Below, please find a statement from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in response to the announcement that British Columbia will prohibit keeping live minks on farms in 2023, with all pelts to be sold in 2025—both moves sure to guard animals’ lives:
“Pamela Anderson to the rescue—again! After the B.C.-born Baywatch star teamed up with PETA and persuaded Premier John Horgan to close down mink farms, it appears that the government finally got the message. By shuttering these COVID-19 hotspots, the province will be safer for public health and kinder for gentle minks, who will no longer be forced to endure a cycle of torment, abuse, and slaughter.”
In its push to shut down mink farms, PETA has also published an investigation with footage from Malcolm Klimowicz, who filmed mink farms in Canada, and the group has targeted the premier with a petition signed by Canada residents.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA has repeatedly exposed that for mice, gerbils, chinchillas, ferrets, betta fish, birds, hamsters, and other animals, life at Petco animal suppliers is all about “suffering + death.” We’ve shown that the misery only continues for the survivors once they hit store shelves, such as the ferret and gecko whose illnesses and injuries were ignored by staff at a Colorado Petco—they both endured seemingly slow and painful deaths. So it’s hardly shocking that the sentient beings Petco boxes and rings up for anyone who can pay may continue to be put through hell once taken home with their purchaser. For instance, an 18-year-old Utah man has been accused of torturing and killing guinea pigs he apparently bought at Petco and posting footage of the heinous acts on YouTube.
The man—who allegedly posted 17 of the “horrific” snuff videos online—has been arrested and charged and is facing several counts of aggravated cruelty to animals, according to reports. Scenes from the videos show the guinea pigs’ eyeballs and ears being gouged and ripped out, apparently by the Petco customer. And a few heroic internet users played a major role in nabbing the suspect.
Don’t f**k with cats … or guinea pigs.
Leo Boddicker—a guinea pig guardian himself—was reportedly horrified after stumbling upon a subreddit for guinea pigs that discussed a YouTube channel with guinea pig torture videos. “I can’t imagine someone wanting to do this them,” he said. “I stayed up all night with these other people on Reddit, and there was also a Facebook chat too. People were trying to find out who he was based on clues in his videos. Like in some of his videos, a box from Petco can be seen.”
With a little sleuthing, Boddicker and others were able to identify the alleged perpetrator. They reported their findings to law enforcement, which apparently “had people call in from not only Utah, California, all across the United States and even internationally regarding this case.” During its investigation, the Woods Cross Police Department reportedly discovered animal remains inside the accused’s home, in addition to finding that the guinea pigs and a mouse—whom he is also charged with abusing—had been purchased via his Petco rewards account.
“Horrific” videos posted online showing a man torturing and killing guinea pigs he apparently purchased from a Petco store (a Petco cardboard carrying case is clearly visible in the background of this video) led to a suspect’s arrest. PETA’s not pardoning Petco’s apparent role in the ordeal. To spare other sensitive beings similar torment, the company must end its sales of live animals.
How can Petco, which PETA has been exposing for years, do its part to help prevent heinous crimes against animals? By finally ending its sales of all animals.
These online knights in shining armor helped track down a man who allegedly tortured and killed vulnerable guinea pigs he bought from Petco. It’s past time the pet store chain stopped dragging its feet and took the next obvious step: Stop. Selling. Animals. It’s something PETA has been urging Petco to do for years, including after we exposed the chain’s partnership with Holmes Farm, a massive animal dealer in Pennsylvania that supplied guinea pigs like the ones below and other small animals to the company and other pet stores. Even after Petco representatives visited Holmes Farm—where animals were being confined to plastic bins, frozen alive, and crudely gassed to death—the chain continued to order and receive animals by the hundreds from the dealer.
Selling sentient beings as if they were inanimate objects like leashes, treats, or food is a recipe for disaster, and it must end. As animal guardians and consumers, we can take multiple actions to help other animals and help prevent similar suffering in the future. Please, avoid all Petco stores until the chain pledges to stop selling live animals. Shop elsewhere instead:
Now that 47% of Americans want to incorporate more vegan foods into their meals, this Thanksgiving is poised to be the most vegan one yet. So to help holiday hosts plan their menus, PETA has compieled the Top 10 Vegan Pies served around the country, and Corina Bakery’s Spiced Pumpkin Pie has won a spot on the list. The egg-free confection is bursting with the flavors of vanilla, rum, and all the traditional spices and dotted with dairy-free whipped cream.
