Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding the death of Rio Moon today at Churchill Downs:
The carnage continues with an eighth dead horse at Churchill Downs, another fatality at Belmont Park, and an injured horse being taken away in the equine ambulance at Pimlico. Horses aren’t safe at any of these “Cripple Crown” tracks—or at any other horse racing facility. Get the deaths down to zero or bury this “sport.”
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.
Which animals did PETA help in the first quarter of 2023? All year long, PETA’s fieldworkers do everything in their power to help animals in need. They’re out in all weather extremes helping dogs kept chained or penned outside 24/7, providing medical care, connecting with the local community in order to raise awareness of crucial issues and spread empathy for animals, and providing access to spay/neuter surgeries, end-of-life services, and adoption.
Here’s How PETA Helped Animals During the First Three Months of 2023
(Warning: Some graphic images)
In January, February, and March 2023, PETA spent more than $785,000 on vital services for animals in Virginia and North Carolina. During the harsh winter months, we delivered custom-built, insulated doghouses to 43 dogs kept outdoors day and night in all weather extremes. We also made sure they had food, water, and treatment for parasites, and we replaced short, heavy chains with 15-foot lightweight tie-outs.
PETA received 581 requests for assistance this quarter, including one for Roxy, who was suffering from a severe case of mange that left her hairless and in pain. We helped get her assessed and treated by a veterinarian. We followed up a few months later to spay her on our mobile clinic, and her coat was already growing in beautifully.
Roxy’s family is among the 300 families we assisted in keeping their animal companions.
We provided Diamond—who had been kept outside in a flimsy wire crate without any protection from the elements—with a custom-made wooden doghouse.
PETA fieldworkers found Geno tethered outside alone at barely 6 weeks old. He was nervous but desperate for human contact and affection. We provided his owners with advice about proper care.
In the first three months of 2023, the veterinary staff of PETA’s mobile spay/neuter clinics sterilized 3,130 companion animals.
Misty, Coco, Layla, and Smokey were among the 173 animals PETA’s Community Animal Project fieldworkers transported for free to and from their no-cost spay/neuter appointments.
Shelter Partnership Placements
We transferred 181 companion animals to our shelter partners for adoption. We often subsidize the cost of veterinary care when we transfer animals to our placement partner shelters.
PETA secured custody of Josiah, who had been kept chained outside his whole life. We transferred him to the Peninsula SPCA in Virginia for a chance at adoption.
We also got custody of Gobi and Sofia, who had been kept confined to an outdoor pen. They were among the 668 animals our shelter took in this quarter.
We transferred Gobi to the Chesapeake Humane Society and Sofia to the Virginia Beach SPCA, both in Virginia, and they were each quickly adopted.
End-of-Life Services Provided by PETA in the First Quarter of 2023
When elderly, bonded cats Pan and Zane began to decline—experiencing weight loss, incontinence, and seizures—their family brought them to PETA’s shelter for free end-of-life services.
Pan and Zane were among 146 animals we euthanized this quarter at no cost to families who couldn’t afford this vital, humane service.
Their guardians filled out postcards asking their state legislators to safeguard our ability to offer end-of-life relief. This quarter, 875 of our constituent families sent postcards to their elected officials in support of our services, including compassionate euthanasia.
Among the 476 animals we euthanized this quarter were 166feral cats suffering from conditions that included the following:
Advanced upper respiratory infections
Emaciation
Internal and external parasites
Immobility
Traumatic injuries
Broken bones
Paralysis
A degloved tail
Pododermatitis, or “pillow foot”
We gave free end-of-life emergency aid to Biggie, a dying “outdoor cat” whose caretaker found him with severe facial trauma, including a missing nose.
Community Outreach
Through our Barks & Books program, we continued to distribute children’s books with animal-friendly themes to kids we met in the field and at our spay/neuter clinics.
We were invited by a local school to attend a career fair, where we educated students on responsible companion animal guardianship and encouraged them to pursue careers helping animals.
We held straw-giveaway events in rural communities for dogs kept outdoors. Along with free, insulating straw bedding for doghouses, we gave out dog treats and toys and information about our free services while informing residents about the benefits of letting their dogs live indoors.
PETA-Coordinated Animal Adoptions in Early 2023
This quarter, PETA found homes for Buster and Zoe, Seymour, Henry, and Georgina, among others.
