As your area is under a winter storm warning and parts of the state are expecting snow and ice from Winter Storm Gail, 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.
Dogs left outside in these conditions have been found suffering from frostbite and exposure. It’s vital that guardians bring their dogs indoors—or face legal consequences.
“Anyone who has stepped outside during a snowstorm knows how chilling extreme temperatures feel, and animals are no better equipped to handle them than we are,” says PETA Senior Vice President Daphna Nachminovitch. “PETA is urging animal guardians to prepare for Winter Storm Gail as if lives depend on it, because they do.”
Chaining dogs outdoors is dangerous and cruel, which is why—at PETA’s urging and with its ongoing advocacy and support—Virginia legislators voted to prohibit leaving dogs tethered outdoors during extreme weather. 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.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—urges good Samaritans who see companion animals kept chained or penned outside 24/7 or without adequate shelter from the elements to note the animals’ exact location and alert local law-enforcement authorities immediately.
PETA opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
This morning, PETA and PETA Germany sent a joint letter to German Defence Minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, calling for the German armed forces to stop mutilating and killing pigs in outdated training exercises immediately. The groups have also sent a letter to the licensing authority calling for the revocation of the military’s permit.
The groups note that using live pigs to imitate treating human war injuries appears to violate the German Animal Welfare Act and Directive 2010/63/EU, which only permit animal tests if no other means are available. In 2017, the German Federal Ministry of Defence promised to stop using animals for training “as soon as suitable simulation models are available,” and in 2019, the ministry assured PETA that it would pursue a “thorough examination” of non-animal models. But even though studies show that human-relevant models—which are already used for training by more than 70% of all NATO countries—are superior to animal-based exercises, the German military has yet to prohibit the use of animals.
“Using gentle pigs as disposable tools and inflicting massive injuries to mimic human war wounds is an indefensible and inferior training method,” says PETA Vice President Shalin Gala. “PETA is calling on the German Federal Ministry of Defence to join the majority of NATO countries in ending this practice and switching to superior human-simulation technology.”
The anatomy of pigs differs from that of humans, which makes these exercises unrealistic. State-of-the-art, high-tech simulations of human bodies that can “breathe” and “bleed” as well as virtual reality technology are more effective, ethical, and economical.
In 2010, PETA and PETA Germany persuaded German regulators to deny the U.S. Army Europe’s applications to conduct similar training with U.S. troops in Europe on the grounds that it would violate the German Animal Welfare Act.
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.
In the face of a global pandemic that originated in a Chinese “wet market” and has left millions of Americans sick, hundreds of thousands dead, and millions out of work, two vegan Los Angeles institutions are being recognized for helping people face the challenges of 2020 vegan-style: Charity Support + Feedand influencer Tabitha Brown are PETA’s 2020 Company of the Year and 2020 Person of the Year, respectively.
Brown, who creates mega-popular 60-second vegan cooking tutorials, posted her first TikTok in March, just as COVID-19 was picking up steam. Her enthusiasm and memorable catchphrases (“that’s our business” and “like so, like that”) soon earned her millions of followers (4.5 million on TikTok alone), appearances on talk shows, and a New York Times profile that praised her videos for offering viewers “a few seconds in which they can focus on themselves rather than the all-consuming anxiety of the coronavirus pandemic.” And Brown is showing millions how easy it is to cook delicious vegan food—as she has said, “The more people I get to try a vegan lifestyle, the more animal lives I save in the process!”
Support + Feed is a pandemic-era creation. Founded by actor and screenwriter Maggie Baird—the mother of previous PETA awardee Billie Eilish—it funds and coordinates food deliveries from vegan restaurants to organizations serving people with food insecurity, feeding two birds with one scone by supporting the restaurant industry and vulnerable people alike.
“Support + Feed and Tabitha Brown are both changing the world, one delicious vegan meal at a time,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA is honoring them both for being glimmers of vegan hope and joy in the weirdest year ever!”
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.
Thanks to PETA supporters like you, we made big-cat terrorizer Tim Stark irrelevant and rescued multiple animals from his now-defunct roadside zoo, Wildlife in Need. But we need your continued support to help animals trapped at another longtime PETA target: Waccatee Zoo, the worst roadside zoo in America.
Together, we can work to get animals like Lila the tiger moved to reputable facilities where they can have some peace on Earth at last.
Get to know just a few of the animals exploited and driven insane at this roadside zoo in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina:
Lila the Tiger
Tigers are known for their unique coat patterns, which (in nature) help them camouflage themselves, making them almost invisible in the forest as they travel vast distances. But Lila no longer looks like a tiger—she is almost completely bald and spends her days pacing in a deplorable cage.
