Kategorie: Animals

Miss Eau de Vie was forced to run her fifth—and last—race, which ended with a gruesome, fatal injury at Turfway Park. Since then, PETA has learned that pavement chunks were found on the track and attributed to an “operator error.” PETA is calling on the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission (KHRC) to investigate her death and the safety protocols in place at Turfway Park that apparently failed to protect the young horse from the catastrophic injury captured in the video below:

The disturbing footage shows the 3-year-old Thoroughbred sustaining what appears to be a very sudden and violent injury that could be consistent with stepping on a foreign object.

A representative of the Kentucky Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association stated the following during the January 26 Kentucky Thoroughbred Development Fund advisory board meeting: “We had a little hiccup about a week or so ago. A horseman actually brought a couple of rocks [from the racing surface] in to the office, and it, of course, started a panic of sorts.”

This raises a red flag that warrants closer examination of Miss Eau de Vie’s death. The exact time frame referenced—“a week or so ago”— should be determined. When were these chunks of pavement originally discovered, and what measures were taken to ensure that absolutely all the hazardous pieces were detected and removed for safety? Were Miss Eau de Vie and other horses racing at Turfway Park on January 15 put at heightened risk because of this situation?

PETA’s Asking for Answers

KHRC needs to launch an investigation to find out exactly when the “rocks” were originally discovered on the track, what measures Turfway Park took to ensure that absolutely all foreign objects were detected and removed, and what risks this alleged “operator error” posed to the horses who were forced to race on the track on the day of the incident.

PETA is also asking for the board to look into the park’s current track safety protocols as well as the veterinary and medication records of Miss Eau de Vie to determine whether she suffered from a preexisting condition that could have contributed to her death. Whether it was because of a chunk of pavement, a preexisting injury, or some other issue, the commission must determine why this horse died and take action to prevent such fatalities in the future.

You Can Help Prevent Others From Enduring the Same Fate as Miss Eau de Vie

While horse racing can never be entirely safe for the animals, safety reforms would make a world of difference. Help change this industry rife with drug abuse, corruption, and death by taking PETA’s quick actions to help horses.

The post WATCH: Racehorse Breakdown at Turfway Park—PETA Demands Investigation appeared first on PETA.

Please see the following statement from PETA Senior Vice President Kathy Guillermo regarding reports that Elon Musk’s firm Neuralink placed a wireless implant in the skull of a monkey:

Elon Musk is no primatologist, or he’d never suggest a monkey who’s strapped to a chair with a metal device implanted in his skull and forced to watch video games all day is anything but miserable. Anyone who has a thorough understanding of the behavioural, social, and emotional needs of monkeys knows they are highly intelligent fellow primates who form deep bonds, experience every emotion humans do, and can suffer just as much as we can – especially when they’re mutilated and denied everything that’s that natural and important to them. Money clearly can’t buy you empathy or an understanding of who animals are, since the richest man in the world is still devoid of common kindness. PETA challenges Musk to behave like a true pioneer and have the wireless implant put into his own brain instead.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to experiment on”— 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 Elon Musk: Use Your Own Brain & Leave Monkeys Alone appeared first on PETA.

Because potentially major snowfall is forecast for areas across the Midwest and Northeast, PETA is sharing tips for keeping animals safe. They are especially vulnerable in cold weather and winter storms, and there were at least 37 cold weather–related companion animal deaths in 2019. (Those are just the ones that were reported—most aren’t.)

The following steps can go a long way in helping animals survive throughout cold weather:

• Bring Them Indoors

Companion animals should always live indoors. “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. They are no better equipped to survive freezing temperatures or extreme weather conditions than humans are, they suffer terribly from frostbite, and they can 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.

• Don’t Forget Birds

During extreme winter weather, provide birds and other wild animals with access to an emergency water supply by filling a heavy nonmetal water bowl (tongues can freeze to metal) and breaking the surface ice at least twice a day.

Good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements should note the animals’ exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately. Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted.

PETA has released a   cold-weather public service announcement. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

 

The post Urgent From PETA Ahead of Winter Storm: Survival Tips for Animals   appeared first on PETA.

This morning, PETA sent a letter to Merriam-Webster requesting that the dictionary remove harmful definitions of pig (“a dirty, gluttonous, or repulsive person”), snake (“a worthless or treacherous fellow”), and dog (“a worthless or contemptible person”), pointing out that lending credence to such inaccurate descriptions fuels speciesism, a human-supremacist attitude that slights, insults, and denigrates animals.

“Words matter, and Merriam-Webster is in a position to relegate outdated language to the dustbin of history and help usher in a more respectful view of other species,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to reject mischaracterizations of animals and reflect upon their talents, communication abilities, social skills, and more. Saying, ‘as loyal as a goose,’ ‘as protective of their young as a pigeon,’ ‘as flexible as an octopus,’ and ‘as clever as a mouse,’ would be more apt and accurate.”

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way.” For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Merriam-Webster Editor-at-Large Peter Sokolowski follows.

