Kategorie: Animals

It’s time for Hollywood to end the use of wild animals in film and television. Ryan Murphy’s Ratched is TV’s latest offender to exploit animals in the name of entertainment. The Netflix show features a capuchin monkey, a highly intelligent primate from Central and South America, who, like all wild animals, doesn’t belong on a film or TV set. To help set the filmmaker straight, PETA sent him a detailed, behind-the-scenes overview of PETA Germany’s creation of a highly realistic computer-generated gorilla for a moving public service announcement (PSA). This raises an important point—if a nonprofit can create a lifelike gorilla using modern and humane technology, Hollywood should always do so, too.

Watch the full PSA below, which features Queen’s song “I Want to Break Free” and has been seen by millions of people around the world:

Primates used in the entertainment industry are typically taken away from their mothers as babies and frequently denied adequate psychological and social stimulation, proper exercise, and the opportunity to engage in natural behavior. Many suffer from debilitating loneliness and depression. Moreover, when real monkeys appear in movies or TV shows, it can mislead audiences into thinking that these animals are happy in human environments, even inspiring viewers to acquire them as “pets,” thereby fueling the shady trade in captive wild animals. Using computer-generated imagery (CGI) prevents all that.

The magnificent silverback in PETA Germany’s video was created by Swedish animation studio FABLEfx. Check out the full visual effects breakdown below, and get ready to be wowed by the amazing technology used to create Cozy:

This stunning PSA proves once again that creative people can tell compelling, emotional stories using special effects and without exploiting any real animals. Thankfully, many Hollywood stars know very well that animals don’t belong on screen, and actors like Anjelica Huston, Andy Serkis, and Alan Cumming have spoken out against the cruelty inherent in using primates for the sake of entertainment.

Animals in Film and TV: Cruelty Behind the Scenes

Using animals for film and TV productions normalizes the exploitation of wild animals, sending a dangerous, regressive message to viewers. When industry giants like Murphy dress up monkeys for a TV show, it conveys that wild animals are safe, approachable, and ours to control. We hope he takes note of PETA Germany’s PSA and recognizes the animal training industry for the American Horror Story it is.

What audiences don’t see is that behind the scenes, the often-frightened animals typically endure excessive handling, crating for extended periods, and stressful transport to and from sets. When not “working,” animals are often kept in close confinement and deprived of opportunities for exercise, enrichment, and companionship—which poses a significant threat to their health, safety, and well-being. Abusive training techniques, including food deprivation, are also commonly used to ensure that animals will perform on set in the fewest takes possible.

We’ve Seen the Future of TV and Film—and It’s CGI

In fact, CGI is already the present for many of Hollywood’s top filmmakers. Movies like The Lion King and The Jungle Book brought Simba, Rafiki, Baloo, and Shere Khan to life without forcing a single animal to perform. Disney’s Aladdin and Dumbo remakes feature playful CGI monkeys, and shows like The Walking Dead and The Umbrella Academy have incorporated stunningly realistic CGI wild-animal characters at the center of their story arcs. CGI, animatronics, and other types of technology are paving the way for an enlightened approach to depicting animals in cinema—one in which nobody is whipped, caged, starved, or neglected.

How You Can Help Animals Used in the Entertainment Industry

Murphy’s decision to use a real primate for a TV show is netting him nothing but bad reviews from animal advocates. Compassionate filmmakers understand that animals should never suffer for a movie or a TV show, and PETA is calling on anyone who sees an animal being used for a production to report it immediately. You can also let your disapproval be known by commenting on the social media pages of the director, the network or studio, and the production companies.

PETA also relies on casts and crews to help change the entertainment industry from the inside. Anyone who sees animals being used on a film or TV set or at a training compound can report it here, contact our confidential whistleblower hotline at 323-210-2233, or send an e-mail to AFTV@peta.org. Your anonymity will be taken very seriously.

Tell HBO to STOP Exploiting Animals

The post Hey, Ryan Murphy: Animals Want to ‘Break Free’ From Film and TV! appeared first on PETA.

