Kategorie: Animals

PETA’s days of protesting outside McDonald’s may soon be over if the chain rolls out its McPlant burger nationwide, and to encourage that move—and introduce would-be meat-buyers to the delicious, animal-friendly new option—the group will be passing out the meat-free burgers outside Golden Gate Meat Company.

When:    Tuesday, March 29, 12 noon

Where:    1 Ferry Building, San Francisco

The group will then take its giveaways to the city’s historic streetcar (traveling from The Embarcadero and Ferry Building to Market and Kearny streets at 12:45 p.m.), turning it into a traveling vegan McDonald’s, and to the Cow Hollow neighborhood (1870 Union St. at 1:15 p.m.). And on Wednesday, to get Mayor London N. Breed excited about the McPlant’s arrival in her city, PETA will deliver the burgers to her and her staff at 11:30 a.m. It’s all part of PETA’s effort to give away 10,000 free McPlants in 10 days through more than a dozen giveaways in California and Texas, where the McPlant is currently being trialed.

“Ordering a McPlant at the drive-through is no biggie to us, but it’s a matter of life and death for cows—and perhaps customers,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Real meat clogs the arteries to the heart, so PETA’s gift to thousands of people may introduce them to a healthier way of eating and show how easy and delicious it is to grab a vegan meal these days.”

At the slaughterhouse, workers shoot cows in the head with captive-bolt guns, hang them up by one leg, and cut their throats—often while they’re still conscious. Each person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 cows, pigs, chickens, and other animals every year, and the demand for vegan cuisine is growing, with the global market for vegan food expected to reach $162 billion by 2030.

PETA has already given away thousands of McPlants—holding the cheese and mayo to make them vegan—in California (Oakland and San Francisco) and Texas (Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, and Irving). Photos are available here. This week in Texas, PETA will also deliver the meat-free burgers to the mayor of Dallas and hold another giveaway outside the Fort Worth Stockyards ahead of the rodeo.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—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 to Give Out Free McDonald’s Burgers at Golden Gate Meat Co.—What?! appeared first on PETA.

Rabbits are herbivores who munch and crunch all day long. These nibblers have a specialized digestive system that allows them to process food efficiently, but they can’t eat everything. If a rabbit overeats a new food or consumes something they shouldn’t, they can become very sick and possibly die. For this reason, guardians should be cautious about what rabbits eat.

So what do rabbits eat?

Grass and Hay

Grass and hay—such as timothy or oat hay—should be readily available at all times for rabbits, as it is (ideally) in nature. This is important for their digestive system’s function and helps their teeth remain the correct length and shape. Rabbits should have fresh hay, free from mold or dust.

If your rabbit companion isn’t used to eating hay, they may not eat that much at first. Don’t worry! Just add fresh hay a few times a day and reduce the number of pellets.

Vegetables

Various vegetables are important to a rabbit’s diet. Some vegetables that make excellent nutritious snacks include the following:

• Broccoli
• Carrots and carrot tops
• Collard greens
• Dandelion greens
• Mustard greens
• Parsley

Bunnies can start eating vegetables in small quantities at 12 weeks of age, but watch for diarrhea! Discontinue any vegetable that upsets a rabbit’s stomach.

Pellets

Veterinarians suggest feeding rabbits fresh vegetables as well as grass and hay as primary sources of nutrition. Pellets are high in calories, so rabbits fed too many may develop health issues. Still, pellets are rich and balanced in nutrients, so they can play a small role in a rabbit’s diet.

Choose a high-quality, fresh vegan pellet for your rabbit companion. The number of pellets required depends on the rabbit’s size and weight, so check with your veterinarian for proper amounts.

Water

Rabbits should have an adequate supply of clean, fresh water. A heavy water bowl is preferred so that it doesn’t tip over. Clean it every few days with soap and water. If the rabbit prefers a sipper bottle, be sure to fill it daily and keep it clean.

Cecotropes

You don’t need to buy cecotropes from a store—rabbits make them themselves! They’re a distinct type of poop that rabbits excrete, full of nutrients and protein, and it’s normal for rabbits to eat them. You might not even notice this happening, since rabbits eat them right from the … uh … source. If you do see uneaten cecotropes around or wet feces, you should contact your veterinarian.

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Rabbits are remarkable individuals who need special attention and care. If you’re ready for a lifetime commitment, be sure to adopt one from a reputable shelter. Never buy a rabbit from a pet store, a breeder, or a neighbor or through a website. And if any of your friends ever ask, “What do rabbits eat?” please share this article. You can find more information about caring for rabbits here:

Foods Rabbits Should Never Eat

How to Know if Your Rabbit Is Sick

The post What Do Rabbits Eat? 5 Things Every Rabbit Guardian Should Know appeared first on PETA.

