Kategorie: Animals

PETA has just learned that Keith Wilson, owner of the now-defunct roadside zoo Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Winchester—where officials found animals in squalid and inadequate conditions, many without food or water—has entered into a plea agreement in Frederick County Circuit Court. He has pleaded no contest to 27 of his charges and will not be allowed to own exotic animals for five years, the maximum term available.

Because of his plea, Wilson will also be ineligible for a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) exhibitor’s license for at least three years, which will prevent him from profiting from the exploitation of any USDA-regulated animals remaining in his possession.

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet:

Kind people everywhere can celebrate the news that there will be no exotic animals at Wilson’s Wild Animal Park, where PETA documented bears baking in the sun, among other dismal conditions. PETA will be watching closely, and if this criminal ever tries to get his hands on another lion, tiger, or any other exotic animal, the campaign against his abuse will pick up right where it left off.

Wilson’s cruelty-to-animals charges stemmed from conditions discovered during the execution of a search warrant by the Virginia attorney general’s Animal Law Unit in 2019, following years of work by PETA. The unit seized 119 animals, including lions, tigers, and bears, over the course of two days, and the seizure was upheld and the custody of the animals was awarded to the unit following a 12-hour hearing in which animal welfare experts testified to the “inadequate conditions and cruelty” they observed at the facility.

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 or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA Celebrates: No Exotic Animals at Wilson’s for at Least 5 Years appeared first on PETA.

After local musher Michelle Phillips came in 18^th in the controversial Iditarod—a race that has lost dozens of sponsors due to dog deaths and mistreatment—PETA sent her a letter this morning offering to help pay for the cost of training and equipment so she can embark on a new, benign career such as snowplow operator, ski instructor, or park ranger, without exploiting dogs at all.

The request follows reports that during the race, Phillips left behind five dogs she had pushed beyond their limit, forcing the remaining ones to work even harder to pull her.

PETA notes that more than 150 dogs have died in the Iditarod since it began. In just this year’s event, two dogs went missing, a musher was apparently forced out of the race after the dogs he used were found in poor condition, and nearly 250 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, or injury. Before the race even started, dogs were attacked and one was killed during training.

“As more and more people reject the idea of a race that forces dogs to run to their deaths, being a musher is as irrelevant as being a VCR repairer,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA will help mushers kiss the Iditarod goodbye and move into a job no one despises anyone for doing.”

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 or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Phillips follows.

March 25, 2022

Dear Ms. Phillips:

Since you missed out on the Iditarod’s top prize this year, I’m writing from PETA to suggest a career change. Now is the time to kiss the Iditarod goodbye and move into a job no one despises you for doing. PETA will even pay you to do it! We’ll help cover the costs of training, classes, equipment, and whatever else you may need to set a new course.

As condemnation of a race that forces dogs to run to their deaths grows and major companies like Alaska Airlines, Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, and Millennium Hotels and Resorts continue to drop their Iditarod sponsorships, being a musher is becoming as irrelevant as being a VCR repairer. Since you are an experienced cold-weather professional, opportunities abound: park ranger, ski instructor, or snowplow operator—all of which would allow you to continue working in the great outdoors. This doesn’t have to mean the end of your competitive racing career, either. For decades, athletes have been participating in the Iditarod Trail Invitational and Iron Dog races, which follow the historic Iditarod trail but feature only willing human participants.

Pursuing a new line of work would be a winning decision: You could make more money, and you wouldn’t be contributing to animal suffering, which is inherent in the Iditarod. During this year’s race, two dogs went missing, a musher was apparently forced out of the race after the dogs he used were found in poor condition, dogs were attacked and one was killed during training before the race even began, and nearly 250 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, or injury.

It’s time to embark on a different path, and we’re here to help. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

The post PETA to Tagish Iditarod Loser: We’ll Pay You to Become a Snowplow Operator Instead appeared first on PETA.

This morning, PETA sent a letter to the Arizona Racing Commission calling for an immediate suspension of all horse racing in order to allow for the implementation of lifesaving changes at the state’s racetracks—where horses are dying at more than double the national average rate.

In February, PETA wrote to the commission to urge its members to add CT scanning equipment, which could help prevent fatal breakdowns on the track, as evidence shows that more than 90% of broken bones in horses are caused by preexisting injuries at the site of the break. But the commission did not respond.

So far this season, at least seven horses have died at Rillito Park and 24 have died at Turf Paradise. Many others are suspected to have sustained fatal catastrophic injuries.

“Although racing can never be entirely safe for horses, simple changes could prevent countless fatal breakdowns,” says PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo. “PETA is eager to help the Arizona racing industry reduce the deadly risk of forcing already-injured horses to race.”

In 2019, after a significant increase in horse deaths at Santa Anita Park in California, stakeholders in the racing industry met with PETA, suspended racing, and implemented some of the group’s recommendations as well as other improvements, which likely spared many horses.

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 or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post State Leads Country in Horse Racing Deaths; PETA Pushes for Suspension of Racing appeared first on PETA.

After local rookie musher Gerhardt Thiart dropped out of the controversial Iditarod—a race that has lost dozens of sponsors due to dog deaths and mistreatment—after injuring his leg, PETA sent him a letter today offering to help pay for the cost of training and equipment so he can embark on a new, benign career such as snowplow operator, ski instructor, or park ranger, without exploiting dogs at all.

The request follows reports that during the race, Thiart left behind five dogs he had pushed beyond their limit, forcing the remaining ones to work even harder to pull him.

PETA notes that more than 150 dogs have died in the Iditarod since it began. In just this year’s event, two dogs went missing, a musher was apparently forced out of the race after the dogs he used were found in poor condition, and nearly 250 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, or injury. Before the race even started, dogs were attacked and one was killed during training.

“As more and more people reject the idea of a race that forces dogs to run to their deaths, being a musher is as irrelevant as being a VCR repairer,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA will help mushers kiss the Iditarod goodbye and move into a job no one despises anyone for doing.”

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 or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Thiart follows.

March 25, 2022

Dear Mr. Thiart:

Since you missed out on the Iditarod’s top prize this year, I’m writing from PETA to suggest a career change. Now is the time to kiss the Iditarod goodbye and move into a job no one despises you for doing. PETA will even pay you to do it! We’ll help cover the costs of training, classes, equipment, and whatever else you may need to set a new course.

As condemnation of a race that forces dogs to run to their deaths grows and major companies like Alaska Airlines, Coca-Cola, Exxon Mobil, and Millennium Hotels and Resorts continue to drop their Iditarod sponsorships, being a musher is becoming as irrelevant as being a VCR repairer. Since you are an experienced cold-weather professional, opportunities abound: park ranger, ski instructor, or snowplow operator—all of which would allow you to continue working in the great outdoors. This doesn’t have to mean the end of your competitive racing career, either. For decades, athletes have been participating in the Iditarod Trail Invitational and Iron Dog races, which follow the historic Iditarod trail but feature only willing human participants.

Pursuing a new line of work would be a winning decision: You could make more money, and you wouldn’t be contributing to animal suffering, which is inherent in the Iditarod. During this year’s race, two dogs went missing, a musher was apparently forced out of the race after the dogs he used were found in poor condition, dogs were attacked and one was killed during training before the race even began, and nearly 250 dogs were pulled off the trail due to exhaustion, illness, or injury.

It’s time to embark on a different path, and we’re here to help. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President

The post PETA to Michigan Iditarod Loser: We’ll Pay You to Become a Snowplow Operator Instead appeared first on PETA.

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