At Waccatee Zoo, exasperated-looking animals such as Lila the tiger are often seen pacing back and forth.
Simba and Princess, Lions
In nature, lions work together to solve tasks and females form highly stable, maternal groups. But Simba …
Simba has shown significant weakness and lack of coordination in his rear legs, which may be the result of malnutrition or another type of health condition. He’s been displaying the same symptoms for years with little to no improvement.
… and Princess …
Gazing into Princess’ sad eyes through the chain-link fence is enough to crush your heart.
… are forced to live separately and alone in cramped, dismal enclosures.
Care Bear and Spook, Black Bears
In their natural habitats, you’ll find black bears biting, clawing, and rubbing against trees and other objects to leave messages for each other. Visit Waccatee and you’ll spot Care Bear and Spook with nothing to do but pace or sit in a shallow pool of dirty water.
A black bear at Waccatee Zoo experiences severe hair loss in large patches on various areas.
Tucker and Hope, Long-Tailed Macaques
Long-tailed macaques are excellent swimmers and enjoy sleeping in trees that hang over rivers, but at Waccatee, Tucker and Hope live in a small cage and have been observed attacking their own limbs, likely out of frustration or desperation.
In nature, red foxes have a large main den with additional burrows for sleeping and hiding. But at America’s worst roadside zoo, Ernie and Maxine live in a small, barren cage with nothing to do and only plastic barrels for shelter.
Dismal fur farm or Waccatee Zoo? It’s pretty hard to tell.
Jake the Tufted Capuchin
When male tufted capuchins have been separated for a time, they often approach one another quickly, embrace, and loudly vocalize, much like humans who’ve spent time away from their loved ones. But Jake doesn’t get to live with other capuchins. Instead, he’s been seen exhibiting signs of severe psychological distress: shaking, clutching, and even biting himself.
Could you imagine being confined here while strangers stop and stare at you?
*****
These are only some of the animals trapped within this real-life house of horrors’ small, unkempt enclosures. Sha-Sha (a pig-tailed macaque); Handsome, Jocko Jr., and Lil Trix (hamadryas baboons); and Clyde (a camel) …
Although camels are very social animals who greet one another with a friendly blow in the face, for years, Clyde has lived alone in a completely barren enclosure with nothing to do and no one to befriend.
… are also neglected and left to suffer in desolate conditions. So we’re calling on Waccatee to do the right thing: Send these tormented animals to reputable facilities where they can have some peace on Earth at last. And the good news is that you can help! Please print a letter saying that you pledge not to visit Waccatee and mail it to the owner, Kathleen Futrell:
Last night, PETA’s all-virtual 40th Anniversary and Holiday Party celebrated the group’s four decades of victories for animals and honored the celebrities who helped make them happen with Humanitarian Awards. The event was cohosted by Alan Cumming and Edie Falco—with special appearances by Sir Paul McCartney, Patrick Mahomes, Iggy Pop, Joaquin Phoenix, Dolly Parton, and others—and its honorees included Jermaine Dupri and Kat Graham.
“I’ve known Jermaine for a long time, and he is one of a kind. Not only is he a genius at producing music, he’s also a vocal animal rights advocate, why is why we are joined here today. I am most proud to see how Jermaine has become a powerful voice in PETA’s vegan campaign,” she said. “J.D., keep doing what you do. And PETA, I can’t wait for the next 40 years of groundbreaking success.”
Accepting his award from his studio in Atlanta, Dupri said, “Here in Atlanta, it’s been amazing to be a part of the growing vegan community. I became vegan for my own health, but the longer I’ve been at it, the more it became about others: the animals, food justice for our community, and the health of our planet. I urge you all to get involved and start building a vegan movement in your community.”
Graham, whose PETA videos encourage everyone to go vegan and fight speciesism, the human-supremacist worldview that animals are ours to exploit and kill at will, was also recognized. Joined by rescued animals at Georgia’s Full Circle Farm Sanctuary, where she gave her acceptance speech, Graham—who moved to the state after filming The Vampire Diaries there—said, “We can all change the world by leading by example, and that is what PETA has always done so beautifully.… [Sheep] are not sweaters. Cows aren’t burgers. Mice aren’t lab equipment. They feel. They understand. And they’re not ours to dominate.” She proclaimed, “Let’s change the world. Let’s change the way we eat. Let’s change what we wear. Let’s change how we live.”
The event also featured a segment highlighting the numerous superstars who have teamed up with PETA to promote kindness to animals over the years, including former Falcons player Tony Gonzalez, who posed with his wife for the group’s iconic “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaign.