Thanksgiving is almost here, which means it’s time to prepare our homes for fall festivities and our stomachs for multiple servings of delicious vegan food. If you’re celebrating this year’s ThanksVegan virtually or at a socially distanced dinner table, there are plenty of ways to have your vegan pumpkin pie and eat it, too. Here are three actions to take this ThanksVegan to enjoy the holiday while social distancing!

1. Download and use the PETA Zoom background for all your virtual gatherings.

Since many friends and families are planning socially distanced gatherings over Zoom this year, we’re offering a new free ThanksVegan Zoom background.

If you want to remind people to be kind to animals this holiday, simply download the image, click the caret next to the video icon on Zoom, and select “Choose a Virtual Background.” Then, just upload the image and you’ll have a wonderful, animal-friendly conversation starter for your virtual gathering.

2. Shop at stores participating in ThanksVegan.

When you’re shopping for your vegan feast, keep in mind the stores that offer tasty vegan food. Look for vegan roasts and plenty of side dishes at stores that are participating in ThanksVegan, including Sprouts, Gelson’s Markets, King Kullen, Ingles Markets, Associated Food Stores, Met Foodmarkets, Metropolitan City Market, and Pioneer Supermarkets in the U.S. and Sobeys, Safeway, Save-On-Foods, Urban Fare, and Loblaw Companies—including Loblaws, Zehrs Markets, and Atlantic Superstore—in Canada.

3. Use the hashtag #ThanksVegan on all your holiday posts.

Snap a picture of your vegan spread and share it online with the hashtag #ThanksVegan so that everyone can see how you celebrate the holidays the vegan way!

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Thanksgiving is a time to show gratitude for all the blessings in our lives. The best way to do this is by going vegan, which is better for animals, the planet, and our own health. If you love these ThanksVegan actions and are looking for more animal-friendly tips, check out our vegan Thanksgiving swaps cheat sheet to veganize your holiday feast.

The post 3 Actions to Make Your ‘ThanksVegan’ the Best Part of 2020 appeared first on PETA.

A recent poll reveals that nearly two-thirds of American believers view COVID-19 as a message from God to change their behavior, prompting PETA’s Christian outreach arm, LAMBS (which stands for “Least Among My Brothers and Sisters” from Matthew 25:40) to put up a billboard and place ads on benches near churches across the city. The ads urge people to honor the Christian tenets of compassion and respect for all beings by leaving animals in peace and off the plate.

“Lambs and all the other gentle animals used for food feel pain and fear, value their lives, and don’t want to die for someone’s fleeting taste,” says PETA Vice President Daniel Paden. “LAMBS is serving up food for thought about our role as stewards of God’s creation—and about going vegan, something that we can do to help prevent the next pandemic and love our neighbors as ourselves.”

Animals are not mentioned in Genesis 1:29, which states that God provides “every seed-bearing plant” and “every tree whose fruit contains seed” as food for humans. Yet because people eat animals regardless, chickens’ throats are cut while they’re still conscious, piglets are castrated without painkillers, and mother cows are separated from their babies shortly after birth, all actions that cause immense suffering.

Each person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals a year and can help ward off the next pandemic, which health experts say is inevitable as long as humans continue to base their diet on the flesh of sick and stressed animals who are held in filthy, crowded sheds and markets. Swine flu, bird flu, SARS, and COVID-19 have all come from confining and killing animals for food, and slaughterhouses are COVID-19 hotbeds.

LAMBS—whose motto, in a twist on PETA’s, is “Animals are not ours. They’re God’s”—holds that being made in the image of God is a call to show compassion and mercy, not dominance and violence. For more information, please visit PETALambs.com.

