Kategorie: Animals

They say everything is “bigger in Texas”—so on Thursday, PETA supporters will inflate a gigantic, 15-foot-high fez that reads, “Shrine Circuses Abuse Animals,” outside the Sharon Shrine Circus in Carthage and push the Shriners to modernize by keeping tormented animals out of their shows, just as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is doing. The larger-than-life spectacle will be part of a five-city campaign in which animal defenders will rally at each of the circus’s stops across East Texas.

When:    Thursday, August 31, 6 p.m.

Where:    In front of Carthage Civic Center, 1702 S. Adams St., Carthage

The Sharon Shrine Circus is among the last remaining shows that still use wild animals, who are confined to small crates, kept in shackles, and deprived of any semblance of a natural or happy life. The Sharon Shriners routinely partner with notoriously cruel exhibitors, including Carson & Barnes Circus, which has been cited for more than 100 violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act and whose head trainer was caught on video violently attacking elephants with bullhooks—weapons resembling a fireplace poker with a sharp hook on one end.

“In Shrine circuses, elephants, tigers, and other wild animals are tormented into performing stressful tricks through fear of pain and punishment,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA is calling on Sharon Shriners to end these horrifying animal acts, as numerous other Shrines have already done.”

Some well-intentioned people may think that attending a Shrine circus benefits children. But ticket sales aren’t charitable donations: The profits are generally used to maintain the club’s premises and fund its activities.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Massive Blow-Up Fez to Follow Shrine Circus Into Carthage Over Big-Top Cruelty appeared first on PETA.

A national messaging blitz from PETA is washing up along the historic Whale Trail to ask why so many people accept cruelty to cows on dairy farms but would never reconsider whaling, even though the two mammals are the same in all the ways that matter. Both nurse their young, bond tightly with their calves, interact in socially complex ways, and mourn when they’re separated from those they love.

Instead of being allowed to explore, play, and be with their families, cows in the dairy industry are torn away from their mothers within a day of birth so that the milk meant to nourish them can be stolen and sold in supermarkets. It’s standard industry practice to forcibly inseminate cows—workers insert an arm into the animals’ rectum and a metal rod to deliver semen into their vagina—and both cow and calf are sent to slaughter once their bodies wear out.

“A cow produces milk for her calf, just as a whale does for her calf and a human does for her baby,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA reminds everyone how easy it is to show compassion and understanding by choosing milks made from soy, oats, almonds, or other plants.”

In addition to breaking up families and causing mother cows to grieve, crying out for days, the dairy industry is a major contributor to the climate catastrophe. In the U.S., emissions from cows are the primary source of the greenhouse gas methane, which is 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide in warming the atmosphere.

The billboard is located at 706 Acushnet Ave. in New Bedford and can be seen by traffic headed north on Route 18 toward I-95. The ad is also running in Atlanta; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Baltimore; Boston; and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Dairy Production Is the New Whaling, Suggests Local PETA Appeal appeared first on PETA.

A damning U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report reveals that three dogs with red gums were at risk of losing their teeth, which inspectors found to have a buildup of “dark matter,” at a puppy mill near Booneville operated by Cindy Garner. In response, PETA rushed a letter to 15^th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Tom Tatum II asking him to investigate the facility and file applicable charges against those responsible for the neglect.

According to the most recent report, on July 11 inspectors ordered Garner to seek veterinary care for two Yorkies (ages 4 and 6) and one poodle (age 5) who required veterinary examinations for suspected dental disease, which can lead to pain and tooth loss. Officials also discovered that she didn’t have medical records for 43 adult dogs and 15 puppies last month, despite having been ordered to set up annual exams, vaccinations, and other routine medical care in September 2022 after a USDA inspector found that she lacked “a current program of veterinary care.”

