Today, a volunteer at the Barry R. Kirshner Wildlife Foundation had to be hospitalized as the result of injuries inflicted by a leopard in the animal’s enclosure. Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Associate Director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement Debbie Metzler:
This disaster shows exactly why no reputable animal-care facility would ever let its volunteers enter an enclosure with a big cat. PETA hopes the public will now see this so-called “wildlife foundation” for the sham sanctuary that it is—an outfit with a history of Tiger King–style cub petting, a previous penalty for endangering the public, and a volunteer’s blood on its hands.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. Please let me know if you have any questions or if there’s any further information that I can provide.
As temperatures near freezing at night in your area, PETA is reminding dog guardians of the new state law that prohibits leaving dogs chained up or tethered outside when the temperature is 32 degrees or below or during severe weather warnings for winter storms. Animals are especially vulnerable in the winter, and there were at least 37 reported cold weather–related companion animal deaths in 2019. (Most are not reported.)
The following steps can go a long way toward helping animals survive the freezing temperatures coming to your area:
Bring Them Indoors
Companion animals should live indoors with their human families. “Backyard dogs” and “outdoor cats”—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, the new documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Their water turns to ice, their food turns to mush if left out in the rain, and these animals are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are. They can suffer terribly from frostbite and die of exposure.
Gear Up
Coats will keep dogs comfortable in cold weather, secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs.
Change the Law
If your town or county allows the continuous chaining of dogs, work with local officials to get a ban passed—and contact PETA for help.
Animals left outside in the cold need people to help them—otherwise, they could die. Many chained dogs are pit bulls, whose short hair leaves them particularly vulnerable. Even during milder weather conditions, state law requires that all dogs who are kept outdoors be provided with insulating straw or other bedding and that doghouses have a windbreak to help protect animals from the cold. Please be on the lookout for any dog kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.
As temperatures near freezing at night in your area, PETA is reminding residents it’s illegal to leave animals outside, where they shiver and ache in the cold and can even freeze to death. Animals are especially vulnerable in the winter, and there were at least 37 reported cold weather–related companion animal deaths in 2019. (Most are not reported.) That’s why PETA works with law-enforcement officials in North Carolina to get charges filed against people who illegally leave their animals outside in extreme weather.
The following steps can go a long way toward helping animals survive the freezing temperatures coming to your area:
Bring Them Indoors
Companion animals should live indoors with their human families. “Backyard dogs” and “outdoor cats”—like those featured in Breaking the Chain, the new documentary produced by Oscar winner Anjelica Huston—often go without adequate food, water, shelter, and veterinary care. Their water turns to ice, their food turns to mush if left out in the rain, and these animals are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are. They can suffer terribly from frostbite and die of exposure.
Gear Up
Coats will keep dogs comfortable in cold weather, secure harnesses can help prevent them from getting loose on walks, and booties will protect their sensitive paw pads from the frozen ground. Keep walks short in cold weather, especially for shorthaired dogs.
Change the Law
If your town or county allows the continuous chaining of dogs, work with local officials to get a ban passed—and contact PETA for help.
Animals left outside in the cold need people to help them—otherwise, they could die. Many chained dogs are pit bulls, whose short hair leaves them particularly vulnerable. Please be on the lookout for any dog kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.
Jannik Sinner won’t be going to the 2021 Australian Open final, but he and finalist Naomi Osaka have already won titles from PETA Australia, which has crowned the pair its 2021 Australian Open Champions for their acts of kindness to and respect for animals on the courts.
In the third set of his match against Denis Shapovalov, Sinner stopped play to tend to a moth who had landed on the court, carefully maneuvering the insect onto his racket and dropping them off by the chair umpire.
Osaka performed a similar act of compassion while mid-match against Ons Jabeur. When a fan yelled, “There’s a butterfly on your legs,” Osaka took the time before serving not only to acknowledge the butterfly but also to escort the insect gently off the court.
“Sinner and Osaka are champions in PETA’s book for showing kindness and respect to some of the smallest, most vulnerable animals,” says PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange. “These aces’ on the ball actions to help insects set an example of compassion for other tennis pros—and their millions of fans—to follow.”
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, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