On Saturday, PETA supporters in sheep, cow, and goose masks will raise a ruckus outside the Urban Outfitters store on W. Second Street to demand that the company stop selling wool, leather, down, or any other materials cruelly obtained from animals:

When:    Saturday, March 26, 12 noon

Where:    320 W. Second St., Austin

It’s all part of PETA’s campaign in the country’s “best college towns and cities”—in which Austin ranked first overall—to call on students and other shoppers to embrace eco- and animal-friendly fashion and encourage Urban Outfitters to do the same. PETA has also plastered 25 local buses with the faces of a sheep, a cow, and a goose making a plea: “We Want You to Change. Wear Vegan.”

“When open-minded young people learn that sensitive animals are tormented for clothing, they’re eager to hold brands accountable and opt for ethical fashion,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Cruelty is never in style, and PETA is pushing for Urban Outfitters to make a compassionate, environmentally positive impact by selling only vegan materials.”

Consumers’ concern for animal welfare and the environment has sent the vegan fashion market skyrocketing: Shopping platform Lyst recently reported a 178% increase in page views for vegan leather, and a survey conducted by Glamour revealed that around 73% of Gen Z consider themselves animal rights activists.

PETA notes that workers hit, kick, and mutilate gentle sheep for their wool; burn, electroshock, beat, and slaughter cows for leather; pluck geese so roughly for down that they shriek in pain and fear; and abuse animals for fashion in other ways.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—has also protested at other Urban Outfitters brands’ stores across the country. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Sheep,’ ‘Cows,’ and ‘Geese’ to Condemn Urban Outfitters appeared first on PETA.

Please see the following statement from PETA Foundation Vice President and Deputy General Counsel for Animal Law Jared Goodman in response to Miami-Dade County’s announcement today that third-party veterinarians will reportedly be permitted into the Miami Seaquarium to evaluate the ailing orca, Lolita:

PETA has sent Commissioner Regalado and Mayor Levine Cava a list of expert veterinarians who should be allowed to examine Lolita, and we’re calling on the abusement park to take steps toward her transfer to a seaside sanctuary, where she could at last know peace and freedom from her tiny concrete cell.

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 Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post PETA Statement: Outside Vets Should Be First Step Toward Orca Lolita’s Freedom appeared first on PETA.

In a bid for the president and first lady to swap the eggs in this year’s White House Easter Egg Roll for bird-friendly ceramic versions, today, PETA sent a letter to the Bidens with good news: The group has sponsored two rescued birds at a sanctuary in time for Easter and named them Joe and Jill. With an offer to fund the switch to vegan eggs, the letter explains that hatching a new way to roll would prevent birds just like Joe and Jill from enduring mutilations, severe crowding, and slaughter.

PETA also points out that because the Bidens’ event alone would include 15,000 hard-boiled eggs and 12,000 rainbow-dyed eggs, PETA’s purchase of reusable vegan eggs could provide years of entertainment and reduce waste.

“While these rescued birds enjoy sunbathing, socializing, and snacking at a sanctuary, chickens in the egg industry suffer mightily,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA asks that the president and first lady choose vegan eggs, because every bird deserves to live as happily as Joe and Jill.”

The U.S. egg industry exploits over 300 million hens every year. Within hours or days of hatching a large portion of each bird’s beak is cut off. Hens spend their entire lives pressed against other birds in industrial warehouses that reek of ammonia, before slaughterhouse workers slit the birds’ throats at about 2 years old.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat 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.

PETA’s letter to the president and first lady follows.

March 23, 2022

The President and Dr. Jill Biden

The White House

Dear Mr. President and Dr. Biden:

I’m writing on behalf of PETA, the world’s largest animal rights organization, and all people who are vegetarian or vegan, whether for humane, environmental, or health reasons, to request that you replace all chicken eggs used for White House Easter Egg Roll events with Earth- and animal-friendly ceramic eggs. We would be delighted to fund the replacement of all the eggs.

We’ve sponsored two chickens in your honor, Joe and Jill, at Animal Place, one of the oldest and largest sanctuaries for farmed animals in the country. Both were born to be used for their eggs and flesh but luckily were spared the suffering that’s the norm in the chicken and egg industries. Chickens are the most routinely abused animals on the planet. Everyone can agree that it would be wrong to confine cats and dogs to cages so small they couldn’t even turn around, to burn off parts of their sensitive faces, or to drop them into scalding-hot water while they were still conscious—yet all this is routinely done to chickens.

Raising chickens to lay eggs also requires massive amounts of land, food, energy, and water. The byproducts of factory farming pollute our air and waterways. Reducing the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy is one of the most effective ways to help abate the ongoing climate catastrophe. Switching to ceramic eggs that could be reused year after year would be a terrific alternative to the sad spectacle and wastefulness of using thousands of hard-boiled eggs each spring.

It’s not too late to leave a lasting legacy of kindness by starting a new tradition. Thank you for your consideration. We look forward to hearing from you, and we wish your family a wonderful Easter.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid Newkirk

President

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