Kategorie: Animals

What happened on Snapchat didn’t stay on Snapchat, thanks to a conscientious person who called PETA’s 24-hour emergency line after seeing a disturbing video on the social media platform showing a young person viciously beating a cat named Oreo.

We immediately set about getting Oreo out of the hands of his abuser by calling the local police department, providing vital evidence, and guiding a kind officer through the process of seizing the cat and transporting him to a veterinarian to be treated at PETA’s expense.

Oreo had been so savagely beaten that we feared he must’ve been mortally wounded, but this tough cookie wasn’t ready to crumble just yet. The little feline superhero made it through. The only telltale sign of the horrors that he endured is the permanent scarring and disfigurement of his left ear. No one knows how many beatings he was subjected to off camera.

Once Oreo got a clean bill of health from the veterinarian, PETA staffers drove 16 hours roundtrip to bring him back to the Sam Simon Center—our Norfolk, Virginia, headquarters—and get him started on a new life free of pain and fear.

At first, Oreo showed symptoms of emotional trauma and was prone to darting under the furniture at the slightest noise—and who could blame him? But after a few days surrounded by kind people who never raised their voices, much less their fists, he decided that humans aren’t such a bad species after all. Now that he knows he’s safe, he has revealed the sweet center under that initially crunchy exterior. A “social climber” who eagerly greets visitors from his perch atop his cat tree, he’s especially fond of having his chin scratched, rewarding the scratch provider with a gentle purr.

We know someone out there must have a craving for giving this sweetie the happily-ever-after that he deserves. If that someone is you, send us an e-mail at Adopt@PETA.org and you’ll find out why everyone loves Oreo.

Learn More About Oreo and Other Adoptable Animals

The post Snapchat Saved This Cat, With a Little Help From PETA appeared first on PETA.

Below, please find a statement from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk in response to reports that mice were used to test a muscle-mass drug in space:

Genetically modified mice, like the ones who were rocketed into outer space to test a muscle-mass drug, are one of science’s great failures. It’s already been shown that mice aren’t good stand-ins for humans. Tinker with their genetic code and they aren’t even models for other mice, let alone humans. Humans may go to space if they choose, but leave the animals here on Earth.

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.

The post PETA Statement: Study About Muscle-Mass Drug Tested in Space appeared first on PETA.

Following recent reports that a dog died after being left outside in the heat in Montgomery County, PETA is issuing an urgent warning about the importance of never leaving animals outdoors in extreme heat or in hot vehicles. Thirty-one animals have died this year from heat-related causes.

On a 78-degree day, the temperature inside a parked car can soar to 100 degrees in just minutes, and on a 90-degree day, the interior temperature can reach as high as 109 degrees in less than 10 minutes. Dogs, who don’t sweat and can cool themselves only by panting, can rapidly succumb to heatstroke, even if a vehicle is parked in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside.

Anyone who leaves animals outside to suffer in severe weather may be prosecuted for cruelty.

The following tips will help keep animal companions safe in hot weather:

• Keep animals indoors, and leave them at home when it’s hot outside. Unlike humans, dogs can sweat only through their footpads and cool themselves by panting, so even brief sun exposure can have life-threatening consequences. Anyone who sees animals in distress and is unable to help should note their locations and alert authorities immediately.
• Never leave an animal inside a hot vehicle. Temperatures can quickly soar in parked cars, and a dog trapped inside can die from heatstroke within minutes—even if the car is in the shade with the windows slightly open, which has little to no effect on lowering the temperature inside the car. PETA offers an emergency window-breaking hammer for help with intervening in life-or-death situations.
• Avoid hot pavement. When outdoor temperatures reach the 80s, asphalt temperatures can climb to 140 degrees, causing pain, burns, and permanent damage to dogs’ paws after just a few minutes of contact. Walk dogs on grass whenever possible, and avoid walking in the middle of the day. Never run with dogs in hot weather—they’ll collapse before giving up, at which point, it may be too late to save them.

PETA has released a hot-car public service announcement featuring Mckenna Grace. For more information, visit PETA.org.

The post Urgent From PETA: Cruel—and Criminal—to Leave Dogs Outdoors in the Heat appeared first on PETA.

As part of its campaign in behalf of Dillan, the Asiatic black bear who suffered for years at the Union County Sportsmen’s Club before he was rescued earlier this year, PETA has just placed a giant billboard near the roadside zoo calling on Governor Tom Wolf to ensure that cruelty-to-animals charges are filed against Dillan’s abusers.

A new PETA video reveals that Dillan was suffering from morbid obesity and painful, life-threatening dental disease when he arrived at The Wild Animal Sanctuary (TWAS) in Colorado in January, after PETA’s months-long campaign finally led to his rescue. Since July 2017, the U.S. Department of Agriculture had repeatedly cited the roadside zoo for Dillan’s dental issues, obesity, and continuous abnormal rocking (which typically indicates extreme physical and/or psychological distress)—but the facility took no meaningful action.

“The Union County Sportsmen’s Club let this bear suffer for years, and unless Pennsylvania has somehow opted out of obeying and enforcing state laws, that conduct is a violation,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “PETA is calling on Gov. Wolf to ask why Dillan’s abusers have not yet been charged and to make sure that it happens.”

TWAS Executive Director Pat Craig stated that in his 40 years of rescuing captive wildlife, Dillan’s dental disease was the most severe and advanced that he has ever seen and that he was, by far, the most obese bear of the more than 300 the organization has rescued. Happily, Dillan now enjoys roaming, eating fresh fruits and vegetables, and spending time with his new best friend—another rescued bear named Lily.

The billboard is located on Route 11/15, south of Liverpool. PETA is also placing another billboard near Wolf’s mansion in Harrisburg.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.

The post New PETA Ad Seeks Cruelty Charges in Bear-Neglect Case appeared first on PETA.

Below, please find a statement from PETA President Ingrid Newkirk regarding the CEO of a Los Angeles environmental consulting firm, EBI Consulting, who was caught on camera hitting his dog and yanking the animal off the ground:

PETA is pushing for a vigorous prosecution of this abuser, including a lifelong ban on keeping animals, and for the rescue of this poor dog. We want everyone to remember Jeffrey Previte’s name and face, because no one with an ounce of respect for animals or love for a dog should ever give a cent of business to a man who shoots and kills animals for fun when he’s not tormenting his dog at home.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—opposes speciesism, which is a human-supremacist worldview. More information about the dangers that people who are cruel to animals pose to the community is available here.

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