Kategorie: Animals

Gov. Tim Walz received a letter from PETA this morning asking him to direct the Minnesota attorney general to pursue cruelty-to-animals charges against Dan Moulton, owner of the notorious Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR), who just lost his U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) license and was declared “unfit” by a federal judge over an “astounding” record of federal animal welfare violations.

Months ago, a PETA investigation revealed that Moulton had denied chinchillas veterinary care for exposed bones, open wounds, and other painful conditions. It took a court order to force local officials to execute a search warrant, and they seized at least 10 animals from MCR. It came to light that the Fillmore County prosecutor and sheriff were both social media friends with Moulton, and the case was transferred to the Rice County attorney, who—after several months—cited the USDA’s pending civil case as a reason not to pursue charges, even though the USDA doesn’t have the authority to enforce state anti-cruelty laws.

Although the USDA license revocation means that Moulton will be barred from conducting business as a wholesale dealer to laboratories and the pet trade, without intervention from the state, he can still continue to operate—now without any federal oversight.

“PETA is asking Gov. Walz to see that justice is done and the law upheld in Fillmore County, where more than 700 chinchillas are still languishing in that hellhole,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “Since Moulton seems to have no fear of consequences from federal oversight or those he knows in county government, it’s up to the governor to save the animals and salvage the county’s reputation.”

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 about PETA’s investigative newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Walz follows.

October 14, 2021

The Honorable Tim Walz

Governor of Minnesota

Dear Gov. Walz:

I hope this letter finds you well. On behalf of nearly 70,000 PETA supporters in Minnesota and every person disgusted by animal abuse, we’re writing to ask for your intervention to ensure that egregious, well-documented, and, we believe, criminal cruelty to animals in Fillmore County is prosecuted. A facility there has had its federal license revoked by a shocked judge, but the county has failed to act. It’s clear from your past advocacy for animals that you take animal welfare seriously, so we are confident that you will recognize this situation as an emergency.

PETA’s investigation into Moulton Chinchilla Ranch (MCR) found that its owner, Dan Moulton, denied chinchillas veterinary care for swollen, pus-filled eyes; exposed bones; open wounds; and other painful conditions. Based on our evidence, law-enforcement officials executed a search warrant at MCR and opened a criminal investigation in January.

Moulton is social media friends with Corson as well as Fillmore County Sheriff John DeGeorge. Last April, after a reporter mentioned to Corson these online friendships and asked whether or not they had had an impact on his decision, Corson transferred the case to Rice County Attorney John Fossum. Six months later, Fossum’s office announced that it had declined to file criminal charges, citing false information, including that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)’s civil federal case against Moulton covered the same facts and carried stiffer penalties, when, in fact, the federal agency’s action involved the enforcement of laws wholly unrelated to the state’s cruelty statute, pertained to conduct that occurred years earlier, and did nothing to protect or render desperately needed aid to the more than 700 chinchillas still languishing at MCR in deplorable and unlawful conditions—something only the state has the authority and jurisdiction to do.

The USDA’s complaint against Moulton described his repeated failure to meet the minimal care standards of the federal Animal Welfare Act—including by leaving sick and injured chinchillas to suffer from untreated, chronic ailments and housing them in filthy conditions—going back as far as 2013. PETA’s investigation revealed similar suffering long after the USDA’s case was filed in 2018, and Moulton—clearly undeterred by any federal action—continued to be cited for the same violations as recently as this spring. Although a USDA judge described Moulton’s history of violations as “absolutely astounding,” declared him “unfit” to be a licensee, and stripped him of his license, Moulton is now subject to no oversight or inspections—he is free to keep these long-suffering chinchillas in whatever conditions he wants, evidently confident that those he knows in law enforcement have no interest or intention of enforcing Minnesota’s animal protection laws.

We respectfully request that you instruct Attorney General Keith Ellison to exercise the powers of a county attorney, as provided by Minn. Stat. Ann. § 8.01, and commence prosecution of this cruelty-to-animals case. You and Mr. Ellison are these vulnerable chinchillas’ only hope—everyone else has let them down, and they will continue to languish until Moulton is held criminally accountable for their neglect.