January 26, 2021

Peter Sokolowski 

Editor-at-Large

Merriam-Webster

Dear Mr. Sokolowski,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide with an important request: We would like you to remove from your dictionary all animal-related slurs whose purpose is to debase human beings. Eliminating such language will help move us closer to a more respectful and empathetic world. This is perhaps a more pressing area of concern than most people realize. Please allow me to explain.

PETA has always urged people to stop using language that is meant to hurt others’ feelings and denigrate those who happen not to be human, in much the same way that we now understand how wrong it is to attribute undesirable traits, like miserliness or laziness, to certain nationalities or ethnicities. It was once acceptable for Carl Linnaeus, the “father of taxonomy,” to correlate skin color with disposition (listing Americans as “choleric,” Europeans as “sanguine,” Asians as “melancholic,” and Africans as “phlegmatic”). Looking back at this, we are rightly appalled. And assigning a negative meaning to an objective, neutral word for an animal, e.g., “pig” (“a dirty, gluttonous, or repulsive person”), “snake” (“a worthless or treacherous fellow”), or “dog” (“a worthless or contemptible person”), among others, is also unacceptable.

Calling humans various animal names is meant to sting, yet pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. They have rescued drowning humans and alerted their guardians to fires. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives rather than with strangers. If taken many miles away, they can find their way back home even if it takes two years. Dogs have personalities as varied and distinct as those of the humans who care for them. A dog living in a human home has been shown to understand, on average, some 400 words of human language simply from paying close attention. Yet humans don’t even try to understand their language.

As you know, language matters and is essential to reflecting our ever-evolving culture. Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, heartless, and so on is improper and inaccurate, desensitizes the public, and paves the way for the normalization of cruelty to and violence against animals. I look forward to hearing that Merriam-Webster will remove these harmful definitions and thereby encourage people to recognize that attributing ill character to these thinking, feeling animals who experience joy, suffering, love, and grief, just as we do, is unacceptable. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President

The post PETA Presses Merriam-Webster to Drop Speciesist Definitions appeared first on PETA.

This morning, PETA sent a letter to Dictionary.com requesting that the dictionary remove harmful definitions of weasel (“a cunning, sneaky person”), snake (“a treacherous person; an insidious enemy”), and rat (“a scoundrel”), pointing out that lending credence to such inaccurate descriptions fuels speciesism, a human-supremacist attitude that slights, insults, and denigrates animals.

“Words matter, and Dictionary.com is in a position to relegate outdated language to the dustbin of history and help usher in a more respectful view of other species,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to reject mischaracterizations of animals and reflect upon their talents, communication abilities, social skills, and more. Saying, ‘as loyal as a goose,’ ‘as protective of their young as a pigeon,’ ‘as flexible as an octopus,’ and ‘as clever as a mouse,’ would be more apt and accurate.”

PETA’s motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way.” For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

PETA’s letter to Dictionary.com CEO Jennifer Steeves-Kiss follows.

January 26, 2021

Jennifer Steeves-Kiss

CEO

Dictionary.com

Dear Ms. Steeves-Kiss,

I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 6.5 million members and supporters worldwide with an important request: We would like you to remove from Dictionary.com all animal-related slurs whose purpose is to debase human beings. Eliminating such language will help move us closer to a more respectful and empathetic world. This is perhaps a more pressing area of concern than most people realize. Please allow me to explain.

PETA has always urged people to stop using language that is meant to hurt others’ feelings and denigrate those who happen not to be human, in much the same way that we now understand how wrong it is to attribute undesirable traits, like miserliness or laziness, to certain nationalities or ethnicities. It was once acceptable for Carl Linnaeus, the “father of taxonomy,” to correlate skin color with disposition (listing Americans as “choleric,” Europeans as “sanguine,” Asians as “melancholic,” and Africans as “phlegmatic”). Looking back at this, we are rightly appalled. And assigning a negative meaning to an objective, neutral word for an animal, e.g., “weasel” (“a cunning, sneaky person”), “snake” (“a treacherous person; an insidious enemy”), or “rat” (“a scoundrel”), among others, is also unacceptable.

Calling humans various animal names is meant to sting, yet pigs, for instance, are intelligent, lead complex social lives, and show empathy for other pigs in distress. They have rescued drowning humans and alerted their guardians to fires. Snakes are clever, have family relationships, and prefer to associate with their relatives rather than with strangers. If taken many miles away, they can find their way back home even if it takes two years. Dogs have personalities as varied and distinct as those of the humans who care for them. A dog living in a human home has been shown to understand, on average, some 400 words of human language simply from paying close attention. Yet humans don’t even try to understand their language.

As you know, language matters and is essential to reflecting our ever-evolving culture. Perpetuating the idea that animals are sly, dirty, heartless, and so on is improper and inaccurate, desensitizes the public, and paves the way for the normalization of cruelty to and violence against animals. I look forward to hearing that Dictionary.com will remove these harmful definitions and thereby encourage people to recognize that attributing ill character to these thinking, feeling animals who experience joy, suffering, love, and grief, just as we do, is unacceptable. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Ingrid E. Newkirk

President

The post PETA Presses Dictionary.com to Drop Speciesist Definitions appeared first on PETA.