“From its perfectly flaky crust to its classic holiday spices, Corina Bakery’s vegan pie gives diners pumpkin to talk about,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “From peach to pecan, PETA celebrates all the vegan pies that make it easy to enjoy a delicious ThanksVegan feast that leaves cows and chickens in peace.”
Not only are vegan desserts free of saturated animal fat and cholesterol, they also spare animals immense suffering: In the dairy industry, calves are torn away from their mothers shortly after birth, and in the egg industry, parts of chickens’ beaks are cut off with a hot blade when they’re just a few days old.
Other honorees include Sinfull Bakery in Houston; Clementine Bakery in Brooklyn, New York; Sweet Hazel & Co. in Murray, Utah; and Ezra’s Enlightened Café in Indianapolis. Each eatery will receive a framed certificate from PETA, which offers a ThanksVegan guide as well as recipes for apple and pumpkin pies and much more on its website.
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 Enfield Police Department has charged local resident Alonzo Alston with cruelty to animals for depriving a small dog named Cookie of adequate shelter, after PETA fieldworkers found that he was keeping her in a filthy, makeshift outdoor pen, her only “shelter” an old, hollowed-out washing machine. Cookie, who is approximately 8 months old, is currently still on the property, pending the outcome of the court case, and PETA is worried about her well-being.
PETA first reported Cookie’s deplorable living conditions to authorities on September 10 after discovering her confined to the very small pen with no shelter, only mucky rainwater to drink, and only stale bread and rotting meat to eat. Alston was instructed to provide the little dog with adequate shelter, adequate food, and more space. Several days later, he put the washing machine in the pen as “shelter.”
“With temperatures dropping, a harsh winter ahead, and no life to speak of, Cookie’s prospects are bleak unless she gets out of there,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA thanks the Enfield Police Department for taking action and wants to see this young, vibrant dog given a chance to find a loving indoor home.”
Dogs and cats forced to live outdoors—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, a documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and necessary veterinary care. PETA urges anyone who witnesses neglect to report it to local authorities. If possible, witnesses should take pictures and keep track of the length of time an animal suffers without basic care.
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 on the group’s newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
We’ve long known that animal experimenters are still living in the dark ages—after all, they imprison our fellow animals in laboratories and subject them to cruel, useless experiments before killing them. In one egregious example, experimenters have been using genetically manipulated mice as “models” for autistic humans.
In a recent major clinical study, a hormone tested on mice, which was thought to promote social bonding, was found to have “no meaningful impact” on autistic children.
The study was called a “major setback,” but it was doomed to fail from the start—children are not mice.
Autism refers to a broad range of characteristics, including differences in social skills and a tendency to exhibit repetitive behavior. More than a decade of experiments on animals has shown that mice cannot replicate the unique aspects of autism in humans, and the scientific community is well aware that using them in experiments will not advance our understanding in this area. It shouldn’t take countless failed clinical trials to prove that experimenting on mice will not produce anything of value for autistic humans.
Using mice in experiments to “cure” aspects of autism is speciesist and ableist.
In their failed attempts to replicate autism in mice, experimenters genetically modify the animals, inject them with chemicals, damage their brains, or manipulate the bacteria in their stomach, causing them to have fewer social interactions and produce unusual vocalizations.
Even though these genetically and experimentally modified mice aren’t autistic and mice are poor models for humans in general, some companies—such as Charles River Laboratories and The Jackson Laboratory—sell these animals to be tormented in pointless experiments often intended to “treat” specific characteristics of autism.
https://t.co/YUPDYcgPom Oh dear. Some errors in this document about using drugs to 'cure' us of autism. (Well, allegedly cure mice, of alleged autism, but I can understand they're struggling to tell the difference) I've helped fix their PR paper. pic.twitter.com/GrQy3f4pGM
These experiments aren’t just cruel to mice, who have meaningful relationships, complex emotions, and interests of their own. They also harm neurodivergent humans by treating autism like a problem to solve.
Human-Relevant Research Is the Answer for Understanding Human Health
Mice and other animals aren’t ours to experiment on, and there are plenty of modern, non-animal research methods that can actually help autistic individuals. For example, many human clinical trials have led to advances in early diagnosis, uncovering and addressing health disparities in autistic patients and understanding how autism affects adults. PETA has been saying it since the beginning: It’s time to replace archaic experiments on animals with modern, human-relevant research.
PETA’s Research Modernization Deal is just the solution we need to revitalize laboratory research. Help PETA replace cruel experiments on animals with human-relevant research by asking your legislators to support our plan:
(@AnnMemmott)