“Neglecting dogs’ dental health is standard procedure in miserable puppy factories like this one, where animals are treated as nothing but commodities,” says PETA Vice President of Evidence Analysis Daniel Paden. “PETA is urging local authorities to prosecute those responsible for this neglect and calls on everyone to avoid buying animals from breeders or pet stores, which keep operations like this one in business, and to adopt from animal shelters instead.”

PETA is pursuing charges under state law because the USDA doesn’t render relief or aid to animals during its inspections and these violations carry no federal criminal or civil penalties.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Tatum follows.

August 28, 2023

The Honorable Tom Tatum II

15^th Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney

Dear Mr. Tatum:

I hope this letter finds you well. I’m writing to request that your office (and the proper law-enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and, as suitable, file criminal charges against those responsible for neglecting dogs at a breeding facility operated by Cindy Garner at 2618 Earl Prairie Rd., near Booneville. PETA hopes investigators will visit the facility with a veterinarian who has expertise in canine health and welfare so that they can identify any animals in need of care and opine on the conditions of and for approximately 60 dogs there.

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) inspectors documented neglect at the facility in the attached reports, the latest of which was just made public. On July 11, inspectors found three dogs with “a buildup of dark matter on [their] teeth and red gums,” which officials noted “can lead to dental disease” and “cause pain and tooth loss.” USDA personnel instructed Garner to have a veterinarian examine the dogs. These findings may violate Ark. Code Ann. § 5-62-103.

Furthermore, USDA officials found that Garner “did not have medical records for” her 43 adult dogs and 15 puppies last month. Similarly, in September 2022, an inspector found that she lacked “a current program of veterinary care” for her dogs and required that she develop a program to include annual veterinary examinations, parasitic preventives, vaccinations, and further care to ensure the dogs’ health.

The USDA renders no aid or relief whatsoever to animals on site, and these reports carry no criminal or civil penalties and don’t preempt criminal liability under state law for neglecting animals. If you’d like to learn more about the agency’s findings, please see the contact information for its office in Riverdale, Maryland, here. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Daniel Paden

Vice President of Evidence Analysis

PETA

The post Feds Find Neglected Dogs at Booneville Puppy Mill; PETA Calls For Criminal Probe appeared first on PETA.

With multiple wildfires threatening Louisiana and evacuations underway with more expected, animals are likely to die if abandoned. This information will undoubtedly save many animals’ lives and avoid much human remorse.

During evacuations, small animals such as cats, rabbits, birds, guinea pigs, and gerbils should be placed securely in carriers (birds should be covered), and dogs should be kept on a secure harness and leash. Take enough food for your animals to last several days. Horses, sheep, cows, llamas, and other large animals should never be locked in stalls or otherwise confined, unable to flee the flames. If it’s impossible to remove them, they should be freed so that they can attempt to survive. Anyone who sees animals in danger or distress should assist if possible, but if they’re unable to help, they should note their exact location and alert authorities immediately.

Residents in areas affected by smoke and falling ash should keep animals indoors and avoid all outdoor activities, such as running with dogs. Anyone who evacuates and intentionally abandons animals to fend for themselves may be prosecuted.

PETA reminds everyone to make plans to ensure the safety of all animal companions in advance of trouble in order to avoid being caught unprepared.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Urgent From PETA: Wildfire Survival Tips to Help Animals in Vernon Parish appeared first on PETA.

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo and the video regarding the death on Saturday of New York Thunder in the ninth race. Nobel died after the fifth race. New York Thunder is the 14^th horse to die at Saratoga Race Course during this season:

We want everyone to see the second gruesome killing at Saratoga Race Course on Travers Day. PETA was filming at the track and captured New York Thunder’s shattered bone and his horrifying attempt to run, his lower leg dangling. Officials got the screen up quickly to block the public’s view, but not before everyone at the track saw the carnage. Everyone who sees this video will agree that racing must not be allowed to continue at Saratoga.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Second Horse Dead This Weekend at Saratoga; PETA Statement appeared first on PETA.