150 Fur Coats From PETA Donors Go to Women’s Shelter

Tomorrow (Wednesday), the Harriet Tubman Women’s Shelter, which is operated by D.C.’s Department of Human Services, will receive a special delivery from PETA’s D.C. office: 150 fur coats—each one donated by someone who had a change of heart about wearing fur.

When:    Wednesday, December 30, 12 noon

“PETA can’t bring back the rabbits, minks, and foxes who were cruelly caged or trapped and painfully killed for their fur, so we’re giving the coats to people here who can use them,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “We encourage people everywhere to donate their fur or fur-trimmed coats to help those who have few options in life—the only people with any excuse to wear them.”

Fur is an ugly business. Most animals used for fur spend their lives locked inside barren metal cages—frantically pacing, gnawing on the bars, and even mutilating themselves—before being electrocuted, gassed, or poisoned. Those who are trapped in nature may suffer for days with broken bones and wounds before trappers return to bludgeon them, shoot them, or kill them in some other violent manner.

PETA is currently holding protests against Canada Goose—which trims its parkas with the fur of wild coyotes caught in traps—and the few designers still clinging to animal pelts.

Including these 150, PETA will have donated over 500 fur coats to D.C.’s Department of Human Services and affiliated shelters in 2020 to help people in need.

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

The post 150 Fur Coats From PETA Donors Go to Women’s Shelter appeared first on PETA.

Urgent From PETA Ahead of Winter Storm: Survival Tips for Animals in Nebraska

Because a winter storm warning has been issued for areas in Nebraska including Lincoln, and Omaha, 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 in Nebraska appeared first on PETA.

Alexandre Birman Bans Exotic Skins After PETA Appeal

Following communications with PETA, luxury shoemaker Alexandre Birman has confirmed that it will stop sourcing exotic-animal skins. In thanks, PETA sent the company a box of delicious alligator-shaped vegan chocolates.

“Behind every crocodile- or snake-skin shoe is an animal who endured a violent, bloody death,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA thanks Alexandre Birman for protecting these vulnerable animals and points kind consumers to high-quality vegan materials that are the future of fashion.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—notes that as the world battles a deadly virus that originated in other animals used for their flesh, Alexandre Birman’s decision is more important than ever. Animals raised for their skin are kept in squalid, severely crowded conditions on farms, which creates a major breeding ground for various pathogens, including zoonotic ones like salmonella, E. coli, and West Nile virus.

PETA and its affiliates have documented that in the exotic-skins industry, alligators’ necks are hacked open and metal rods are shoved into their heads; snakes are pumped full of water to loosen their skin, which is peeled off, often while they’re still conscious; and feathers are yanked out of ostriches with pliers while the birds are still alive.

Alexandre Birman joins Brooks Brothers, Jil Sander, Chanel, Diane von Furstenberg, HUGO BOSS, Victoria Beckham, Vivienne Westwood, and many other companies in banning exotic skins.

PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

The post Alexandre Birman Bans Exotic Skins After PETA Appeal appeared first on PETA.

Urgent Message From PETA: Winter Survival Tips for Animals in Minnesota

As a winter weather advisory has been issued for areas in Minnesota including Minneapolis and St. Paul, 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 Message From PETA: Winter Survival Tips for Animals in Minnesota appeared first on PETA.