How You Can Help Animals in Your Community
If you’re planning to become the guardian of a companion animal, visit your local animal shelter to find one in need. By adopting from a shelter, you’ll help fight the homeless-animal crisis. Your adoption fee will also support the important daily work that shelters do to help animals, such as providing them with sterilization, vaccinations, and other veterinary care. In shelters, there are millions of animals just like those helped by PETA fieldworkers, and they’re all waiting for a responsible guardian to take them home.
Good news for Muslims who keep it halal (Arabic for permissible): All vegan foods and ingredients—not counting alcohol—are naturally this way! Being vegan and using vegan personal-care products and household cleaners are the best and easiest ways to ensure that you’re keeping halal. Any product that’s tested on animals violates Islamic teachings of kindness and respect for animals. The only way to be sure is to purchase halal-certified cruelty-free products.
Some vegan and vegan-friendly companies or brands—including Boca, Imagine Foods Inc., MorningStar Farms, Tofutti Brands Inc., and Yves Veggie Cuisine—have obtained halal certification so that Muslims can enjoy them. Companies that are known for animal-friendly products—such as The Body Shop, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Kiss My Face, and Tom’s of Maine—have also received this certification. Contact your favorite companies to make sure they offer permissible products (i.e., with halal ingredients and no animal testing).
There are also restaurants—including The Halal Guys, The Vegan Halal Cart, The Halal Shack, and Aladdin’s Eatery—that offer vegan halal options. To avoid any surprises, be sure to ask a restaurant about its menu before you go there. And if you know of any restaurants that offer tasty options, let us know on social media so we can share with others who may be looking for the same thing.
To learn more about why being vegan and being Muslim go hand in hand and how going vegan benefits animals, the environment, and human health, see “Animals in Islam.”
Moved by Rocket’s Story? Then Take These 12 Actions for Animals in Labs
Be a Real Guardian of the Galaxy With 12 Actions to Help Animals in Labs
Will You Take These 12 Actions to Stop Experimenters Worse Than Thanos?
These Experimenters Are Worse Than a Comic Villain—Will You Take Action?
You Don’t Need a Spaceship to Save Lives—Help Animals With These 12 Actions
Don’t Let an Animal Suffer as Rocket Did: 12 Actions to Take Today
You Don’t Need to Go to Outer Space to Save Lives—Take These Quick Actions
Take These Actions to Help Stop People Worse Than the High Evolutionary
The High Evolutionary Was Bad, but Others Are Even Worse—Help Stop Them
If Rocket’s story in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 moved you, learn how to take action for the real mice, rabbits, monkeys, and other animals who are imprisoned in laboratories.
Just finished Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3? There are millions of animals in labs just like Rocket who need your help—take action for them!
“Get snippy with us!” That’s the message PETA will send next Thursday and Friday when the group teams up with the Twin County Humane Society and Homeward Trails Animal Rescue to deliver free spay and neuter surgeries to over 100 animals on two of its mobile clinics. With appointments fully booked, PETA’s staff will work double shifts and vaccinate and microchip the animals, too.
When: Thursday, May 18 and Friday, May 19
Where: 21 Matthews St., Galax
On May 18 from 12 noon to 3 p.m., light refreshments will be served and animal guardians will be available for interviews, but your attendance is welcome at any time during the two-day event.
“We have a homeless-animal crisis in our country, but the solution is simple: spaying and neutering,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA urges everyone to do their part to fix the problem and help give their beloved cats and dogs a happy, healthier future.”
Veterinarian and Twin County Humane Society Vice President Dr. Stephanie Kordick agrees: “One of the biggest challenges we deal with in our community is the number of homeless and unwanted animals,” she says. “We receive daily requests from people who have litters of puppies and kittens that they didn’t expect and aren’t able to care for. Increasing spay and neuter capacity will help reduce future generations of unwanted animals. We try to find homes for all of these animals, but there just aren’t enough. It’s a real crisis.”
PETA’s mobile clinics have sterilized over 217,000 animals since the program’s inception in 2001, preventing the births of hundreds of thousands of unwanted kittens and puppies. Sterilization also reduces or eliminate animals’ risk of suffering from several reproductive health issues and can lead to longer and happier lives.
