous amount of coverage in recent weeks. What you won’t read, at least in the pages of most mainstream online and print news, is the other way in which China is earning distinction—the nation is ...
January 25, 2007
By Bruce Friedrich -
This year marks the 100th anniversary of passage of the first food safety law in America. It was enacted just one year after the publication of Upton Sinclair’s "The Jungle," the landmark book that exposed the horrific conditions of America’s meat-packing industry at the tur...
January 19, 2007
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
January marks the 131st anniversary of the birth of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, a giant of a man whose legacy of kindness has trickled down through the years and still touches us today. Equally important to the poor people he served in equatorial Africa and to the wounded and orph...
December 28, 2006
By Christina Matthies
Every time I see a shopping mall pet store, I wish I could stand in front of it and show the passersby an elderly Chihuahua named Sophia. Sophia is the reason no one should ever buy an animal from a pet store. Like most dogs for sale in stores, she came from a puppy mill.
...
December 20, 2006
By Heather Moore
If you’ve read Charlotte’s Web—E.B. White’s poignant tale about a spider who saves a pig from slaughter by weaving the words “Some pig,” “Terrific,” “Radiant” and “Humble” into her web—or watched the new movie version, you likely cheered when Wilbur’s life was spared. Don’t dismi...
December 08, 2006
By Reannon Peterson
If you just enjoyed a Thanksgiving dinner with a turkey at the center of your table, then you’ve never been to the Butterball slaughterhouse in Ozark, Ark. Undercover investigators from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals worked there from April to July of this year. W...
December 04, 2006
By Kathy Freston
Well, the holiday shopping season has arrived, and I must admit I have been successfully lured into the more materialistic side of my psyche by the flashy ads and layouts in all the mags. As I make my way through the stores, tear sheets in hand, I begin to feel the old familiar e...
November 20, 2006
By Heather Moore
Unless they’ve been living under a rock, smokers know that cigarettes are bad for them and for the people in their homes. But not everyone realizes that cigarettes are harming animals too. Dogs, rats, primates and other animals are forced to inhale smoke and injected with nicotin...
November 09, 2006
By Emily Allen
Last month, California became the third state in the country to pass a statewide law restricting chaining. The bill, which outlaws the tethering of dogs for more than three hours a day, was signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who stated that it “helps protect dogs from ...
October 30, 2006
By Paula Moore
If you’re decking the halls for Halloween—with creepy ghosts and bubbling cauldrons—here’s a suggestion: This year, skip the swooping bats.
Although bats and Halloween seem to go together like candy bags and x-ray machines, you actually have more to fear from a stranger’s sweet...
October 18, 2006
By Paula Moore
The recent string of fatal school shootings has rightly spurred President Bush to action. The Bush administration is hosting a meeting of education and law enforcement officials to search for ways to stem the tide of violence in our schools.
Installing more metal detectors and l...
October 09, 2006
By Dan Paden
In early October, animal lovers in communities all over the country brought their dogs, cats, birds and other companion animals to their churches for the Blessing of the Animals. This annual ceremony is conducted in remembrance of Saint Francis, whose love for all creation is well kn...
October 03, 2006
By Heather Moore
The recent outbreak of E. coli contaminated spinach, which killed several people and sickened at least 189 others in 25 states, has many people scratching their heads in bewilderment. After all, E. coli is typically found in ground beef and other animal products, not vegetables. ...
September 21, 2006
By Heather Moore
September, National Cholesterol Awareness Month, is the ideal time for schools to start teaching kids the importance of a healthy, low-fat diet. They can do this best, not in the classroom, but in the cafeteria. Health teachers’ efforts to encourage children to eat more fruits, v...
September 13, 2006
By Paula Moore
Fur is the new nothing. You’re not likely to see that headline splashed across the pages of Vogue magazine anytime soon, but that’s the message that Jay McCarroll—the dishy designer who won the first season of Bravo’s Project Runway—will be sending at New York Fashion Week, now in ...
September 08, 2006
By Heather Moore
According to nationwide news reports, one man was just killed and another was injured during a dispute at a cockfight in Needville, Texas. Tragic? Yes. Surprising? No. Anyone who enjoys watching animals rip one another to shreds surely has a similar disrespect for human life. Coc...
September 01, 2006
By Alisa Mullins
Every time a serial killer or perpetrator of a particularly violent crime is apprehended, you can bet that, eventually, it will be revealed that the killer “practiced” his crimes on animals. In the case of Steven D. Green, the former soldier accused of orchestrating the murder of...
August 25, 2006
By Heather Moore
Senior Writer
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
On August 21, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world’s largest animal rights organization, celebrated its 26th birthday. Since its inception in 1980, PETA has propelled animal rights issues ...
August 16, 2006
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
Calling for a strong consumer action against China is like saying yell at the grocery store manager for selling groceries. But what choice do Chinese officials leave us when they viciously beat to death 50,000 dogs? A nation that can murder its most vulnerable inhabitants in ...
July 31, 2006
By Dan Paden
The cruise ships and helicopters sent by the U.S. to rescue Americans from war torn Lebanon are poignant symbols of our government’s commitment to its citizens, wherever they may be. Yet for many of the people who are desperate to escape the strife, the government’s plan comes at a h...
July 28, 2006
Many people believe that cows are sacred in India—that they spend their days lying in the sun and grazing on grass, worshipped by everyone around them. But if you take a closer look at the lives of draught cattle in India, you’ll see a very different reality.
Throughout India, thousands of bullo...