The billboard is located at 3632 Broadway, just 450 feet from T & R Taste of Texas BBQ and within a 1-mile radius of 11 churches, including Bethel Church of God in Christ, Oak Park United Methodist Church, and the New Direction Christian Center. The bench ads are at the following locations:

• 3969 14^th, near the intersection with San Carlos Way and across the street from St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church
• 3630 Broadway, near the intersection with Bret Harte Court and just steps away from Oak Park United Methodist Church and Bethel Church of God in Christ
• 2790 Muir Way, near the intersection with Vallejo Way and next to Riverside United Methodist Church
• 3377 Freeport Blvd., near the intersection with College Avenue and just feet away from The Door Christian Fellowship Church
• 3425 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., near the intersection with Ninth Avenue and across the street from the Oak Park Community Center, just feet away from Friendship Baptist Church, .3 miles from Shiloh Baptist Church, and .4 miles from All Nations Church of God

The post ‘Waiting for a Sign to Go Vegan?’ PETA’s Put Them All Over Town! appeared first on PETA.

After Anthropologie was implicated in a first-of-its-kind PETA investigation—in which workers tied crying alpacas to a rack, pulling their legs so hard that they nearly came out of their sockets, and left them with bloody wounds from rough shearing—activists and an “alpaca” will surround the brand’s Philadelphia store and block the entrance tomorrow to demand that it stop selling alpaca fleece and anything else cruelly obtained from animals. The protesters will hold graphic signs that show the terrified faces of exploited animals and read, “The Face of Fashion Is Fear.” PETA supporters worldwide will begin holding other similar protests this week.

When:    Tuesday, September 29, 12 noon—at 12:30 p.m., the protesters will march to the Urban Outfitters and Free People stores near the intersection of S. 17th and Walnut streets

Where:    Anthropologie, 1801 Walnut St., Philadelphia

“Urban Outfitters brands want to appeal to open-minded and progressive young people, but they’re missing the mark by selling fleece taken from animals who get beat up, cut up, and killed in the process,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “Anything forcibly taken from an animal is a product of fear, and PETA is holding Urban Outfitters to its consumer pledge of sustainability and ethics by calling on the company to sell only vegan materials, which is easy for it to do because it already stocks them.”

PETA’s investigation took place at the world’s largest privately owned alpaca farm in Peru, which is owned by the Michell Group, a supplier of major brands, including Anthropologie. The disturbing footage shows that during shearing, workers hit, kicked, tied down, and mutilated screaming alpacas, who spit and vomited in fear.

The group is also urging all Urban Outfitters Inc. brands—including Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, and Free People—to drop wool, leather, cashmere, mohair, down, and silk, as each one is a product of extreme violence, cruelty, and fear. PETA and its affiliates have released dozens of videos revealing that during shearing, workers hit, kick, and mutilate gentle sheep for their wool; leave sensitive goats with bloody, gaping wounds at mohair and cashmere operations; burn, electroshock, beat, and slaughter cows for leather; yank out the feathers of ducks and geese by the fistful for down; and boil silkworms alive to produce silk.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—opposes speciesism, the human-supremacist worldview that animals are nothing more than commodities. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

The post Anthropologie to Be ‘Closed for Cruelty’ by PETA appeared first on PETA.

Because the Glass fire is threatening areas across Napa County and evacuations are underway, animals must be kept indoors and will die if abandoned.

Residents in areas affected by smoke and falling ash should keep animals indoors and avoid all outdoor activities, such as running with dogs. If visibility is less than 5 miles, smoke has compromised the air quality and reached unsafe levels. Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help, should note their locations and alert authorities immediately.

Trapped horses and other animals can’t outrun wildfires. They should never be locked in their stalls or confined in any way, unable to flee.

Animals must never be left behind. Anyone who evacuates and intentionally abandons animals to fend for themselves may be prosecuted.

PETA has released a wildfire-preparedness public service announcement featuring Dean Winters. Make plans to ensure the safety of animal companions in advance of trouble in order to avoid being caught unprepared. PETA also offers a video about keeping animal companions safe during fires. For more information, visit PETA.org.

The post Urgent From PETA: Wildfire Survival Tips for Animals  in Napa County appeared first on PETA.