Thank you for your time and for your important work. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Daphna Nachminovitch

Senior Vice President

Cruelty Investigations Department

cc: Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General

The post Gov. Walz’s Help Sought in Moulton Chinchilla Ranch Cruelty Case appeared first on PETA.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Francis Collins is stepping down, and PETA supporters in giant blow-up dinosaur costumes will gather outside the White House, follow President Joe Biden to various events, and appear around Washington carrying signs that read, “Biden, Don’t Appoint Another NIH Dinosaur.” PETA is urging the president to take us out of the scientific Stone Age and choose a visionary replacement who will end the agency’s funding of animal tests and instead invest in state-of-the-art research methods like organs-on-a chip, high-speed computer analysis, and three-dimensional tissue models.

With Collins at the helm, NIH squandered nearly half its budget—$19.5 billion in 2020—on animal experiments every year, even though 95% of drugs that appear safe and effective in animals fail in human clinical trials and more than 90% of basic research, most of which involves animals, fails to lead to treatments for humans.

“NIH’s failure to move away from outdated animal experiments continues to impede the development of new treatments, vaccines, and cures,” says neuroscientist and former NIH researcher Dr. Katherine Roe, who now works for PETA. “President Biden must move research out of the Stone Age and appoint a director who will lead the U.S. to the forefront of worldwide scientific research.”

PETA is urging Biden to embrace the Research Modernization Deal, developed by PETA scientists, which outlines the proven failure of animal studies and provides a strategy to phase them out and redirect funding to more promising areas of research. Last month after reviewing the Research Modernization Deal, members of the European Parliament voted in favor of developing an action plan to phase out animal experiments, including a timeline.

In its strategic plan for 2016 to 2020, NIH admitted that animal studies are problematic and often result in “much wasted time and money while patients wait for therapies”—but under Collins’ leadership, the agency failed to right its path.

Collins’ resignation comes after PETA protested in front of his home, published a high-profile opinion piece demanding new leadership at NIH that appeared in the Miami Herald and other newspapers, and ran full-page ads in local media outlets stating, “Francis Collins Must Go.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information on PETA’s newsgathering and reporting, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post ‘Dinosaurs’ to Tail President Biden, Urge Appointment of Progressive NIH Director appeared first on PETA.

The post The Trouble With Animal Experiments? They’re Going Nowhere appeared first on PETA.

She may be the Mistress of the Dark, but when it comes to animal liberation, Cassandra Peterson (aka “Elvira”) helps others see the “lite.” Peterson’s portrayal of the “horror hostess” is legendary, as is her work for animal rights: She’s spent decades starring in PETA campaigns, protesting, strutting down fur-free runways, and otherwise getting loud for animals. And now, with her new book—Yours Cruelly, Elvira, which debuted at number four on The New York Times bestseller list—Peterson has revealed how her Elvira persona put her on PETA’s map and how her animal activism shaped the rest of her life.

The Power of a License Plate

In chapter 28 (“Lite a Flame”), Peterson reminisces about changing the license plate of her station wagon to read “BAN FUR.” With one simple action, she drove home the message that tearing the skin off rabbits, foxes, or other animals’ backs is never OK.

Gas up your own car decor for animal rights!

‘Fur Is a Drag’

Drag queens were active with PETA long before RuPaul’s Drag Race hit the airwaves—and even before the art of drag had broken out of queer spaces and entered the mainstream. In clubs around the world, Elvira and other legends joined PETA for “Fur Is a Drag” parody runway shows, in which they wore trashed fur coats covered with blood-red paint.

‘I Love Elephants!’

Peterson recalls that she was offered a spot on Circus of the Stars, a television show in which celebrities performed circus acts, sometimes while forcing other animals to perform, too. Although Peterson’s initial reaction was, “Wow—fun! I love elephants!” once she discovered that circus trainers beat elephants and other animals with bullhooks and shock them with electric prods, she declined. Her refusal to partake in such exploitation ruled headlines and called attention to the cruelty that animals endure in circuses—abuse that PETA, Peterson, and countless others have helped to curb drastically in the years since, including by taking down former industry giant Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

Are you inspired by Peterson’s activism? Consider supporting our campaigns and helping to deliver a message of total animal liberation by joining the PETA Action Team:

Help Animals—Join PETA’s Action Team

Once you’ve signed up, check out PETA’s list of other powerful animal rights reads—these books will also get you hyped about getting loud for animals, and you won’t be able to put them down:

Animal Rights Books for the Compassionate Bookworm

The post Elvira’s New Book Has a Whole Chapter About Her Work With PETA: ‘My Eyes Were Opened’ appeared first on PETA.