July 19, 2006
By Heather Moore
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has just filed a class-action lawsuit against KFC because its food is high in trans fats, artery-clogging substances found in foods made with, or fried in, partially hydrogenated oils. There’s no doubt that KFC chicken is unhealthy —a...
July 14, 2006
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
If a woman were beating a dog to death in the street, would people passing by be justified in asking her to stop? What if the woman were paying someone else to beat the dog to death? What if the woman were famous?
These are the issues surrounding PETA’s recent confrontati...
July 05, 2006
By Heather Moore
If Philadelphia City Councilman Jack Kelly gets his way, the city known for brotherly love will also soon be known for kindness to animals. Councilman Kelly recently proposed a bill to ban the sale of foie gras—a so-called delicacy made from the diseased livers of ducks and geese...
June 01, 2006
By Ingrid E. Newkirk
Imagine tucking into a plate of sausages, popping chicken nuggets into your mouth and dining on a sumptuous steak — all with the approval of the most ardent vegan animal rights activists.
This may not be just wishful thinking, for meat-eaters or activists, because scientists...
May 26, 2006
By Heather Moore
During the late 1980?s and early 90?s, a massive public outcry against animal testing changed the face of the cosmetics industry. Undercover footage of a kitten convulsing after being doused with a chemical, a rabbit whose skin had been eaten away by a corrosive substance, a beag...
May 08, 2006
By Kathy Guillermo
As the horse-racing industry heads into the Triple Crown, the annual trio of races that forms the highlight of its year, television viewers will witness the usual parade of glossy, prancing horses who appear to lead lives of great luxury. But for every horse who sleeps in a se...
May 03, 2006
The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2006
by Pamela Anderson
King Kong is my hero. He’s big, muscular, sensitive, a terrific actor—and he’s not real. The use of computer-generated imagery has really taken off in Hollywood. So why has Madison Avenue suddenly gone bananas for real apes? Chimpanzees...
April 04, 2006
By Heather Moore
WalkAmerica, March of Dimes’ largest annual fundraiser, is taking place now in cities across the U.S. Seventeen years ago, I participated in this event, believing funds would be used to fight birth defects. Since then, I've had three surgeries to correct foot deformities that doct...
March 29, 2006
By Jessica Sandler
When six men in England signed up for the Parexel clinical trial involving a new pharmaceutical drug called TGN1412 they were probably thinking that it was a great way to earn some extra cash. Now they lie in a London hospital, fighting for their lives. What went wrong is still ...
March 17, 2006
By Paula Moore
Before the end of March, men armed with clubs, guns and knives will begin the annual slaughter of thousands of baby seals in Canada so they can harvest their fur coats. Seal pups can legally be killed as soon as they have molted their white natal fur, when they are about 12 days old...
March 10, 2006
By Heather Moore -
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Colorectal (colon and rectal) cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States and has been widely linked to the consumption of red and processed meats.
A 2005 study by the American Cancer Society (A...
February 27, 2006
Note from PETA: The following opinion piece was written for PETA by comedian Richard Pryor just weeks before his tragic death last year. We offer it now, during Black History Month, as its message is an eloquent plea for extending compassion to all, regardless of race or species.
By Richard Pryor
...
February 17, 2006
By Kathy Guillermo
As long as Dick Cheney is apologizing to lawyer Harry Whittington for peppering him with shot in a hunting accident, perhaps the vice president should take a few minutes to say he’s sorry for what he’s done to all those birds he’s blasted out of the skies over the years. Mr. Whi...
February 08, 2006
By Paula Moore
When people find out that I’m an animal rights activist and a vegan, their eyes invariably drop to the ground—not because of some lingering guilt over that last hamburger they ate, but because they want to check out my shoes. Then they look up and pose the inevitable question: “Are ...
February 02, 2006
By Leana Stormont
It was about this time last year when I learned that the FBI was stealing my garbage. It?s not every day you walk out your front door to find a man wearing a suit and sunglasses in an unmarked grey sedan offering your trash a private escort to an undisclosed location.
I was in...
January 24, 2006
By Heather Moore
The 34th annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, a grueling 1,150-mile expedition from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska, kicks off on March 4, 2006. The mushers, or dog-sled drivers, will be competing for a hefty cash prize; the dogs will simply try to survive. They?re viewed as little more...
January 18, 2006
By Paula Moore
Last March, a crowd of well-wishers gathered at Manomet Point in Plymouth, Massachusetts, to see off a new friend as he journeyed back home.
The gathering made headlines because the traveler was a 15-pound lobster named Donovan, on the final leg of a nearly 1,000-mile trek. After...
January 04, 2006
By Heather Moore
More than 50,000 kittens and puppies are born each day in the United States alone. The only kind word or gentle touch many of them ever receive is from the technician who must end their lives because there simply aren?t enough homes?or even cages?for them all.
Between six and ...
December 23, 2005
By Kathy Guillermo
It happened again. It was Saturday afternoon and my husband and I had taken our three kids out for an afternoon at the beach. I happened to be wearing a shirt with an animal rights message: "Respect your fellow earthlings." Beneath the words is a drawing by cartoonist Berke...
December 21, 2005
By Carla Bennett
Recent reports from the newspaper industry look bleak: Circulations are down, advertising revenues are flat, stock prices are sinking, and scandals are harming good reputations. Industry analysts say the percentage of adults buying papers has been going down for several decades. ...
December 12, 2005
By Heather Moore
Iams pet food company may put forth a wholesome animal-loving image, but it pays contract laboratories to conduct cruel nutritional tests on animals for research and product development. For nearly 10 months in 2002 and early 2003, an investigator from People for the Ethical...